December to Remember: Avalanche December at a Glance
By Maeve Hushman, Staff Writer
The Avalanche’s December was cut short by COVID-19 as was a large chunk of the league’s. Five teams including my favorite Toronto Maple Leafs have opted to postpone the games until after the holidays due to COVID-19 concerns. By the Avalanche’s last game against the Nashville Predators, they had five players out due to COVID-19. So, with December games coming to an end, let’s take a look at the Avalanche’s hot December.
With the 10 games the Avalanche played in December they went 7-2-1. Nathan MacKinnon re-joined the line-up and the offense was on fire. In three straight games they scored 7 goals. However, they began their December with a blowout 8-3 loss to the Leafs and ended it with a 5-2 loss to Nashville.
Momentum: Avalanche games 10 and 11
By Maeve Hushman, Staff Writer
The Avalanche had another slow week this week, only playing two games. They lost to Columbus again, this time in regulation, 4-2 and beat the Canucks 7-1.
I was fortunate enough to attend the Canucks and Avalanche game. The Canucks goaltender, Thatcher Demko, is from my home city and his aunt works with my mom, so I went specifically to cheer him on. However, despite the fact I made a sign for him complete with a requested message from his aunt, I was unable to go down to the ice where the Canucks were warming up. I had to stand at the bar, high up and wave the sign around hoping he could see it. The friend I went with (Mandy) was great as she tried to help me get to warm-ups and up to the ice. However even with this snafu, I did enjoy the game immensely.
There is a lot of talk about NHL fans and NHL arenas. The Leafs notoriously have a very quiet arena, but quiet is not at all how I would describe Ball Arena. It is loud, fun, welcoming, and high energy. Ball Arena has a great atmosphere mostly because Avs fans are great. They are passionate about their team and really show up. It gets loud and the sound of the entire arena singing Blink 182’s “All the Small Things” completely acapella will be ringing in my ears for a while. Even if you are sitting in the nosebleeds like I was, the people who go to Avs games always seem excited to be there and that makes even the cheap seats worth the experience. It is a wonderful place to attend your first hockey game (as my friend Mandy did that night) or your 100th. If you can find those $25 nosebleed tickets, maybe give Ball Arena and the Avalanche a try. Just remember to dress warm, cheer loudly, and know the lyrics to “All the Small Things”.
Now that I’ve said my piece on the spectator experience here are some takeaways from games 10 and 11:
Investigation Reveals Blackhawks Covered Up Sexual Assault
By: Maeve Hushman, Staff Writer
*Content warning: this article discusses sexual assault and homophobic harassment*
In May 2021, former Chicago Blackhawks player, Kyle Beach, filed a lawsuit against the Blackhawks organization over the alleged mishandling of his sexual assault at the hands of Brad Aldrich, a former Blackhawks video coach. The lawsuit claims that the Blackhawks knew about Aldrich’s predatory behavior but failed to investigate, report, or take punitive action. The Blackhawks hired law firm Jenner and Block to open an independent investigation into those allegations. The report that resulted from the investigation was made public on October 26th. The investigation and subsequent report confirmed the allegations made by Beach. Aldrich sexually assaulted Beach (Beach recently identified himself, but is known as John Doe in the report) and when the team leadership was made aware, they chose to forgo any punitive actions, allowing Aldrich to resign and move on from the Blackhawks without a fuss.
Let’s Do That Hockey: Avalanche kick off season with decisive win over Chicago
The NHL is finally back! And with it the Colorado Avalanche. Once again the Stanley Cup favorites, the Avalanche, took on divisional opponent the Chicago Blackhawks for their season opener. There were some notable absences for the Avalanche in this game: the coach Jared Bednar and star center Nathan MacKinnon both tested positive for COVID and were put on the COVID protocol list causing them to miss this game. So to set the mood for the season, for the first time since 2020, the season opener had fans in attendance and we are all prepared for the return of the 82 game schedule. After writing a critical article on and attending the preeminent preseason game of the Avalanche, I was excited to sit down and take a look at how the team set the tone for the season. The season opener is a great way to impress and establish your identity right out of the gate.
New Squids on the Block: The Seattle Kraken Make their NHL Debut
By: Maeve Hushman, Staff Writer
On September 26th, the Kraken took on the Vancouver Canucks for their first game, a preseason game, in franchise history. The Seattle Kraken are the 32nd and the newest team to be added to the NHL. They held their expansion draft this summer and while the team they’ve built doesn’t seem to be the dominant, “win-now” roster people speculated that Ron Francis (the General Manager) might pick after the success of the Vegas Golden Knights, they will still draw eyes from hockey fans far and wide. There are huge questions surrounding the team, the first one being scoring and offensive prowess and the second concerning the issue of who will be the starting goaltender. Both former Florida Panthers goaltender, Chris Drieger, and former Avalanche goaltender Philip Grubauer are locked up in multi-year contracts after terrific 2020-2021 seasons. However questions remain if Drieger can repeat his performance with the Panthers or if Grubauer can continue to play the way he did in Colorado without the Avalanche’s talented defensive core in front of him. While a preseason game can’t necessarily provide all the answers, it can give us a glimpse into who the newest NHL team is going to be.
