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News Article: Colorado Avalanche Media Coverage Part VI

So what's the deal with playoff coverage? I thought Altitude and other locals got the entire first round. But Altitude got shut out of two games this go-around. Are we creeping toward national broadcast-only playoffs? I'd really hate that. I know where John Buccigross stands on that particular topic.
 
Pokecheque said:
So what's the deal with playoff coverage? I thought Altitude and other locals got the entire first round. But Altitude got shut out of two games this go-around. Are we creeping toward national broadcast-only playoffs? I'd really hate that. I know where John Buccigross stands on that particular topic.
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I watched every game so far with the Altitude feed.
 
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The Merchant said:


Isn't bro like 32?
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And it's not even close to the most heartbreaking loss.

That would have been when Ray f***ing Borque was clanging shot after shot off the bar and nothing went in during the final moments of the 2000 WCF. That was heartbreak.

This season, for some reason... just never felt like we deserved to be in the conversation. I'm f***ing amazed by the number of people acting torn up. At what point during this season did anyone feel like we were watching a Stanley Cup Champion? Seriously?
 
I'd say that was the most shocking Avalanche loss, giving away a 2-0 lead with half a period to go, and Mikko scoring the hat trick.

Close to the most heartbreaking, with the Gabe story, but yeah that Bourque year in 2000 was tough. Gave up the first three goals, then scored two, but came up short and lost 3-2. Couldn't bury their shots and Belfour stood on his head. Felt like Ray may not come back and they lost his best chance to win.

But he did come back, and they won the next year, with the same coach. Good omen perhaps.

If they can get it together next year, it could be like 22, and 01, when they were determined to win no matter what, after so many disappointing losses prior.

Their minds were made of steel those seasons. Nothing was getting in their way. They need that again.
 
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Foppa2118 said:
I'd say that was the most shocking Avalanche loss, with giving away a 2-0 with half a period to go, and Mikko scoring the hat trick.

Close to the most heartbreaking, with the Gabe story, but yeah that Bourque year in 2000 was tough. Gave up the first three goal, then scored two, but came up shot and lost 3-2. Couldn't bury their shots and Belfour stood on his head. Felt like Ray may not come back and they lost his best chance to win.

But he did come back, and they won the next year, with the same coach. Good omen perhaps.

If they can get it together next year, it could be like 22, and 01, when they were determined to win no matter what, after so many disappointing losses prior.

Their minds were made of steel those seasons. Nothing was getting in their way. They need that again.
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You won't get that kind of faith from a team when the head coach only believes in 5 of them.
 
Ararana said:
For me, 2014's game 7 OT loss to the Wild was the deepest hurt I've taken from the Avs. I was depressed all summer that year.

IDK, maybe I'm just getting numb to the cMac years but two days after this years loss I'm basically in a "yeah, that makes sense" state.
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That one was fugly as well.

It's funny how each of us can hold different series as the most impactful.
 
expatriatedtexan said:
You won't get that kind of faith from a team when the head coach only believes in 5 of them.
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Yeah, Bednar cannot return because clearly he believes too much in a top line/top pair and doesn't trust the other three.

That's what bad coaches do: become super reliant on a top line and if that line doesn't produce, the team doesn't win.

He's got to go.
 
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I was okay with 2014 because I was certain greater success was imminent.

Whoops.
 
Ararana said:
For me, 2014's game 7 OT loss to the Wild was the deepest hurt I've taken from the Avs. I was depressed all summer that year.

IDK, maybe I'm just getting numb to the cMac years but two days after this years loss I'm basically in a "yeah, that makes sense" state.
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I'm still pissed about 2014, but I'm much more pissed about this one. I'll be raging about this one for 20 years I'm sure
 
dahrougem2 said:
Yeah, Bednar cannot return because clearly he believes too much in a top line/top pair and doesn't trust the other three.

That's what bad coaches do: become super reliant on a top line and if that line doesn't produce, the team doesn't win.

