Eurolanche

The 10 best Avalanche Players (1.)

Only their Avalanche carriers will be count so players as Selanne and Kariya will only be judge for the 2003-2004. Without more words let’s begin this top 10:

10 – The persistent – Raymond Bourque:

94 regular season match for 73 points. I guess that’s what I call efficiency. But it is not what we will remember about Bourque. Bourque left Boston for a chance to win the Stanley Cup. With the Avalanche, he played as one of the best defensemen in the league.  Finally in 2001, he was awarded the trophy he has always dreamed about. He left the game as a winner. Congrats for your Stanley Cup, the Avalanche didn’t forgot your involment.

9 - The missed ones – Karlis Skrastinš, Ruslan Salei

Three season for both of them under the Avalanche Jersey. Skrastinš was trade for Salei in 2008. The played for the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and were involved in the crash that killed them both.  Nobody should have died this days but this is even more frustrating when you hear such names. Sorry guys, RIP.

8 – The prodigal son – Paul Stastny

Son of the former Quebec Nordiques player Peter Stastny, Paul Stastny got to deal with comparisons with his father every day but that doesn’t seem to trouble him so much to score points with the Avalanche. As the spearhead of a younger Avalanche team alongside with Matt Duchene, he is one of the best members of the actual Avalanche Team and he shall be a great first-liner for years to come.

7 – The old guard – Adam Foote

Maybe 10 isn’t enough for all the great players in this team … Adam Foote is sure one of them, first because of this dedication to the team, after a (forced) break in Columbus form 2005 to 2008, he came back in Colorado for a total of 13 seasons with the Colorado franchise. He didn’t score as much points as Rob Blake or John-Michael Liles but he knows how to defend for sure.  Named captain after Joe Sakic retired,  he help the Avalanche as he could during these struggling years.

6 – The optimistic – Alex Tanguay

Well, I don’t know if Tanguay is really optimistic but when he shoot on goal or make a big move, I’m saying “Well, this ain’t over yet”. This guy got the ability to be decisive when somebody needs to be. He is not often the guy who scores but instead the one who starts the action. He spent 5 seasons with the Avalanche and won the Stanley Cup in 2001 (with 2 goals and 1 assist during the game 7 of the final). He is now one of the top players in Calgary.

To be continued...

Such players as Duchene, Lemieux, Budaj or Blake aren’t in this Top 10. I hesitate but I can’t put everyone on it. I think that each Avalanche player should be writen there but it would have been too long :D

-by Clement Pubert-