Does less oxygen in Colorado give the Avalanche an unfair advantage?

[Ceremony]

Remember in 2016/17 when the Avalanche put up the worst season by an NHL team in nearly twenty years? Remember how the Avalanche have been almost exclusively useless over the past decade? It's a myth.

Who trains at high altitude? I know that the Avs players don't train at altitude in the off season.

Getting acclimatized to a higher elevation isn't permanent. It dissapears quickly.

You wouldn't retain any advantage from training at altitude.

Long-distance runners frequently do high altitude training.

 

[Djp]

Remember in 2016/17 when the Avalanche put up the worst season by an NHL team in nearly twenty years? Remember how the Avalanche have been almost exclusively useless over the past decade? It's a myth.



Long-distance runners frequently do high altitude training.

high altitude means not as much oxygen so this helps them on distance running. But they dont retain it after they leave high altitude.

San jose could be blood doping.....bull out red blood cells then reinject them.

 

[SotasicA]

Pierre brought up an interesting point during game 3 just now

It's been talked to death in the NHL starting from 1995...

And in fact probably already during the Rockies years, but I'm too young to remember that. But I imagine it was parroted on and on by hockey journalists even back then, too.

 

[TheBloodyNine]

Seems like it affected the Avs instead of the Sharks last night.

 

[DavePoulin4PM]

Who trains at high altitude? I know that the Avs players don't train at altitude in the off season.

Getting acclimatized to a higher elevation isn't permanent. It dissapears quickly.

You wouldn't retain any advantage from training at altitude.

Lol you have a massive advantage when training at altitude. Why do so many pro athletes train wearing altitude masks? Maybe you should try playing your Xbox at altitude.

 

[ijuka]

The people who say it's not an advantage or that it's meaningless are clueless. It absolutely is meaningful.

Still, wouldn't call it an unfair advantage. It is what it is.

 

[AvsFan29]

Lol you have a massive advantage when training at altitude. Why do so many pro athletes train wearing altitude masks? Maybe you should try playing your Xbox at altitude.

Who is training at altitude? Do you think humans mutate?

 

[AvsFan29]

The people who say it's not an advantage or that it's meaningless are clueless. It absolutely is meaningful.

Still, wouldn't call it an unfair advantage. It is what it is.

You should really look it up before you say things like that. It's a negligable advantage

 

[Honeycutt]

Yes, and there needs to be a salary cap formula to make it fair for the big market teams at regular altitidue.

 

[rt]

Altitude tax?

 

[TooManyHumans]

Just imagine if Colorado had faced Tampa in the Final. So unfair!

 

[Megustaelhockey]

Makes u think

Makes me think I need to change the channel.

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

Ha, ha, ha, no. A baseball is not lighter at altitude.

High altitude means less humidity. Less humidity means less moisture content in the ball, which is a minor difference in weight. Arizona also probably has very dry baseballs, compared to somewhere like San Diego.

 

[ybnvs]

Who is training at altitude? Do you think humans mutate?

Genetic mutation is real.
You need a crash course in punctuated equilibrium vs gradualism.

 

[holy]

Nvm I'll chill.

 

[CupsOverCash]

Should talk about it in the next CBA

 

[steveayres35]

The OP might be an Avs fan...

But in all seriousness, they're playing inside an arena, not outside, and when was the last time Colorado had success due to the altitude?

However, if they ever played an outdoor game, then this thread would make more scene IMO, and the Sharks still won game 3 so...

On an extra note, what about an Eastern or Western team playing each other between the changing time zones?

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

The people who say it's not an advantage or that it's meaningless are clueless. It absolutely is meaningful.

Still, wouldn't call it an unfair advantage. It is what it is.

Certainly doesn't seem to make the Avs a special home team. Looking at the last 4 years they've had one season where their home record catches your eye (17-18), but also one season where they had a better road record than home record (15-16). 16-17 they sucked everywhere, and almost as bad at home as on the road. This year they were better at home than on the road, but they won 21 games and lost 20, which seems ordinary for a home record to say the least.

Even looking back at the infamous 13-14 season when they won the division riding the unsustainable pony, they had the exact same record at home and on the road (26-11-4).

If it really was something that mattered a lot, you'd think it shows in results quite consistently.

I don't know how much the players actually feel it, but i think everyone are aware of it and prepare accordingly. And it's not like the Avs players live there every day of the season. They go on road trips too.

 

[Saidin]

Side note, I don't know if the Avs put messages up when the opposing teams walk out of their dressing saying they are at so and so thousand feet to remind them about the altitude, but I've seen the Bronco's do it in huge ass letters.

If anything, physiological advantage.

 

[AvsFan29]

Genetic mutation is real.
You need a crash course in punctuated equilibrium vs gradualism.

You're right, it is real. People that live at high altitudes in the Andes have lungs that are much more efficient at processing oxygen.

It took generations for that to occur.

Playing hockey at altitude isn't the same thing.

 

[AvsFan29]

Certainly doesn't seem to make the Avs a special home team. Looking at the last 4 years they've had one season where their home record catches your eye (17-18), but also one season where they had a better road record than home record (15-16). 16-17 they sucked everywhere, and almost as bad at home as on the road. This year they were better at home than on the road, but they won 21 games and lost 20, which seems ordinary for a home record to say the least.

Even looking back at the infamous 13-14 season when they won the division riding the unsustainable pony, they had the exact same record at home and on the road (26-11-4).

If it really was something that mattered a lot, you'd think it shows in results quite consistently.

I don't know how much the players actually feel it, but i think everyone are aware of it and prepare accordingly. And it's not like the Avs players live there every day of the season. They go on road trips too.

Well they did dominate the league for 8 years

 

[The Macho Man]

Legal weed does.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

Oh boy. Everybody coming out to tell me it’s not meaningless.

The burden of proof is on the person who suggests that it actually has some kind of impact. If you’re all convinced it’s not meaningless, why don’t you all take a look at the Avalanche home/away record since their first season in Colorado and compare that to the home/away record of every NHL team over that time frame?

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

Well they did dominate the league for 8 years

Im sure having a great team had nothing to do with it

But even looking at those years, generally they only had a slightly better home record than road record. Of course there were exceptions, but you expect a great team to be solid at home. Nothing to indicate that they were just riding home success though.

 

[Golden Puppers]

I don't think the advantage in hockey is that big. I know the Denver Nuggets get a huge advantage because of this. Basketball is different sport though. Basketball is more aerobic while hockey is more anaerobic. Plus NBA Players play a greater % of total game minutes than NHL players.