Going to Denver, or, How the Avalanche/Nordiques Franchise Hates Me

I'm off to Denver for a few days later this week, a trip I've been planning for the better part of the year. Being a hockey fan, I'd originally thought, 'ooh! This would be a fantastic opportunity to see the Avs in their home arena!' Not that I'm particularly a fan of the Avs, but it's always fun and interesting to visit other arenas. But as luck would have it, the Avs will be on a road trip while I'm in town.

Figures. That franchise and I have a long history, one that's filled with nothing but stories about them thwarting me, all the way back to the days of the Nordiques, when they gave Lindros to Philly instead of the Rangers. (okay, so technically, it was an arbitrator who gave him to Philly, and who knows if we would've won the Cup in '94, considering what we would have had to give up, but still!) Then there was the whole rivalry shenanigans with the Red Wings, matching the Rangers' offer sheet to Joe Sakic, defeating the Devils to win the Cup...no, wait, that last one was actually really awesome.

Plus, I blame them for poor little Nelson losing all hope and dying.

And now this. I come to your fair city, Avs, and you don't even have the decency to be around? SIGH.

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In much happier news, the Rangers - along with the rest of the NHL - have kicked off a new season. They lost the opener against the Pens, but considering how poorly the Rangers do in the Igloo, I wasn't all that surprised. Things got a little sloppy at parts, but by the end of the game, I was feeling very good about what I was seeing from them - driving to the net, moving the puck well, and shooting. MAF had to make several amazing saves, and I think he's the main reason the Penguins won that night. (yeah yeah, having Crosby and Malkin helped a little.)

The next evening they had their season opener, which I attended. Things were kicked off by the Blue Man Group, who I only ever want to see in relation to Tobias Fünke, then the team was introduced as one. I liked this for two reasons: 1) it reinforced the concept that they're a TEAM, not a group of individuals who all happen to wear the same jersey; and b) it didn't give the boobirds at MSG a chance to get going. I will never understand why some people feel the need to boo their own team. Do we really want to be like Philly fans? What's next, throwing batteries at the zamboni riders?

The game itself felt like continuation of the night before, but the difference this time was that they were able to cash in on their chances. Well, not on the power play, but even that looked significantly better than it has in the past - although 100x better than zero is still zero. It feels like it's just a matter of time, though, before everything clicks and the PPGs start rolling in. I'm not expecting to be at the top of the league, but even middle of the pack would be a vast improvement.

Tonight they face off against the Devils in Newark. There are two things I enjoy about the Rock: the chicken fingers and watching the Rangers win there. Keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be able to enjoy both tonight.