Denver — The Colorado Avalanche’s home building, the 26-year-old Puck Arena, is a bland, serviceable midway point between Calgary’s old-fashioned Saddledome and the dazzling gleam of Edmonton’s Rogers Place. But it’s what’s on the inside that counts, and here’s why. Neither of the two Canadian rinks I visited on this mountain hockey trip came close to the atmosphere that followed the Avs’ shootout win over the Wild on Sunday afternoon.
You might say that it’s easier to give your team a full day during the day on the weekend, since that’s the ideal time for many families to go to a hockey game once a year. But start time doesn’t inherently guarantee attentiveness, and that was a big part of what made this early bird game so memorable. This was a turbocharged crowd that was glued from the moment the puck dropped for the final regular season showdown between two great division rivals. Fans welcomed the Peter Forsberg-like signing of Nazem Kadri from the ’22 Cup team at the trade deadline, and were thrilled by the backcheck heist he pulled off early in the game. They excited goalie Scott Wedgewood with “Wedge” chants as he made his first star performance, answering questions about whether his name was “Wedge” or “Woody.” They let out a loud “Oh!”, especially when they missed an attempt to reach my ear as if an express train was passing through a local station. They were angry at the zebras for showing so much caution in the confrontation. They kept the aisles noticeably tidy, as most took the intermission as their only sign that it was safe to do business in the concourse. And when the Avs found the back of the internet, everyone said it wasn’t “a lot of people.” Everyone-I stood up as if it were a deeper evolutionary response to seeing a goal.
I hesitate to call this a playoff game feeling. Because when there is so much at stake, cheers have an undercurrent of fear. These were thousands of people who were very happy to see the Avalanche play hockey. And why wouldn’t that be the case? The Avs may have suffered a heartbreaking first-round loss to the Stars in last year’s postseason, but this year they have played at a level that no other NHL team can match. They are the best in the league in both scoring and goals scored. They have the game’s leading scorer in Nathan MacKinnon and the current Norris winner in Cale Makar. They’re having a fantastic season from a random guy from journeyman Wedgwood. Deep people are doing the work. And relative newcomers to the club, Brock Nelson and Marty Nečas, are performing at a level beyond anyone could reasonably have expected. When you watch it live, you immediately see how fast this team is, how much chemistry they have, and how much the defense struggles. Even if your Colorado chances don’t work out, you often get to see what they were thinking and appreciate their beauty. will be It’s like looking at an artist’s sketch. As long as you pass the goal line, you’re successful.
(For those of you who know me, a quick aside: Yes, I was born in Michigan in 1995, which means a certain level of loathing for the Avalanche is inextricable from my soul. But the Wings and Avs are no longer even in the same conference, and the distance between them and their rivalry has made me appreciate Colorado’s existence more than anything else. The Avalanche are responsible for giving me some of my favorite memories from my early hockey-watching days. I can’t help but be grateful.)
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that “Let’s go Wild!” The away fan chant materialized when Minnesota scored their first goal. These fans have a lot to be excited about, too, as the Wild aim for the best season in franchise history – at least nine playoff wins – and fight desperately to avoid the seemingly lethal Stars in a first-round series against the division’s second- and third-place teams. All-in-one scorer Kirill Kaprizov may be the most exciting player in the league without a Gaelic surname. Two of their key young players, winger Matt Boldy and defender Brock Faber, are progressing beautifully. Quinn Hughes is a key player in one of the most impactful trades this season, playing 28 minutes a night. And the goalkeepers were great. On Sunday we got rookie sensation (technically a backup) Jesper Wallstedt, who surprised me, especially with his positioning. Despite his age of 23, he never seemed to overly anticipate the action. He focused on where he needed to be in the present moment, moving faster than the puck and not leaving the net vulnerable.
When the wilderness is at its best, it can rival what an avalanche does. In almost every way this game felt like a draw, and after 65 minutes it was just that. The Avs had the upper hand early on, but it was still 0-0 after the first period. In the second game, Minnesota did more to stymie the home team, maintaining possession for longer periods of time, especially when its top players were on the ice against Colorado’s bottom line. But it was MacKinnon who broke the ice on a misplay from Hughes behind the Wild net and an offensive assist from Kadri to make it 1-0 in the bottom of the second.
Early in the third, the “oh”s from the crowd seemed uglier and more distressed, like what you usually hear when you hit three random points on your keyboard. Kaprizov forced an Avalanche own goal on the power play, and a few minutes later when the Wild came up short, Nico Sturm got the puck for a breakaway score. But Nic Roy, another of the Avs’ deadline additions, leveled the game with a feisty equalizer that earned the deflection. Woody—No, I’m sorry. wedge—It stood tall there and the game ended in a shootout.
The bonus minigame was 1-1 after three allotted rounds. Because returning hero Kadri missed a potential game-winning opportunity. If he had made the switch, it might have forced the Avs to play at their temporary home for the rest of the season. The consolation prize for Kadri’s mistake was still very sweet. Nathan MacKinnon ran straight at Wallstedt with the game on his stick faster than the goalkeeper expected, and that strategic advantage gave him the opportunity to pick his spot and score. The crowd, most of whom were already standing, started screaming together. Well, except for the Minnesota contingent. My big takeaway from the final horn: I don’t know if I’ve ever personally seen so much talent on display in one hockey game.