He's got to go.
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See, I don't know if I agree with that. He didn't trust the depth of this team to start the year (and well through most of the season up until the deadline) because he didn't HAVE any depth. Once Mittelstadt imploded they had, what, Ivan Ivan and Parker Kelly rounding out the center depth chart? And more to the point, they played from behind almost every night because the f***ing goalies couldn't stop a shot to save their lives. Same problem with the defense, there was the top pairing and then both Sammy and Manson missed significant time due to injuries. Malinski started out reasonably well, then hit an absolutely horrid rough patch that didn't rectify itself until after the deadline, then he played lights out. And don't get me started on rotating cast of goofballs they used as the 6th guy. Middleton was probably the best option, and that's saying something.

Once he got Drury, and then later Coyle, he absolutely relied on them. Same goes with Lindgren. Malinski also saw a bump once he got himself righted post-deadline.

Don't tell me he didn't trust the bottom of the lineup in this series, he put the fourth line out there plenty in situations where they could succeed and if not for them, the series doesn't even go seven. He also relied a whole bunch on the grind-it-up 2nd line in the latter games because they were the only ones looking dangerous at even strength. If there was depth that failed them this series, it was the third line, Coyle wasn't great and Kivi was a ghost, Drouin was just...Drouin. Hurt all goddamned year.

Mind you, I think Bednar made plenty of mistakes, some of which might be fireable offenses, but I don't think overplaying the top line/pairing was one of them. That's as much if not more on management than it is on him. He keeps having to overplay his stars because management keeps handing him chicken shit and expecting chicken soup. It would be nice, if, cap or no cap, MacFarland actually gave him a roster to start the season that was at least mostly complete instead of one that's only half-baked and then scrambling at the deadline to fill holes.
 
The Moops said:
I'm still pissed about 2014, but I'm much more pissed about this one. I'll be raging about this one for 20 years I'm sure
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I think 2014 hit me so hard because of how high the Avs were flying.

- They just drafted MacKinnon and the kid was a stud
- First year of Patrick Roy as HC
- Center depth of Stastny-Duchene-ROR with MacKinnon on the wing (lol how far we've fallen)
- #1 seed playing the bottom wild card

And then in an instant Duchene failed to back check and the season was over. I'll admit I was going through some heavy personal things back then and the Avs were very much a distractive coping mechanism for me at the time - so that probably played into things.

At least this year with Dallas you could see it coming a mile away.
 
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Pokecheque said:
See, I don't know if I agree with that. He didn't trust the depth of this team to start the year (and well through most of the season up until the deadline) because he didn't HAVE any depth. Once Mittelstadt imploded they had, what, Ivan Ivan and Parker Kelly rounding out the center depth chart? And more to the point, they played from behind almost every night because the f***ing goalies couldn't stop a shot to save their lives. Same problem with the defense, there was the top pairing and then both Sammy and Manson missed significant time due to injuries. Malinski started out reasonably well, then hit an absolutely horrid rough patch that didn't rectify itself until after the deadline, then he played lights out. And don't get me started on rotating cast of goofballs they used as the 6th guy. Middleton was probably the best option, and that's saying something.

Once he got Drury, and then later Coyle, he absolutely relied on them. Same goes with Lindgren. Malinski also saw a bump once he got himself righted post-deadline.

Don't tell me he didn't trust the bottom of the lineup in this series, he put the fourth line out there plenty in situations where they could succeed and if not for them, the series doesn't even go seven. He also relied a whole bunch on the grind-it-up 2nd line in the latter games because they were the only ones looking dangerous at even strength. If there was depth that failed them this series, it was the third line, Coyle wasn't great and Kivi was a ghost, Drouin was just...Drouin. Hurt all goddamned year.

