The New Catalyst

Having been a lifetime Avalanche fan, I see this season as one I’ve never seen before in the history I’ve seen hockey. Let’s face the facts- the team is very much the same over the last few unsuccessful seasons, the Avalanche were seen to be a failure with the strength of the schedule, and the team has some of the youngest players in NHL history. So what’s different?

The answer- Saint Patrick Roy.

 I was at the Chicago Blackhawks game (It very well should have been a home game for the Hawks in the Sea of Red), and noticed one thing: Patrick Roy was having fun. One thing I learned from years of playing and coaching sports, if the Coach is having fun, the team has fun. In an off play, that was probably not caught on camera, Patrick Roy picked up a puck from Tyson Barrie that hit the bench to cause an off play. He turned around, and with a smile flopped the puck to the fans. Yes, the same Patrick Roy who has the devilish look in his eyes, smiled and gave a puck to a fan.

What does this mean? It’s simple. The management from Roy to Joe Sakic, are having fun. It’s a simple mantra and the first thing every athlete learns from their parents, it doesn’t matter what the score is, just have fun. The Avalanche got whipped the past few days, but held their ground and had fun at the Pepsi Center, Tuesday Night.

With our new catalyst in place, fans finally have what they want. Yet, it’s still so quiet in the Can. Last night you only heard Avs fans cheer when we scored (okay so that was a lot) or when the Hawks fans joined in mantra “Let’s Go Hawks!”. We have the pieces in place. We need to be the one extra player on the ice and give our boys a boost. We have ice girls now for Heaven’s Sake. Kroenke is doing what he can to deliver, it’s time we appreciate. So next time you’re at a game, be loud and proud and start yelling, “Let’s Go Avs!”.

This is a special season, and we all need to be apart of it from beginning to end.

This Post was submitted by Chris Weaver, if you want to know more about him check him out here