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Colorado Avalanche: These were YOUR Highlights of the 2014-15 season!

By Janik Beichler |
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Watching the NHL Playoffs without your favorite team in them can be tough. Especially when you went into the season as the defending Central Division Champion. However, there really isn’t a lot that you could possibly do about it. Except for maybe one thing: relive the big moments of a season that was disappointing as a whole, but had enough positive moments to be excited about.

We wanted to do just that and asked you about your very own #AvsHighlight of the season.

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Thanks to our awesome fans, we got quite a lot of input. It was really awesome to see that a season like this one was not all disappointment (like in other NHL-cities…. hello Edmonton) and that fans had so many great things to look back at. Some highlights were simply the biggest highlights for a team or a player, others were personal highlights — like meeting players or catching a game puck. So here they are – YOUR #AvsHighlights of the season!

Next: Avs Roster Outlook - Goalies

Semyon Varlamov’s 54-goal-shutout on January 6 vs. Chicago

Apr 11, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche fan holds a drawing in reference to goalie Semyon Varlamov (1) (not pictured) during the second period against the Chicago Blackhawks at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

This was one of the most popular highlights — and not surprisingly! As usual for this season’s Avs, Varlamov had to face a crazy amount of shots. The Blackhawks kept firing them at the net all night, keeping our Russian #1 more than busy. Sixty minutes, 92 shots, and 54 shots on net later, it was all over. The Avalanche had beat the Blackhawks with 2-0. Nathan MacKinnon scored one and set one up for Max Talbot in the first 1:17, before Varlamov had to do the rest.

“The good thing is, the guys weren’t staying in front of me. They were giving me a chance to see the puck all the time. That was key.” – Semyon Varlamov

It is obviously very helpful for the goalie to see the puck, but I still think that praising the defense for allowing 54 shots on net is a little too much. All credit must go to Varlamov himself — who gave us a win, and a highlight to remember! That last tweet was a great transition to our next highlight, which is……….

Nate MacKinnon’s hat-trick on February 22 vs. Tampa Bay

Feb 22, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) celebrates his hat trick goal with left wing Gabriel Landeskog (92) in the second period against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

This is most certainly another moment to remember. Although most of us have never played in the NHL, we can all imagine how hard it is to score a goal in that league, let alone three. But our 2013 first-overall-pick Nathan MacKinnon did it. Not only did he score three goals in one game — he scored three awesome goals in one game. It is something that only the elite-scorers of the NHL get done and a big highlight of the season — for MacKinnon himself, the fans, and everyone that was at the Can for it. Way to go, Nate! Also great to see that some of us had their personal highlights at a game like that. As MacK’s hatty never gets old, here it is once more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz5j4eNHMQQ

Avalanche SO win on December 11 vs. Winnipeg

Dec 11, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche goalie Calvin Pickard (31) celebrates a shootout win over the Winnipeg Jets at the Pepsi Center. The Avalanche defeated the Jets 4-3 in a shootout period. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

While this game wasn’t mentioned as much as some other events, it was a highlight for many people, judging by the amount of re-tweets and favorites that Austin’s tweet got. And how wouldn’t it be? The Avs trailed 1-0 and 3-1, before tying the game with less than three minutes to go in the third period and winning it in the shootout. Rookie-goalie Calvin Pickard made some incredible saves and recorded 33 overall that night, Gabriel Landeskog fought Andrew Ladd, and Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon scored in the shootout for a 4-3 win — awesome!

Other Highlights

It is great to see that in a season like this one, fans still get that many great moments. Despite not making the postseason, there is a lot to be excited about and to look forward to. It is impossible to talk about every single highlight — but here’s some more!

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