tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052819035106593439.comments2012-04-19T20:59:58.597-07:00The AvficionadoAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08446044913270275841noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052819035106593439.post-78122979389637929102012-04-19T20:59:58.597-07:002012-04-19T20:59:58.597-07:00I've been trying to figure that one out myself...I've been trying to figure that one out myself. I guess it might be because he looked like some waiter named Frank and Galiardi started calling him that afterward.avrilanchehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06067596724463654039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052819035106593439.post-43202884882547235262012-04-19T20:35:43.884-07:002012-04-19T20:35:43.884-07:00Where did Winnik get the nickname "Frank"...Where did Winnik get the nickname "Frank"?Merchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03206046453886991365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052819035106593439.post-72456071395296200102011-11-17T12:47:11.984-08:002011-11-17T12:47:11.984-08:00Thank you very much Richard! Glad you're enjo...Thank you very much Richard! Glad you're enjoying my writings!!avrilanchehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06067596724463654039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052819035106593439.post-7983865362885207452011-11-17T10:10:01.514-08:002011-11-17T10:10:01.514-08:00Joey,
I just found you on twitter and have read ...Joey, <br /> I just found you on twitter and have read some of your writings on your blog. I have to say your a very talented sports writer and amazingly perceptive. I look forward to reading more. Keep up the good work.<br /><br />RichardUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11293176608747270702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052819035106593439.post-74181025117084332642011-11-16T21:50:05.245-08:002011-11-16T21:50:05.245-08:00Jack, I agree that Sacco's handling of the lin...Jack, I agree that Sacco's handling of the lines, especially the forward lines has been poor this year. You can even go back to his poor handling of goaltender Craig Anderson last year that ultimately let to his bitter departure, but let's stick with this year. The Avs were clearly banking on a healthy and effective Peter Mueller, which obviously has not happened to this point. This has thrown everything in to turmoil. Duchene has been playing very well on left wing with Stastny and Hejduk, but Sacco seems to resist this too in order to have "balance" amongst his lines. The OWL line started off red hot, but has cooled down of late, which begs the question, is it time to break them up and move Landy to Stats' or Dutchy's LW? Probably not if you keep Dutchy, Stats, and Hejy together, but why not put another scorer like David Jones with Factor and Landy? Then you could have a true 3rd line of Winnik, Galiardi, and Brandon Yip, who is scheduled to return soon. Another thing has been Sacco's Doghouse, which would actually make a great weekly show on Altitude cohosted by Bernie! Why do some guys like Dutchy and Gali seem to have very short leashes "he can be better," while guys like McClement, Kobasew, and Lindstrom had free reign to be completely ineffective before finally being moved down to the 4th line or scratched. I've addressed the lack of depth at wing before, but some of Sacco's answers have certainly been puzzling.avrilanchehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06067596724463654039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052819035106593439.post-8079463051027860692011-11-16T21:22:01.528-08:002011-11-16T21:22:01.528-08:00I agree with a lot of your points, but the biggest...I agree with a lot of your points, but the biggest reason Sacco has to go is because of the line shuffling. Some guys take 5-10 games to build chemistry, but Sacco only allows for one bad period before he starts shaking things up. I know for a fact that the Calgary loss would have been a lot different if he had kept the defensive pairs together, because the miscommunication and missed assignments that come from unfamiliarity caused at least 2 goals. Duchene has no idea who he's skating with each shift. The only line that's been good this year (Landy/Factor/Winnik) is the one line that's stayed together. Sacco has to stop messing with the lines, and he has to let the team get some chemistry. Everything fell apart last year when Stewart got injured and the lines never went back to being the same again.That guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04269396241534381873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052819035106593439.post-47952468762155679442011-10-27T13:56:18.090-07:002011-10-27T13:56:18.090-07:00You missed "The Kog" for Landeskog. Lan...You missed "The Kog" for Landeskog. Lando betrayed his friends, it is a jinx of a name.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10555327064276847936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052819035106593439.post-28226779668986930382011-10-11T21:39:48.817-07:002011-10-11T21:39:48.817-07:00For sure! The young guys like Matt Duchene and Ry...For sure! The young guys like Matt Duchene and Ryan O'Reilly are both older and more mature physically and mentally now. They can certainly both take their game to the next level. As with any team, goaltending is the key and Varlamov will be no exception. As he goes, so do the Avs!avrilanchehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06067596724463654039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052819035106593439.post-84628010030254612872011-10-07T10:30:48.550-07:002011-10-07T10:30:48.550-07:00They have the talent to make the playoffs...We saw...They have the talent to make the playoffs...We