Ask anyone in Denver at the start of the NFL and NHL seasons if they thought they would have two top teams in the big leagues come mid-October. One would be fairly predictable and the other not so much.
Whoa. Wait. Denver has other pro teams besides the Broncos? Yes, the Avalanche. And others too!
Wait. The Ava-who?
I have only resided in this sun-shiny city for a little over two years. I grew up in Buffalo then lived in DC for just shy of a decade. I can tell you that living in these three football-proud and sometimes unhealthily obsessed municipalities, Denver really just has one pro-sports team. Buffalo has two and watching the Sabres and the Bills lose (but still cheering them on with all your heart!) is all you do between September and April. Washington, DC has some Nattitude. Caps fans get their hopes up around March and April only to have our dreams crushed by a groin pull or lack of motivation (Moto-OVI-ation???- please reference here). But Denver? Nope. Alllll Broncos alllll the time.
But this past summer there was some movement in the Avalanche front office.
Um… Ava-what?
Denver’s NHL team freshened up their look with a new Coach/VP of Hockey Operations with Patrick Roy and a new EVP of Hockey Ops with Joe Sakic. Well, more like a recycled well-aged fine wine look. Former Avalanche netminder Roy returned to Colorado as the Avs’ new head coach and Vice President of Hockey Operations. Sakic returned to the Mile High as the EVP of Hockey Ops. With them they brought a pretty nice tandem of decision making and coaching glory. Seriously. The Avalanche haven’t had this good of a start to their season since they used to be called the Nordiques and resided in the Great White North. It’s pretty cool if you want to watch some local sporting in Denver on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday or Saturday… days when there isn’t the potential for a Broncos game and thus orange and navy citywide color domination.
Yeah yeah, there are still 75 games remaining. Heck, the Florida Panthers could miraculously be the top team in the NHL right now it’s that early. But it’s pretty cool to see the Avs at the top of the Central Division ABOVE Chicago, St. Louis, Minnesota… some big guns there. I’m all about starting off a season with this kind-of gung-ho-ness and have the excitement be for a team that isn’t wearing orange. Let’s hope this momentum lasts.
Sports in Denver are gonna be good this year.
You’re up Nuggets.
Nugg-what?
