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Colorado Avalanche: Reasons I’m Thankful for the Avs

By Nadia Archuleta

DENVER, CO - NOVEMBER 09: Nazem Kadri (91) of the Colorado Avalanche, Tyson Jost (17) and J.T. Compher (37) swarm teammate Cale Makar (8) after Makar scored a goal in the second period against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Pepsi Center November 09, 2019. (Photo by Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - NOVEMBER 09: Nazem Kadri (91) of the Colorado Avalanche, Tyson Jost (17) and J.T. Compher (37) swarm teammate Cale Makar (8) after Makar scored a goal in the second period against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Pepsi Center November 09, 2019. (Photo by Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images) /
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Happy Thanksgiving, Colorado Avalanche fans. Let’s share why we’re thankful for this team.

Well, Colorado Avalanche fans, we’ve reached another Thanksgiving. It’s time for another “giving thanks for the Avs” post, and I’m excited to do it this year. There’s a lot to be thankful for here in Avs Nation.

This post has been an annual tradition for me for all years but one — the Dreaded 48-Point Season. And it wasn’t because the Avs were so dreadful — if you’ve been following along, you know it’s because Patrick Roy had resigned that summer, and I was upset.

Previous Thanksgiving Posts:

That said, I’m in the third year of my recovery from that lapse in fandom, and I’m thankful for that alone. Being an Avs fans is important to me, as five years on this site should show. I know there are some editors who manage blogs for teams that aren’t their number-one — I don’t know how they manage to write so many posts on a topic they’re not passionate about.

Well, I get to be the editor of the fan blog about my passion, the Colorado Avalanche. And I’m thankful for this team. Here are some of the reasons I’m grateful to be part of Avs Nation.

I Was Wrong About Cale Makar

So, in 2017, Cale Makar was the one player I absolutely did not want the Colorado Avalanche to draft. I thought he was all hype and no substance. And, boy, was I annoyed when that was exactly who the Avs drafted.

And, boy, was I wrong. Needless to say, the Avs won’t be hiring me for amateur scout anytime soon. Because Cale Makar is the hottest rookie on the market right now.

And I’m all in for the Makalder Train.

Nathan MacKinnon is our Superstar

I know every team has a star, and there’s a good handful of superstars in the NHL. But I wouldn’t trade Nathan MacKinnon for any of them. No, not your McDavid, nor your Crosby, nor your Ovechkin. MacK is the #1 superstar for me.

He’s just so dynamic on the ice. As his teammates and Altitude announcers say, good things happen when MacKinnon has the puck. Case in point:

That was essentially MacKinnon saying, “This OT is BS after what you did to Matt Calvert.” And he ended it. When you’re Nathan MacKinnon, you have the power to do that.

Tyson Jost is a Ray of Sunshine

Tyson Jost is the Colorado Avalanche’s King of Content. He seems to love the camera, and the camera loves him. He doesn’t appear to turn down anything no matter how silly it might seem, or how much time it might take out of his day.

Something silly:

Related Story. Jost and Makar in Sweet then Sour. light

Something time-consuming:

light. Related Story. Jost in Compher Instruct Students

Recently, Mile High Hockey wrote an excellent post about how beloved Jost is by even his former teammates and coaches. They talk about what energy he brings and how he can read the room and bring either a thoughtful word or a laugh.

He catches a lot of flak, but I’m not going to dwell on that. It’s my thankfulness post, and I’m thankful for our ray of sunshine.

Our Social Media Team is the Best in the Business

Every week, Hils curates the best of the Avs’ social media, and it’s no small feat. As I wrote in this post, they put out 44 excellent Media Day posts just on Twitter alone.

The crew running the account, led by Emily Wade, also do an excellent job of encouraging the Avs fan community. They’re very inclusive. They answer fans and genuinely show interest in the fanbase.

They’re the best in sports, and we’re lucky they work for the Avs.

Speaking of the Avs fandom…

The Avs Fan Community is the Best

I get into arguments with Avs fans on Twitter a lot. But scrolling through the tweets of other teams, that’s nothing unusual.

But I believe our community is the best. I’ve made so many good friends, and sometimes our only connection is we like the Colorado Avalanche.

I feel like we also tend to be pretty welcoming. Sure, we might roll our eyes at bandwagon fans, but we don’t try to gate-keep them, and that’s important.

The Avs are Transitioning into their Destiny

More from Mile High Sticking

Going back to the team, what an exciting time to be an Avs fan! Sometimes, they can still be so frustrating. But as we saw last night, when they take control of a game, they take control.

Just look what they’ve had to put up with this season. They lose their star winger and then their other star winger, who’s also the captain. At points on a Canadian road trip they were starting their third and fourth string goalies because of injuries. They’ve lost important journeymen and now their captain of the blueline.

And they’re finding ways to win. The hockey world has gone from calling their playoff appearances a fluke to stating they might just be contenders.

This is our destiny.

Happy Thanksgiving! Hit up the comments section below with the reasons YOU’RE grateful for the Colorado Avalanche.

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