saw that 2 years ago, and even with the loss of key figures from that season (Anderson, Stewart) I think that their core is still there in Stats and Deuchene. Plus with last years flop, it has actually made them better by allowing them to pick up a top draft pick in Lando Calrissian. But in the end I think it will come down to the Goalie play. Varlamov has a lot of bright spots, but we have to wait and see if he can play a full season. Fingers Crossed. I hope I'm able to catch a few games out here in the 808.puCrepeaPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01863182749993602425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052819035106593439.post-70434541843391502062011-08-16T17:31:22.751-07:002011-08-16T17:31:22.751-07:00No way! The Avs have made the playoffs 2 of the l...No way! The Avs have made the playoffs 2 of the last 4 years. When was the last time the Pirates were in the postseason? <br /><br />The Anderson trade was a bad one. That's for sure. I have a lot of faith in Johnson and Siemens may certainly prove to be the x-factor in that deal. The Liles trade is somewhat questionable, but he's getting older and the Avs have a lot of up-and-coming D-men who deserve a shot in the NHL.<br /><br />I agree that Greg Sherman certainly has been taking some risks. Time will tell how they'll pan out. His job is definitely resting on Varlamov's performance, but I do have faith in Avalanche Executive Advisor/Alternate Governor Joe Sakic! Super Joe would not steer the team wrong.avrilanchehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06067596724463654039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052819035106593439.post-43295700762675529872011-08-16T17:24:24.964-07:002011-08-16T17:24:24.964-07:00I'm pretty sure I'll be purchasing all fou...I'm pretty sure I'll be purchasing all four on Blu-ray! Eric Bana and Edward Norton were both very good Bruce Banners. Hopefully Ruffalo will do the role well also. He's going to play the Hulk too. Hopefully the effects will be good enough to be convincing. I can't imagine them doing a Michael Chiklis/The Thing suit. TDKR and The Avengers will both be epic. Maybe the new Spider-Man can be somewhat of a sleeper too.avrilanchehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06067596724463654039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052819035106593439.post-88584547524844487482011-08-16T16:11:43.579-07:002011-08-16T16:11:43.579-07:00Getting Giggy wid it...na na na nana na...
I'...Getting Giggy wid it...na na na nana na...<br /><br />I'm not a fan of the moves. The Avs are becoming to the NHL what the Pittsburgh Pirates are to the MLB. Well the Pirates haven't had a winning season since the early 90's so they may not be similar in all respects. But watching the Pirates over the years they have had talent on their losing teams. Problem with the team is that they would mold this talent, and as soon as they hit their stride they would trade them away. <br /><br />This is how I feel about the Anderson, Stewart, and Liles moves. Maybe they had an off year, but they are still proven. And the trades were made for yet to be proven players. Sure we can hope that they will flourish into young super-stars, but things don't always turn out the way you hope. high draft picks probably more often fall short of their expectations rather than meet them.<br /><br />Now i'm not saying that the Avs are a lost cause or anything. It could be worse, they could have traded for old washed up stars with no gas left in the tank. (I don't count Giggy because he is meant to be the backup). If the cards fall their way then the Avs are set up to be a GREAT young team. Some big ifs though. This is why I don't think I would have the balls to be a GM. To make those tough decisions. Do you scrap reliable veterans and go with young up-n-comers, or do you accept the status-quo no matter how mediocre it is, just to feel like you've done the safe thing. I don't know, myself, I'm not much of a gambler.puCrepeaPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01863182749993602425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052819035106593439.post-280441437795504762011-08-16T13:25:50.677-07:002011-08-16T13:25:50.677-07:00You know me, I love CBMs. And I pretty much agree...You know me, I love CBMs. And I pretty much agree with all that you said. Thor was greatly enjoyable, X-men FC surpassed all of my Expectations, Green Lantern had lots of flaws but was still fun, and Captain American was my favorite of the bunch.<br /><br />You forgot to mention that 2008's The Incredible Hulk also leads into next years Avengers. Contract disputes resulted in Marvel Studios finding a new Bruce Banner instead of sticking with Ed norton (who was fabulous imo). But it is supposed to be the same continuity, just with Mark Ruffalo taking over the role. This will make the 3rd different Banner/Hulk in the decade which is incredibly disappointing, but in all honesty for the Avengers, the casting of this character is but a tiny part of the grandness this movie will be.