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:

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Striking Twice: Avalanche Take 2 out of 3 Games

By: Maeve Hushman, Staff Writer

After coming off a rough three game stretch, the Avalanche played their last game of their east coast road trip against Tampa Bay before returning to the Ball center to play the Golden Knights, and then going on the road for an early rematch against St. Louis. They beat defending champs the Lightning in the shootout 4-3, lost to Vegas Golden Knights 3-1, and then beat the Blues 4-3 in their best game of the season.

Things to fix:

Not to sound like a broken record, but net front defense in the Tampa game: all three of the goals were scored either on the doorstep or with the assistance of a screen. It can definitely be difficult to stop fluky opportunities like the Joseph goal or Stamkos rebound but you have to try as those goals can be the difference between a win or a loss.

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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.

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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.

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