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Colorado Avalanche: Memorable Moments from 2017

By Nadia Archuleta

DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 31: Members of the Colorado Avalanche salute the crowd after a win against the New York Islanders at the Pepsi Center on December 31, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche defeated the Islanders 6-1. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 31: Members of the Colorado Avalanche salute the crowd after a win against the New York Islanders at the Pepsi Center on December 31, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche defeated the Islanders 6-1. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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DENVER, CO – JANUARY 25: Colorado Avalanche Goalie Calvin Pickard (31) covers the puck after making save during the Vancouver Canucks and Colorado Avalanche NHL game on January 25, 2017, at Pepsi Center in Denver, CO. (Photo by John Crouch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

The Colorado Avalanche had a lot of ups and downs in 2017. Here are some of the memorable moments from that year.

The year 2017 was a tumultuous one for the Colorado Avalanche, and I think most Avs fans are happy it’s well in our rearview mirror. However, despite how badly south the first half of the calendar year — which corresponds with the second half of the 2016-17 season — went, their were notable moments all year long.

The 2016-17 season was a transitional period. The Colorado Avalanche had been working toward immediate relevancy with big, strong, speedy players and a mix of youth and veterans. At the conclusion of the 2015-16 season, certain factions in the front offices decided to scrap that plan and go in for a full rebuild. Other factions decided to take their leave.

That left the roster for the 2016-17 season in limbo. It was partially built with big, strong, speedy players and well-regarded veterans. However, now the team wanted to move toward a small-and-speedy model. And they wanted to do so with youngsters. What’s more, the team had decided to bring in a rookie NHL coach who’d had success at the lower levels — but one who would have needed the offseason to prepare. And one who was saddled with the old guard in assistants.

Maybe when you look at everything the 2016-17 season had against it, a dismal 48 points and just 22 wins isn’t so surprising. But it sure was painful. And the 2017 portion of it was especially painful because that’s when the wheels truly fell off. The Avs only won 10 games through the first half of 2017.

I’m sure you’ve head by now that, at the halfway point of the season, the Colorado Avalanche have already matched their wins from all of last season. Granted, they’re undefeated in 2018, but that still means they got 19 wins in the second half of 2017. That’s not quite as storybook as the Golden Why Not Us season, but it’s damn good.

So, as the Avalanche start gearing up for a playoff push (after enjoying a little vacation during their bye-week), let’s look at some of the top moments from 2017. Spoiler alert: They’re not all from this season.

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