Colorado

‘Special night’: Avalanche raise third Cup banner

Published

2 years ago

October 13, 2022

‘Special night’: Avalanche raise third Cup banner

DENVER — Bowen Byram and Alex Newhook had been toddlers. Cale Makar was 3. Nathan MacKinnon was 6.

That’s how lengthy it has been because the Colorado Avalanche final hung a Stanley Cup banner in Denver. Wednesday introduced an finish to that drought, with the group elevating the third championship banner in franchise historical past at Ball Area.

Followers rose to their ft when Bernie, the Avalanche’s mascot, skated across the ice whereas waving a big “Hockey is Again” flag like he has many occasions over time. Gamers and coaches had been launched with all of them receiving sturdy ovations. The loudest had been reserved for Pavel Francouz, Erik Johnson, MacKinnon, Makar and Mikko Rantanen.

Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog, who’s on injured reserve, was launched to the shock of a variety of followers. Landeskog obtained a standing ovation whereas skating onto the ice wearing his full gear.

The gamers remained on the ice when Blink-182’s bassist and singer Mark Hoppus walked onto the ice to hype up the group. Hoppus led the group because it sang his band’s 2000 hit, “All The Small Issues,” which has change into an anthem amongst Avalanche followers. The group sang as the sector video board performed a montage of followers celebrating the group’s championship.

Landeskog then grabbed the Stanley Cup, lifted it over his head after which obtained what may need been the loudest response of the night. He then set the trophy down earlier than becoming a member of his teammates so they may get in place to look at the banner go into the rafters.

One participant who sat within the distance was Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Jack Johnson. He was a member of final 12 months’s group that received the title. He remained on the bench for almost all of the ceremony earlier than taking his place together with his former teammates. All of them stood arm in arm to look at the banner take its place subsequent to the group’s earlier titles from the 1995-96 and the 2000-01 seasons.

“It’ll be cool to take all of it in,” Newhook mentioned earlier than the sport. “However we additionally know it’s the finish of celebrations and we all know that we’ve got to be prepared.”

Each banner-raising ceremony comes with its personal stage of anticipation. For the Avalanche, it began at morning skate. Gamers walked into a brand new dressing room and had been immediately met with questions on a night that had been years within the making. It continued when the gamers arrived on the area after which took half in a ceremony that noticed them stroll down a purple carpet surrounded by followers.

That can be across the identical time Hoppus arrived at Ball Area. He drew just a few double takes from area employees and anybody else who was round when he walked all through the hallways whereas carrying a blue Los Angeles Rams hoodie. Hoppus then met with the sector’s leisure and manufacturing group, which walked him by means of his half within the ceremony.

Blink-182’s basic hit began turning into an in-game custom early within the 2019-20 season. It could be performed between sequences and finally, the group saved singing lengthy after the track ended and play continued.

Hoppus mentioned he first turned conscious of it after seeing a tweet from a fan saying he ought to take a look at how the Avalanche was utilizing Blink’s iconic track.

“It is insane. We wrote that track in ’99 and right here 23 years later, persons are nonetheless singing it,” Hoppus mentioned. “Individuals imitate [guitarist/singer Tom DeLonge’s] voice. It is an entire factor. It is taken a lifetime of its personal past us and our band. It fills me with pleasure.”

Hoppus mentioned he didn’t get an opportunity to look at the Avalanche’s total playoff run. However he was capable of watch Recreation 6 after they clinched the title towards the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“We tried to return out at one level in the course of the Stanley Cup finals and our airplane had mechanical points and we weren’t capable of take off,” mentioned Hoppus, a day after the band introduced it was reuniting and going to launch a brand new album.

A couple of months later, all of it labored out. NHL chief content material officer Steve Mayer instructed ESPN Wednesday that it was a simple determination for the league to succeed in out to Blink-182 after seeing how a lot of a connection that Avalanche followers had with the track. Mayer mentioned the league had a earlier relationship with the band, and that it was immediately on board till the journey points paused the plans.

Initially, Travis Barker, DeLonge and Hoppus had been to all fly to Denver for Recreation 5 and lead the group in singing the track — much like what Hoppus did Wednesday.

“We then received a cellphone name that afternoon they had been all on the airplane, however the airplane was having mechanical difficulties,” Mayer mentioned. “We tried desperately to seek out one other airplane. Because it turned out, we couldn’t discover one. We hadn’t introduced it. However we had been so bummed. We had been so upset”

There was a plan, nonetheless, to have Blink-182 strive once more if there was a Recreation 7. As soon as that wasn’t within the playing cards, the technique turned to the opener. Mayer, the truth is, mentioned Blink-182 reached again out to see if there was a manner it might do one thing within the fall.

“It turned out at present not all of the band members may very well be right here,” Mayer mentioned. “However Mark is the most important advocate of the track. … Once we reached out, he wished to do it. It turned out to be a very cool second.”

