Author Archive for J Scott Moore
I'm an irascible rec-hockey player, your typical ‘lunch pail’ player. A Colorado native, I was raised on Broncos football, with occasional minor league and Colorado (hockey) Rockies games thrown in. With the arrival of the Colorado Avalanche and my crazy idea to learn to ice skate (and eventually play hockey) at the age of 33, I fell in love with hockey, finally. You can find me here: Real Denver Sports and here: Twitter
Avalanche Training Camp Report
Coming into training camp there isn’t really a lot of competition to make this team. The roster is pretty much set despite all the players that aren’t returning from last year. Part of that is due to the players returning from injuries. But the defense needs the 7th man and the forth line needs a [...]
An Avalanche of Questions
With the 2010-11 NHL season fast approaching I thought I would take a brief look at the Colorado Avalanche and ask a few questions. These are the things that I think will make a difference in the success and failure of the team as the season progresses. There were a lot of stellar performances on [...]
Thank My Lucky Socks
On July 1st I prepared for the big day by putting on my lucky Colorado Avalanche socks. As the day progressed and the Avalanche made nary a ripple in the free agent pool, I reminded myself that this was a pretty good team last year. And the deafening quiet from the Avalanche front office is legendary…in [...]
Ryan Smyth and what if…
Nearly a year after the Colorado Avalanche traded Ryan Smyth I can’t help but think…what if? What’s more irksome about the deal is that it was likely nothing more than a salary dump. Terry Frei of the Denver Post has said as much and has speculated that Greg Sherman would not have traded Smyth if [...]
Avs Can’t Hold off the Sharks
The Colorado Avalanche didn’t start game six the way the wanted to, allowing an early goal by the San Jose Sharks. It didn’t end the way they wanted it to either. The San Jose Sharks came out in the third with the Thornton line reunited and buzzing around the Avs’ net. It foreshadowed the future. [...]
Avs as Ugly as a Great White
That was about the ugliest game I’ve seen this team play. As an Avs fan I’m tempted to think that the Avs made the Sharks look good. If I’m a Sharks fan I’ve got to be thinking, “Finally, a dominating performance!” Realistically it’s in between. The Avs really let the Sharks take it to them [...]
For Avs-Sharks, it’s About Time
Just over a minute into game four between the Avalanche and the Sharks, a goat found redemption and a hero became human again. Dan Boyle was a very unlucky guy in game three. With a little help from the Avs’ Ryan O’Reilly he managed to score on his own goal and hand a win to [...]
Sharks “Feel Good” About Themselves
Fans of the Colorado Avalanche can feel good about how this team is performing so far in the playoffs. The players obviously feel pretty good about how they have played so far. Despite the game two OT loss, there was little talk of one that got away, blah-blah-blah. They know the deal; they weren’t even [...]
Those Damn Kids, Can’t Tell Them Anything!
The Colorado Avalanche came out flying around in their first playoff game and looked great. That wasn’t supposed to happen. Did someone forget to tell the Avs they have no chance? Was it just plain ignorance? Maybe these guys haven’t been reading the papers? Cause if they were they would know better. They aren’t supposed [...]
Avalanche in the Playoffs
If you are a fan of the Colorado Avalanche you have a vested interest in who they are going to face in the playoffs. But you don’t have any say in the matter. Doesn’t keep the fans from speculating. Some argued that the Blackhawks are a vulnerable team with the defensive injuries and the questionable [...]
“Skills Competition” Decides the East. And, so What?
I’m obviously in the minority here. I have no problems with the shootout. In fact I like it. If it’s so wrong to have a player skate in alone on the goalie why not whistle a breakaway dead like an offside play? If it’s so wrong to have a player skate in alone on the [...]
That’s Why They Play the Games
The Colorado Avalanche aren’t the only ones that have had an erratic week or two. The fans that live and die with this team have had a rough time as well. There’s been everything from declaring the Avs “done” to rationalizing that it would be a good thing to miss the playoffs. Even Avs beat [...]
The Avalanche Control Their Own Clichés
In a game Wednesday night where the Colorado Avalanche still “controlled their own destiny,” it turns out they didn’t “play a full 60 minutes” or “do the little things” that they needed to do to “stay in the driver’s seat.” That would be the playoffs driver’s seat in case you aren’t current with locker room [...]
Duchene Needs to Lead Avs into Playoffs
Sunday night the Colorado Avalanche played the San Jose Sharks to a 4-3 loss. The Avs certainly played a better game than the one in Phoenix the previous night, but the Sharks were playing their backup goalie, Thornton was out and Rob Blake took a maintenance day. Sooo…maybe not. The Avs are in a slump [...]
The Avalanche are Consistently, Inconsistent
Some things aren’t what they seem. Take the Phoenix Coyotes for example. Not as good as everyone would have you think right now. And the Sharks that were recently bumped for a mere day or two from their top spot in the division by the aforementioned Yotes? Yeah, they aren’t that bad either. And the [...]
Joe Sacco’s Party Trick
You know that friend of yours that tells the same joke or does that same cheesy trick at every party? Everyone knows a guy like that, right? And the thing about it: it’s one of those “funny-once” things. Joe Sacco is one of those guys. But it’s no joke and the trick isn’t working. Sacco’s [...]
Race for the Calder
The Calder trophy talk shifts and alters throughout the season as wide-eyed rookies adapt, or don’t, to the reality of playing 82 games against the best hockey players in the world. It’s a challenge that deserves admiration; the dedication both mentally and physically that is exacted on these young men is immense. Let’s take a [...]
Avs Falter vs. Frantic Flames
The Avs played with a lot of hustle and toughness but not a lot of smarts. But there’s a silver lining. Let’s break it down… Hustle It took the Avs nearly half the game to get their motor running. But it was the unlikely line of Ryan O’Reilly, Kevin Porter and Marek Svatos that suddenly [...]
Mueller?…Mueller?…Mueller?…
I’ve been wrong before. It happens. And most of the time I have no problem admitting when I’m wrong. When the Colorado Avalanche traded Wojtek Wolski for Peter Mueller I was skeptical that Mueller was going to contribute much and I said as much. He had a nice rookie year and it been all downhill [...]
The Revenge of Wojtek Wolski
Just the day after the Avs and Phoenix swapped players Wojtek Wolski and Peter Mueller, the teams faced off in Phoenix. The game started with Cody McLeod reminding Wojtek Wolski that he now played for the enemy. McLeod gave Wolski a few rough shoves in front of the net within the first minutes of the [...]