<br /><br />That said, it will be an interesting summer next year with both Dark Knight Rises and The Avengers coming out. They will both be HUGE, and be a real treat for the fans of the comic book genre.puCrepeaPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01863182749993602425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052819035106593439.post-90125465426489556362011-07-30T13:00:59.873-07:002011-07-30T13:00:59.873-07:00I absolutely think it's a good thing! Athlete...I absolutely think it's a good thing! Athletes, actors, and singers will continue to say stupid things with or without Twitter. Sure, they have every right to say what they want, but being in the spotlight comes with a price, so if a guy wants to tweet about someone being a racial or homophobic slur, he's going to have to face the consequences. It's the whole, with great power comes great responsibility thing. No one's forcing these guys to be on Twitter and make poor choices with said medium, but I think by enlarge most celebrities use it responsibly to get themselves closer to their fans.avrilanchehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06067596724463654039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052819035106593439.post-91184656865890499562011-07-29T16:39:25.862-07:002011-07-29T16:39:25.862-07:00The social media age has brought a lot of benefits...The social media age has brought a lot of benefits to us fans, but has also got some celebrities and sports figures in trouble. Is it good for the game? I think it is. It also fans to become more in touch with the players, and also see them as humans, just like the rest of us...well most of us. BUT they have to realize that they are still in the spotlight and be very cautious about the content the post. I'm all for freedom of speech and will defend anyone's right to say whatever they want. However being celebrities that they are they must take into account that the media can and will use tweets or facebook posts to portray you the celebrity in a light that is mainly beneficial to them. But it is a lot of fun for the fans, so tweet away guys.puCrepeaPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01863182749993602425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052819035106593439.post-84115661281978302202011-07-22T12:51:38.396-07:002011-07-22T12:51:38.396-07:00Since Tangs left the Avs, he hasn't really bee...Since Tangs left the Avs, he hasn't really been the perennial all-star some expected him to be. He's done decent alongside Iginla in Calgary though. I had to give him the nod since he was the MVP of Game 7 in 2001 with 2 goals including the game-winner. The AMP line was solid! Foppa just made him and Hejy that much better. I always liked Aebischer too. I'm still kind of surprised his NHL career fizzled out so quickly once he left the Avs. I thought he had potential to be a starter or at least a backup for a while.avrilanchehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06067596724463654039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052819035106593439.post-34706336556102399282011-07-22T12:25:57.519-07:002011-07-22T12:25:57.519-07:00I was wondering why Peter Forsberg wasn't on t...I was wondering why Peter Forsberg wasn't on the first line. In his prime and healthy he can almost be considered the greatest. But putting him on the AMP line is when he was at his best. Although just because Alex Tanguay was part of that awesome line I'm not sure if he's good enough to be considered one of the best Avs. I'd almost put Statsny in his place, since he seems to be a bigger contribution to the team. Now if you did the Avalanches best Lines, then the AMP may be at the top. As for Goalie, I agree that there is no debate about who would be top choice, so you might as well have jumped straight to the backup. I gotta say that I'm an Abby fan.puCrepeaPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01863182749993602425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052819035106593439.post-43336221664267914582011-07-08T23:06:45.326-07:002011-07-08T23:06:45.326-07:00No joke! I can't imagine going Terry Sawchuk ...No joke! I can't imagine going Terry Sawchuk style with NO mask! That's just stupid! I like Miller's too. It was lame when the Olympic people made him take his "Miller Time" slogan off last year. Flower has always had some good masks for the Pens too.avrilanchehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06067596724463654039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052819035106593439.post-19618562711563485412011-07-08T19:11:47.491-07:002011-07-08T19:11:47.491-07:00Goalie Masks are so great. In no other sport can ...Goalie Masks are so great. In no other sport can you have so much personal creativity with your equipment. Like you I'm a comic book geek, so when a superhero is on one of these masks I give some automatic points. But I also like originality too. We've seen some really neat interpretations of teams mascots on these helmets. One of my favorites is Ryan Miller's mask. Simple yet sleek. Plus I like the dedication he put on the back. But there's nothing like the old school Casey Jones style mask. People who wore those had some balls.puCrepeaPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01863182749993602425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052819035106593439.post-19774146514881207692011-07-05T13:50:31.486-07:002011-07-05T13:50:31.486-07:00I like the moves. Some really good young talent. ...I like the moves. Some really good young talent. I'm not a huge fan of Varlamov but he's got some skills and will hopefully stick around a long time because of his youth. I really like the Giggy pickup. He may have already seen his best days, but his experience will be valuable as a backup and mentor to the young Varlamov.puCrepeaPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01863182749993602425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052819035106593439.post-18074784095355725262011-06-22T13:28:05.118-07:002011-06-22T13:28:05.118-07:00Although we've seen recent success of older Go...Although we've seen recent success of older Goalies like Tim Thomas, I agree with you preferring some young blood. The Avs are not ready to make a run for the cup right now, so a young, affordable goalie is not a bad idea. Do you think that the Avs would make any move to pickup a goalie in the 1st round? Or is Pickard really good enough to eventually start?puCrepeaPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01863182749993602425noreply@blogger.com