Planning the ceremony began shortly after the Avalanche received the Stanley Cup, mentioned Steve Johnston, the chief producer and government for recreation presentation for Kroenke Sports activities & Leisure.

Johnston mentioned his group instantly went to work after the Avs received the Stanley Cup. It began producing the movies that had been performed in the course of the ceremony whereas additionally engaged on different particulars like getting a particular winch that allowed them to boost the banner over the netting alongside the glass and into the rafters subsequent to the opposite banners.

However there have been some particulars that had been sorted out a lot later. One among them being how energetic Landeskog could be within the ceremony given he’s nonetheless recovering from an damage. One other element was discovering time to rehearse the ceremony. Johnston mentioned Ball Area had such a busy schedule that his group solely had one banner-raising rehearsal. It was capable of rehearse another time Wednesday afternoon just a few hours after the Blackhawks concluded their morning skate.

“We used the 2001 banner to boost as a result of we did not need anybody taking photos of the brand new banner simply in case,” Johnston mentioned. “The entire summer season has gone into planning this particular night time.”

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Colorado

Seeking Revenge Against the Capitals | Colorado Avalanche

Published

6 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Seeking Revenge Against the Capitals | Colorado Avalanche

Colorado Avalanche (10-9-0) @ Washington Capitals (13-4-1)

5 p.m. MT | Capital One Arena | Watch: Altitude, 9News, My20, Altitude+ | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM)

For the second time in six days the Colorado Avalanche will faceoff against the Washington Capitals. Colorado will battle to split the season series after a 5-2 loss at Ball Arena on November 15.

Soaring Past the Flyers

The Avalanche beat the Flyers 3-2 at Wells Fargo Center on Monday. Cale Makar posted his 10th-career multi-goal game and Casey Mittlestadt added a goal. Additionally, Mikko Rantanen recorded two assists and Justus Annunen made 24 saves. Following a scoreless first period, Makar opened the scoring with a wrist shot from the slot at 8:30 of the second period after receiving Nathan MacKinnon’s set-up feed. Makar thought he had his second of the game at 10:44 of the middle frame, but the goal was taken off the board due to a successful Flyers challenge for goaltender interference. However, Makar would eventually double Colorado’s lead on the power play with his eighth tally of the season at 15:08 of the middle frame with a shot from the point that deflected off a Flyers player on its way in. The Burgundy and Blue took a 3-0 lead at 8:34 of the third period when Mittelstadt dispatched the rebound created by Rantanen’s shot into the net for his seventh goal of the season. The Flyers answered with goals from Owen Tippett at 11:48 and Tyson Foerster at 13:32 to cut their deficit to one, but the Avs held on to secure their 10th victory of the season.

Leading the Way

MacKinnon leads the NHL in points (34) and assists (27).

Makar leads NHL blueliners in goals (8), assists (19), and points (27). He’s tied for seventh among NHL skaters in points and tied for fifth in assists.

Rantanen is tied for sixth in the league in goals (12) and tied for seventh in points (27).

History

The Avalanche are 18-20-4 in 42 previous regular-season games against the Capitals. Colorado is 4-1-0 in its last five matchups against Washington dating back to the 2022-23 season.

Winning Out West

The Capitals beat the Utah Hockey Club 6-2 at the Delta Center on Monday. Alex Ovechkin scored twice, and Charlie Lindgren made 24 saves. Utah opened the scoring with a goal by Jack McBain at 3:05 of the first period but the Capitals responded with tallies from Dylan Strome at 7:46, Nic Dowd at 7:56, and Ovechkin at 11:05. Ovechkin extended Washington’s lead to three with a goal at 5:38 of the second period before Nick Bjugstad scored for Utah at 11:44 to make it 4-2 in favor of Washington entering the third period. Ovechkin did leave the game midway through the third period with a lower-body injury and has been placed on injured reserve and ruled week-to-week. The Caps added two more goals in the third period from Brandon Duhaime at 7:30 and Aliaksei Protas at 9:56 to win 6-2.

Putting Up Numbers on the Potomac

MacKinnon has posted 28 points (11g/17a) in 20-career matchups against the Capitals including 11 points (5g/6a) in 10 road matchups against them.

In eight previous meetings with Washington, Makar has recorded six points (2g/4a).

Rantanen has registered 19 points (8g/11a) in 14 previous games against Washington including eight points (4g/4a) on the road.

Capitals’ Contributors

Strome leads the Capitals in points (28) and assists (22).

Connor McMichael is second on the team in goals (12) and third in points (19).

Aliaksei Protas is fourth on the team in points (18), third in goals (7), and tied for third in assists (11).

A Numbers Game

10

Makar became the first defenseman in franchise history to record 10 multi-goal games.

