Colorado Avalanche: Strange Coincidence in Red Wings Game

Colorado Avalanche rookie Alexander Kerfoot surpassed fellow Harvard grad Steve Moore in games played, despite there being an actual Bertuzzi on the ice.

When the Colorado Avalanche faced the Detroit Red Wings yesterday, I was keeping a mental tab on a strange statistic. The game marked rookie Alexander Kerfoot‘s 69th NHL game.

That number isn’t significant because of any silliness associated with how the six and nine orient with each other. Rather, that number is significant because of Kerfoot’s pedigree and Avalanche history.

Alexander Kerfoot, as we well know, played college hockey for an Ivy League school, specifically Harvard. In fact, he graduated from Harvard, which carries an air of prestige around it. It’s hard to get into an Ivy League school, even if you’re really good at sports. And they don’t just give you a degree because you played hockey there for four years. You have to earn that prestigious degree.

The Colorado Avalanche have only ever had one other Harvard graduate play for them. That player was center Steve Moore. Your memory might be a little rusty, but Moore was the victim of one of the most vicious on-ice attacks in NHL history:

The incident happened on March 8, 2004, just over 14 years ago.

In case you’re wondering, that attack happened in the third period of Moore’s 69th NHL game. So, when Alexander Kerfoot completed yesterday’s game, he surpassed the Harvard Boy Curse.

Like I said, I was keeping mental track of that even as I was celebrating Erik Johnson‘s return. It didn’t escape me that, while the Colorado Avalanche weren’t playing the Vancouver Canucks, they were playing their onetime rival Detroit Red Wings. Things have a habit of getting chippy between the two teams even now.

I didn’t really expect Kerfoot to suffer a career-ending injury, though. And, as I noted, he completed the game unscathed.

However, as I was scrolling through some tweets after the game, I came across this:

I had seen there was a Bertuzzi on the ice, but I didn’t register the significance at first. Like I said, the Kerfoot marker was in the back of my mind, far behind the return of Johnson and the Avalanche’s playoff push.

However, that’s a striking coincidence. Alexander Kerfoot has now surpassed our other Harvard grad in games completed, despite his 69th game coming against a one-time rival and with a relative of the villain, nephew Tyler Bertuzzi, on the ice.

I agree with the tweet that we don’t need to blame the nephew for the uncle’s crime. I mean, we can boo Bertuzzi because he wears Red Wings red, and because he was crosschecking Tyson Jost in the neck pretty good during the game… although that does beg the question — does the apple fall far from the tree?

In any case, I’d be curious to know if Kerfoot faces any extra trash talking or even rough play because of his pedigree. Because in his time, Steve Moore was getting it even from his own teammates.

All these years later, I wish Moore well. I hope his concussion isn’t so bad that he can make use of the prestigious degree he earned from Harvard. As for Todd Bertuzzi, I know he’s hardily sorry. Unfortunately, he’ll always be the villain in Colorado Avalanche history the same way Claude Lemiux will always be the villain in Red Wings history.

And Alexander Kerfoot? Well, I just hope our well-educated rookie can get back to his scoring ways. He’s been in a bit of a slump lately. Now that he’s surpassed that odd marker, it’s time for a few more goals and assists.