Mile High Sticking
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Colorado Avalanche Player Crates Up for Auction

By Nadia Archuleta

DENVER, COLORADO - MAY 02: Matt Calvert and Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche arrive for their game against the San Jose Sharks during Game Four of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Pepsi Center on May 2, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
DENVER, COLORADO - MAY 02: Matt Calvert and Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche arrive for their game against the San Jose Sharks during Game Four of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Pepsi Center on May 2, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /
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The Colorado Avalanche’s Avs Better Halves have released their player crates for auction ahead of the Charity Brunch on Saturday.

The Colorado Avalanche Charity Brunch is this Sunday. Ahead of the brunch, the team has released player crates that are already up for auction. The proceeds go to Kroenke Sports Charities, which fund a number of initiatives in the community.

The Charity Brunch itself features children who have faced medical challenges. They get a budget to buy an outfit for themselves. They’re then matched with a player, who meets them and plays games with them on the day of the event. After the players have served brunch, they walk with the children for a runway performance.

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The player crates were put together by the Avs Better Halves, which is the players’ wives and girlfriends. They also assembled crates for players who have neither.

Each crate features a theme. They usually include signed items of that player. Jerseys are popular items, but you also see game-used sticks. You can bid on the crates up until the day of the brunch at 1:00 pm MT. Bidders don’t have to be present at the brunch to win. So, even if you don’t have a ticket to the brunch, you can play and win.

At the time of writing, the crates ranged in price from $325 (Valeri Nichushkin) to $1,625 (Nathan MacKinnon). Their fair market value was listed as ranging from $450 (Nichushkin) to $1,600 (MacKinnon).

Well, with such a range, let’s look at those two crates specifically.

At first blush, I don’t think Nichushkin’s crate looks that thin. It features the ubiquitous vodka you’d expect of a Russian player. The signed item is a puck. You also get some Avalanche gear, such as a pullover and Stadium Series hat, and a gift certificate to Icon Suits. In addition to the vodka, you get four Moscow Mule copper mugs and an MM cocktail kit. Extra tidbits are The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky and a rabbit fur trapper hat. Very Russian.

MacKinnon’s is the runaway winner so far. The crate includes the following:

  • MacKinnon Signed Game-Used Stick
  • MacKinnon Signed Jersey
  • Sidney Crosby Signed Jersey – Certificate of Authenticity included from Pittsburgh Penguins
  • Canada Frisbee Dog Toy
  • Canada Goose Dog Toy
  • Squirrel Dog Toy
  • Canadian Maple Syrup
  • Trailer Park Boys T-Shirt – Size L
  • Tim Hortons Ground Coffee
  • Canada Cap
  • $200 Icon Suits Gift Certificate

Clearly a Canadian themed crate. I’d like to think the inclusion of the Crosby jersey didn’t boost the price too much.

A couple of the themes were child related, while a couple others were game related. Many were related to sports. Golf was popular, as was skiing. Weirdly, none of the crates feature hockey gear or lessons — you’d think that would be a natural, considering the audience. Several crates do feature Colorado Avalanche game tickets, though.

Not to give too much away about my interest outside of hockey, but the interesting ones for me are the food and wine based crates.

Tyson Jost has a steak-themed crate:

  • Jost Signed Jersey
  • Avalanche Apron
  • STK Chef’s Tasting for Two
  • $100 Denver ChopHouse Gift Certificate
  • $100 Landry’s Gift Card
  • Faberware 18-Piece Knife Set
  • Cutting Board
  • Worcestershire Sauce
  • Steak Marinade
  • A1 Original Sauce
  • Heinz 57 Sauce
  • KitchenAid Meat Tenderizer
  • GrillMates Montreal Steak Seasoning
  • GrillMates Brown Sugar Bourbon Seasoning

Those two gift cards really bump up the value. I wouldn’t mind seeing a gift card to Omaha Steaks and maybe a red wine for all that beef.

J.T. Compher‘s is fun. His crate is brunch-themed. It includes the following:

  • Signed Game-Used Compher Stick
  • Signed Compher Puck
  • Two (2) Tickets for March 15, 2020 Colorado Avalanche vs. Vegas Golden Knights Game: Section 116, Row 19, Seats 7-8
  • Avalanche Rain Jacket – Size Men’s XXL
  • Avalanche Pullover – Size Men’s XL
  • 2020 Stadium Series Knit Hat
  • Two (2) Avalanche Coffee Mugs
  • Two (2) Bottles of Korbel Brut Rose
  • $25 Snooze Gift Card
  • $25 Brooklyn’s Gift Card
  • Conscious Coffee Sumatra Blend
  • Mini Waffle Maker
  • Egg Cooking Pan
  • Cook’s Best of Brunch Cookbook
  • Mr. Coffee Coffee Maker

That’s a lot of loot for one crate.

Andre Burakovsky‘s theme seems to be wine:

  • 2019-20 Avalanche Team-Signed Jersey
  • Two (2) Avalanche Wine Glasses
  • Two (2) Avalanche Pint Glasses
  • Two (2) Avalanche Shot Glasses
  • Hockey Player Wine Holder
  • The Paring 2015 Red
  • The Paring Pinot Noir
  • The Paring Rose of Pinot Noir
  • The Hilt Chardonnay
  • The Hilt Pinot Noir
  • Breckenridge Distillery Reserve Blend
  • Wine Decanter
  • Electric Wine Opener Set

That’s a crate that’s speaking my language.

Next. Sakic Pours Champagne at Charity Event. dark

The coaches, Ice Patrol, and Bernie also have crates. The coaches’ crate has the most loot, in my opinion.

To be honest, all of the Colorado Avalanche crates are cool. Like I said, they’ll be available at the Charity Brunch, but you don’t have to attend to win a crate. If you’d like to bid on a crate, do so here.

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