3

The Avalanche have three players (MacKinnon, Makar, and Rantanen) in the top 10 in points. No other team has more than one.

165

The Avs have registered 165 high-danger shots on goal, which ranks sixth in the NHL.

Quote That Left a Mark

“Juice is great. I think he’s been great all year. [He made] some big saves, especially at the beginning there…So [it was a] heck of a job from Juice for sure.”

— Casey Mittelstadt on Justus Annunen’s performance on Monday

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Colorado

Residents rally to save Colorado Springs library on brink of closure

Published

14 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Residents rally to save Colorado Springs library on brink of closure

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – Hundreds of Colorado Springs residents showed up at the Pikes Peak Library District Board of Trustees meeting Wednesday night in a last-ditch effort to save the Rockrimmon Library.

The library is set to close December 1. This comes after the board voted to not renew the library’s lease due to financial issues.

In a statement posted on their website on November 8, the board called the decision to close Rockrimmon a difficult one.

“A library provides access to resources and materials to everyone in the community, so considering a closure goes against the grain of our hopes for PPLD. However, our District provides access to nearly 700,000 people across El Paso County. We must make decisions that sustain the entire District.”

More than 250 community members showed up to Wednesday’s board meeting to show their support for keeping the Rockrimmon location open with another 119 tuning in virtually.

Former Rockrimmon Library manager Steve Abbott said he was glad to see the turnout.

“It shows that the community will not give up and they are going to fight to keep this library open,” he said.

For most of the almost five-hour meeting, 43 speakers took turns pleading with board members to postpone the library’s closure, extend the lease another year, and reconsider their decision to close the library in the first place.

One of those who spoke before the board, Abbott said closing the library will leave a massive gap for the 30,000 people who live in the area.

“It leaves a big library desert in the Rockrimmon area,” he said. “For a child to use a library now, they’ll have to go over I-25, under I-25, over Academy, under Academy to get to a library, and it’s six miles away from where Rockrimmon was.”

Speaker and Rockrimmon resident Jennifer Walker said closing the library would also deprive the area of a much-needed community center.

“There is no YMCA, there’s nothing else,” she said. “This is where we meet other moms when we’re desperate to talk to another human being that’s not a toddler, this is where we go to work when we need a quiet space, this is where the elderly come to use the computer or to check out books.”

The fate of the Rockrimmon Library was not on the board’s agenda and those who left the meeting tell 11 News the meeting ended with no resolution.

Walker said residents are still exploring their legal options.

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Colorado

What’s the latest on the Colorado River negotiations?

Published

22 hours ago

November 20, 2024

Press Room

What’s the latest on the Colorado River negotiations?

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation released a breakdown Wednesday of five potential paths forward for the fragile state-to-state negotiations surrounding Colorado River operating guidelines that must be updated by 2026.

The Colorado River, which is Southern Nevada’s primary source of water, holds a precarious future as the basin experiences historic drought and state leaders disagree on how to deal with shortages. The range of alternatives is possibly the last major announcement about negotiations to come from the Bureau of Reclamation under the Biden-Harris administration.

“We have worked tirelessly over the past several years to bring Colorado River Basin stakeholders together for a transparent and inclusive post-2026 process,” Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton said in a statement. “Today, we show our collective work. These alternatives represent a responsible range from which to build the best and most robust path forward for the Basin.”

What to know heading into 2025

The breakdown between two coalitions of states, the Upper and Lower Basins, centers around whether the Upper Basin — Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming — should be required to take cuts to its water allocation past what’s known as the river’s “structural deficit,” or the 1.5 million acre-feet lost to evaporation and transport. The Upper Basin has argued that it takes too many cuts already because of its reliance on snowpack instead of big reservoirs.

The Lower Basin also has called for smaller reservoirs in the Upper Basin states to be included in discussions about cuts in water usage across the system.

Notably, one of the five alternatives is based on proposals from Native American tribes, calling for the government to account for undeveloped tribal water.

The acknowledgement of the ongoing duel between the Upper and Lower Basins is the “Basin Hybrid” alternative, which appears to fall somewhere down the middle of the two coalition’s proposals.

In a statement, Upper Basin Commissioner and Colorado negotiator Becky Mitchell said it’s too early to speak directly about the five alternatives from the Bureau of Reclamation.

“Colorado continues to stand firmly behind the Upper Division States’ Alternative, which performs best according to Reclamation’s own modeling and directly meets the purpose and need of this federal action,” she said.

The Lower Basin states of Nevada, California and Arizona didn’t immediately release a statement when the announcement was released at 1 p.m.

All seven state negotiators will convene in Las Vegas in early December at the Colorado River Water Users Association conference, where experts and officials will discuss what’s to come from negotiations under President-elect Donald Trump.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Contact Alan Halaly at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X.

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