hockey
We talk pucks and objects of that kind. We yell, complain, and analyze in the language of hockey fandom. Gretzky can do no wrong.
A Look at the 2003-04 Tampa Bay Lightning
I remember the 2003-04 NHL season very vividly; for positive reasons and for a negative reason. The season started a few months after I graduated from high school, and I remember being elated and stunned when Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne joined the Colorado Avalanche. As an Avalanche fan, I was salivating, but unfortunately, the acquisitions didn't help the team get over the hump and get back to that glory that they achieved three seasons prior. The negative reason was a big one, the dreaded "l" word was looming: lockout. There were talks of a lockout coming after that season, but I tried my best not to dwell on that. As I've done for my whole life, I focused on the positives, and one of them was the sudden rise of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
A Look at the 1995-96 and 2000-01 Colorado Avalanche
You know, I've been writing stories on Vocal for a little over a year, and it's hard to believe that this is my 500th story. What isn't hard to believe is the subject that #500 would be about. Something near and dear to me as a hockey fan: the Colorado Avalanche's first two Stanley Cups. First, a history lesson. Before playing in Denver, the Avalanche played their first 16 NHL seasons as the Quebec Nordiques, who were actually one of four teams who moved from the World Hockey Association to the NHL (the other three being the Edmonton Oilers, the Hartford Whalers, and the Winnipeg Jets). The Nordiques didn't have a lot of success in the NHL; in fact, they only reached the Conference Finals twice (1982 and 1985). Their only Adams Division championship came in the 1985-86 season, and in their final season in Quebec, the Nordiques would win the renamed Northeast Division, but both division titles resulted in first round exits.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
A Look at the 1993-94 New York Rangers
Long before the Toronto Maple Leafs and their fans were reminded about 1967, the New York Rangers and their fans were constantly reminded about 1940. At that time, 1940 was the last time that the Rangers captured the Stanley Cup, and their attempts to win one during that span were met with dead ends every time. Entering the 1993-94 season, the Rangers hadn't reached the Conference Finals since 1986, which saw them defeated by the eventual Stanley Cup Champions, the Montréal Canadiens. Then on October 4, 1991, the Rangers received Mark Messier, a five-time Stanley Cup Champion, from the Edmonton Oilers in a trade. That would normally be the thing that propels a team to glory, but the road hit a bit of a snag: after losing in the Elite Eight in the 1992 playoffs, they completely missed out in the 1992-93 season--the first time that Messier missed the playoffs in his hallowed career.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Thank You, Nazem Kadri
Well, the Nazem Kadri offseason saga has finally come to an end. The news broke on Thursday, August 18, 2022, that Nazem Kadri signed with the Calgary Flames, a seven-year contract worth $49 million ($7M/year). This past season was a contract year for Kadri; it was his third with the Colorado Avalanche after so many years with the Toronto Maple Leafs. It was also a career year for Kadri: 28 goals, 59 assists, 87 points, all highs for him. The questions had been up there for months. Would the Avs keep Kadri? Could they afford to keep him? Would he end up somewhere else? In the time that passed since the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup on June 26, 2022, the team had kept some of their pieces under new deals, and lost some others, but Kadri remained a UFA for almost two months.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
A Look at the 1992-93 Montréal Canadiens
The Montréal Canadiens are, without question, the most storied franchise in the history of the National Hockey League. No team has won more Stanley Cups than the Canadiens, who have won 24 in their history. In fact, they were the most successful franchise in any of the main sports leagues in North America until 1999, when the New York Yankees won their 25th World Series, and have since added two more championships in 2000 and 2009. However, the Canadiens' road to #24 was a long one. Their 23rd came in 1986, and though they returned to the Stanley Cup Final in 1989, they were defeated in six games by the Calgary Flames. The Canadiens would spend next three seasons running into the same roadblock: the Boston Bruins in the second round, and not getting past them.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
A Look at the 1988-89 Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames' road to the Stanley Cup in 1989 was quite a rocky one. The team began play in Atlanta in 1972, playing there for eight seasons with very little success. It was in 1980 that they moved from Atlanta, Georgia to Calgary, Alberta, Canada; remaining in the Patrick Division (when it was part of the Campbell Conference) before being permanently placed in the Smythe Division beginning in the 1981-82 season. That was the year that the began their contentious rivalry with their provincial foes, the Edmonton Oilers.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
The Spectacular Career of Sidney Crosby
It doesn't seem like Sidney Crosby's been in the NHL for 17 years, and about to enter his 18th. It seems like yesterday that he was a high level pick in the NHL draft, but it was so long ago. I still remember the big buzz about Sidney Crosby, mainly this question: "Wayne Gretzky is The Great One. Is Crosby, 'The Next One'?" I figured Crosby would be an amazing player, but I never thought he'd reach Hall of Fame status, and so quickly!
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
A Look at the 1987-88 Edmonton Oilers
As a Colorado Avalanche fan, I'm still amazed by how dominant of a Stanley Cup run that the team had. The Avalanche went 16-4 in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, which is their best of their three championship runs; going 16-6 in 1996 and 16-7 in 2001. The record tied them with four other championship teams for the 2nd-best since 1987: the 1993 Montréal Canadiens, the 1995 New Jersey Devils, the 1997 Detroit Red Wings, and the 2012 Los Angeles Kings. 1987 was the year that the first round (the Division Semifinals) extended from a best-of-five format to the current best-of-seven format, and in that time, only one team had a better playoff record en route to the Stanley Cup, and that was the Edmonton Oilers in 1988.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
A Look at the Tampa Bay Lightning's Three-Year Run
As a diehard hockey fan, I really enjoyed this insane run from the Tampa Bay Lightning. It was something that hadn't been seen in the NHL in nearly four decades; going to three straight Stanley Cup Finals. It was an absolutely fun sight to see, and to think, in the first few years after losing the Cup Final in 2015, the Lightning actually had problems getting it done when it counted. The year after saw the Bolts in the Eastern Conference Final, but they lost a seven-game thriller to the Pittsburgh Penguins, while 2017 saw them out of the playoffs entirely. In 2018, the Lightning reached the Eastern Conference Final and led 3-2 after five games, but they suddenly forgot how to score--getting shutout in both Games Six and Seven by the Washington Capitals.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Stanley Cup Final Game Six: After 21 Years.... Top Story - June 2022.
Where were you on June 9, 2001? You know where I was? I was in my living room watching Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Final between the Colorado Avalanche and the New Jersey Devils. I watched as Alex Tanguay scored those two goals (one in the first, one in the second), and Joe Sakic put one in as well. I watched as the Avs won 3-1 and captured the Stanley Cup, and I remember that feeling so well. I wanted it again. Fast forward 21 years and 17 days, and that feeling returned.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Stanley Cup Final Game Five: Opportunity Knocks
Ball Arena was rocking for Game Five of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final, as the Colorado Avalanche were back on their home ice with a chance to win the Stanley Cup for the first time in 21 years. The Tampa Bay Lightning were looking to make things difficult for the Avalanche, and force one final home game of their season.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Stanley Cup Final Game Four: Hail to the Kuemperor
There was a bit of unrest in the Colorado Avalanche fanbase after Game Three. Let's get one thing straight: the Avalanche were not sweeping the Tampa Bay Lightning. Fans knew (or had to have known) that the Lightning would try to strike back big time in Game Three, especially after the shellacking they received in Game Two. The Bolts won 6-2 to get on the board in this year's Stanley Cup Final, and Game Four became pivotal for both teams. A Tampa Bay win means that the series would be deadlocked entering Game Five in Denver. A Colorado win means that they could go home with a chance to win the whole thing on home ice.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