Mind you, I think Bednar made plenty of mistakes, some of which might be fireable offenses, but I don't think overplaying the top line/pairing was one of them. That's as much if not more on management than it is on him. He keeps having to overplay his stars because management keeps handing him chicken shit and expecting chicken soup. It would be nice, if, cap or no cap, MacFarland actually gave him a roster to start the season that was at least mostly complete instead of one that's only half-baked and then scrambling at the deadline to fill holes.
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That's just it, though: the depth wasn't trusted as the series progressed even though trusting your depth a little bit more keeps top guys more fresh. That is the concept Bednar either doesn't understand or refuses to accept.

Playing the "third" line under 9 minutes in game 7 isn't wise. Yeah, it's a winner-take-all but again somebody like MacKinnon looks gassed to finish the hockey game. Look at how fresh Mikko looked in the 3rd.

It's not just a one-game or a one-series thing, either. I don't care that the depth was bad for a good portion of the season: F***ING PLAY THEM. The more you rely on MacKinnon/Rantanen/Lehkonen/Necas/etc to play 22+ minutes the less they're going to be fresh during the playoffs.

If a coach immediately thinks his depth can't play, what good is that coach? If all he knows how to do is win if his top guys play amazing, why is this a good coach? I want a coach that can get the most out of a bad roster instead of a coach who can't get the most out of a great roster.

He needs to be punted.
 
dahrougem2 said:
That's just it, though: the depth wasn't trusted as the series progressed even though trusting your depth a little bit more keeps top guys more fresh. That is the concept Bednar either doesn't understand or refuses to accept.

Playing the "third" line under 9 minutes in game 7 isn't wise. Yeah, it's a winner-take-all but again somebody like MacKinnon looks gassed to finish the hockey game. Look at how fresh Mikko looked in the 3rd.

It's not just a one-game or a one-series thing, either. I don't care that the depth was bad for a good portion of the season: F***ING PLAY THEM. The more you rely on MacKinnon/Rantanen/Lehkonen/Necas/etc to play 22+ minutes the less they're going to be fresh during the playoffs.

If a coach immediately thinks his depth can't play, what good is that coach? If all he knows how to do is win if his top guys play amazing, why is this a good coach? I want a coach that can get the most out of a bad roster instead of a coach who can't get the most out of a great roster.

He needs to be punted.
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Again, the third line played poorly, so it essentially became a 4th line. There just wasn't anywhere to stash Drouin where he wasn't a giant liability. And there wasn't really anyone in the press box who could capably take his place (it sure as hell wasn't going to be Miles Wood after that giant f***up that cost them in game 3). Kivi and Coyle were just plain bad down the stretch (WTF Kivi where was that playoff hero we saw when you were playing for Dallas!?).

I don't know the exact totals of the 4th line's minutes but I saw them plenty in game 7.

And let's not forget, he had the 4th line out there in the closing minutes of a tie game and Drury took the dumb penalty that ultimately cost them the game and series.

And no, you can't just sit there and say F*CKING PLAY THEM when they had the worst goaltending by far in the entire league, no 2nd line center, 3rd line center, or really 4th line center to speak of. If they had truly rolled 4 lines like you keep suggesting they would be getting blown the f*** out every night. There is no coach anywhere in any league, any era, who would do that. Not Scotty Bowman, not Jon Cooper, not Punch Imlach, no one. No coach would throw games like that in order to avoid player burnout.

He played the depth that he had when he finally had it. It's more on management for failing to get that depth in the first place and then scrambling later to acquire it at a higher cost. If they truly want to be a contender next year, then they need to find a way to have a more complete roster in October. NOT March. The good news is they already have their 3C and 4C figured out. Bad news is they have virtually no futures to trade to acquire a 2C, so we'll see what they do.
 
Pokecheque said:
This still remains the nadir of the Colorado Avalanche for me.



F***ing Blake and Morris played that about as poorly as Lindgren played the GTG against Rants. Brunette moving at the speed of a tax filing and yet he gets through EVERYONE. Ends Patrick Roy's career. Egads.
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He doesn't lift his skates off the ice to move once from when he enters the zone to when the puck's in the net. f*** me.

Also, @mods
 
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