Mile High Sticking
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Colorado Avalanche Streak Ends at 10 and That’s Good

By Nadia Archuleta

MONTREAL, QC - JANUARY 23: Colorado Avalanche Right Wing Blake Comeau (14) tries to pass the puck even laying down on the ice during the Colorado Avalanche versus the Montreal Canadiens game on January 23, 2018, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - JANUARY 23: Colorado Avalanche Right Wing Blake Comeau (14) tries to pass the puck even laying down on the ice during the Colorado Avalanche versus the Montreal Canadiens game on January 23, 2018, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The Colorado Avalanche’s winning streak coming to an end gives the players a chance to show their true mettle.

Ok, the Colorado Avalanche winning streak ending at 10 isn’t exactly a good thing. It is, however, a relieving thing. When you’ve got so much on the line, the stakes get higher and emotions get, well, also higher. Just ask Andrew Cogliano about his Iron Man Streak. (Yes, I know he’s not glad it’s over — just bear with me.)

The Colorado Avalanche might find a way to make the playoffs even in the tough Central Division. The Avs might miss the playoffs by just a few points and still get a top-3 draft pick because of the Draft Lottery — that’s what happened with the Philadelphia Flyers last year. The Avalanche might miss the playoffs and just stay in their position in the standings.

Colorado isn’t a team constructed of peaking stars and veterans that is in a win-now mode. Rather, the team is in the middle of a rebuild, tied for first in the NHL for youngest team. If they don’t make the playoffs this year, they have next year. Or the year after. Or the year after that.

This team has accomplished something special no matter what the results of this year are.

Record Numbers

Even though the Avs’ winning streak ended at 10, that still puts them for second on the all-time franchise list. Before Mondays’ victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the current inception of the Avalanche were tied with the 2000-01 team for longest streak, which ran from October 10 to 28, 2000. What was the notable thing that happened at the conclusion of the 2000-01 season?

colorado avalanche
DENVER, COLORADO – JUNE 9: Ray Bourque /

That team included the following players:

Every single one of those players is a Hall of Famer. And this current roster beat their winning streak. (I’m not saying the current roster is better, I’m just stating the fact — and it’s pretty cool.)

Goalie Jonathan Bernier is tied for second for longest winning streak in franchise history. His cohort is Stephane Fiset, who also had a nine-game winning streak from October 18 to November 18, 1995. What happened at the conclusion of the 1995-96 season?

colorado avalanche
11 Jun 1996: The Colorado Avalanche celebrate after winning the Stanley Cup by defeating the Florida Panthers 1-0 in triple overtime of game four of the Stanley Cup Finals at Miami Arena in Miami, Florida. The Avalanche swept the series by four games to n /

Ok, Fiset wasn’t the goalie in net for that Cup run — in fact, he was the backup to the Hall of Famer listed above. But it’s kind of cool, backup to backup, how that worked.

With their 10-game run, the Avs’ winning streak remains as the longest for the 2017-18 season. No other streak is active.

The Avalanche went 577:32 without trailing during their winning streak. That streak ended in Toronto on Monday for 94 seconds. However, that streak of not trailing during consecutive victories is the longest in franchise history.

The Colorado Avalanche also have a winning streak that’s active — their home winning streak. Their eight-game home winning streak, which spans from December 29, 2017 to the present is the second-longest in the NHL. It’s also ties for the second longest in franchise history.

Colorado Avalanche Winning Culture

More from Mile High Sticking

I’m not saying the current Colorado Avalanche are going to make a Cup run… this year. Streaks are just streaks, and they can be seen as anomalies.

The current inception of the Avs has done more than a complete 180 from last year. They’ve done a 180 plus entered a new dimension.

The Avalanche went into the third period last night trailing by two goals. Just under eight minutes in, the Canadiens made it a 3-0 game. Last year’s Avs would have crawled into a corner. Last year’s Avs

died

lost in Bell Center 10-1.

This year’s Avs responded by unleashing their superstar, Nathan MacKinnon, to at least ruin Canadiens goalie Carey Price‘s shutout bid. This year’s Avs also saw rookie J.T. Compher get a goal with just 12 seconds remaining in what was at that point a 4-1 game:

So, here’s why the Colorado Avalanche’s winning streak ending is a good thing — because it distracted from what’s important. It distracted from the team just playing its game.

Only six players skated in last year’s 10-1 debacle, but they’re mostly core guys — Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon and Nikita Zadorov along with Blake Comeau and Carl Soderberg. However, the difference in this team spans beyond roster changes.

This is a team that just a day-and-half ago was making Mark Messier-style predictions:

This is a team that believes in itself. This is a team that’s going to go into the Central Division matchup against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday with a chip on their shoulder. Their winning streak is over — time to start a new one.

Next: 3 Players Facing Increased Pressure

The Colorado Avalanche’s

near

-historic winning streak ending is a good thing. This gives the youngsters a chance to face adversity in a good way — not en route to a bottom-feeder  season, but as part of the process of winning.

It’s also easier on the damn heart to not have so much at stake each game.

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