Tag: jared bednar
-
Mark Kiszla: After another Avs playoff flop, coach Jared Bednar must get canned
LAS VEGAS — For an Avalanche dynasty that never was, there will be no more tomorrows. The championship-caliber team that Colorado hockey icon Joe Sakic built from scratch has a fatal flaw that can no longer be ignored. When roughed up in the dark corners of the rink, these Avs blink. They are front-runners who…
-
Mark Kiszla: Why this Avalanche mess in NHL playoffs is of Joe Sakic’s making
LAS VEGAS – With the Avalanche having a complete meltdown on the ice, Joe Sakic stood in an arena suite and stared into space, with no answer to a hockey mess 10 years in the making. For a full decade, ever since Patrick Roy quit on him in a huff, Sakic has seemed hellbent on…
-
Mark Kiszla: Epic playoff collapses now a Jared Bednar trademark
LAS VEGAS — Ding, dong. The Avs are dead. Don’t tell me about a championship window for a hockey team that keeps beating its head against the same wall and somehow expects a different result. This is insanity. And it’s got to stop. A disgusting 5-3 loss to Vegas screamed the problem with the Avalanche…
-
Mark Kiszla: MacKinnon and Avs centers have vanished in Vegas’ diabolical black hole
Where the Avalanche’s championship mojo has gone is no mystery. It’s been swallowed by a $27 million black hole at the center of the ice. Colorado has 99 problems in the Western Conference final, and the injury to star defenseman Cale Makar is only one. But the No. 1 reason for the Avs’ 2-0 deficit…
-
Kickin’ It with Kiz: Bednar is better BBQ buddy, but Payton more kick-butt coach
The Avalanche have too much talent to be down 2-0 to Vegas in this playoff series and have won only one Stanley Cup in this era. It seems like we are always a little behind in the effort and physicality, sloppy and unorganized on the power play and lazy too often when clearing the zone.…
-
Mark Kiszla: Avs play like chokers instead of champs in brutal playoff loss to Vegas
The Avs saved their biggest choke of this NHL season for when it mattered most. Until this sad Friday night that seems doomed to live in infamy in franchise history, the Avalanche’s record this season when leading after two periods was 45-0-0. But all that perfection got tossed in the dumpster as a piece of…
-
Avalanche won’t limit Ross Colton’s physicality just as he finds consistency | Evan’s take
Ross Colton has been a difference maker over the past six games for the Avalanche. Now they’re looking to bottle that and keep it going for another month. The 29-year-old Colton was one of Colorado’s better forwards during their 4-2 Game 1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights at Ball Arena Wednesday. He hit everything…
-
Mark Kiszla: Avs in big trouble if they need Jared Bednar to outcoach John Tortorella
For the first time in these NHL playoffs, the adversity facing the Avs looms as big as the “A” on their sweaters. Home was where the hurt was Wednesday, when Las Vegas pushed around Colorado in a 4-2 loss to open the Western Conference finals. For the first time in their pursuit of the Stanley…
-
Avalanche back Chris MacFarland as NHL GM of the year finalist: ‘No one’s going to outwork him’
The Avalanche are Stanley Cup heavyweights with a simple enough philosophy from general manager Chris MacFarland. “We’re trying to win, right?” MacFarland said at a Tuesday news conference to preview their Western Conference finals matchup with the Vegas Golden Knights. Of course, there’s nothing simple about how MacFarland assembled this championship-level team. The Avs have…
-
Ross Colton’s clutch goal propels Avalanche into potential clincher against Minnesota Wild in Game 5
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Ross Colton didn’t hide his feelings in Los Angeles after spending the first two games of round one in the press box. Rather than sulk and feel sorry for himself, he’s found a way to use that energy for good. And on Monday night, he was one of the heroes for…