Colorado Avalanche on Hiatus, and That’s a Good Thing

The NWHL is suspended. So are games for multiple teams. And now, after a breakout on the Minnesota Wild roster, the Colorado Avalanche are skipping tonight’s game. At what point is the league going to do something about it?

So I was ready to write an article about the history of Avs injuries. You know, the situation the Avs were in following the conclusion of Tuesday’s win against the Minnesota Wild.

Inspired by a tweet, I was ready to write up a detailed, if maybe a bit humorous, history if the Colorado Avalanche have fared well with keeping their players off IR in the altitude. The title was going to be “Week-to-Week”. A title Avs fans know too well.

It was also going to be great because, well, I’m a man of my word, and if I see something that ignites an idea, you bet I’ll do it.

However, more serious things took hold the next day:

There’s a few things to be angry about there.

The first, and obvious one, is that the Minnesota Wild were happy to take the ice after Marcus Foligno tested positive the night before. The fact that the Avs were three games into a series with the Wild sets up what happens next.

Nick Bjustad, Joel Eriksson-Ek, Nick Bonino, Marcus Johansson, and Jared Spurgeon, alongside the already-added Foligno, get added the next day. And Tyson Jost, likely as a result of having played close-contact with these players, gets added.

Of course, this is nothing new, considering we were aware in some way days ago. And they still went ahead and played.

The verdict? Shut. This shit down.

Coming off of the NWHL’s decision to suspend the season, after numerous COVID outbreaks, as well as two of their teams pulling out, there’s no reason not to suspend games.

Already up to 22 postponed games, most of them involving about 6 teams, the NHL could benefit from shutting things down for a good two weeks. Considering there’s teams that straight up aren’t giving a shit, and straight up aren’t giving a shit, taking a breather, while the players in question take the time to quarantine, is the step the NHL needs to take.

The NWHL, coming off a season of questionable attention and great attention, did the hardest move by pulling the plug on a league that was gaining momentum. Hell, if anything, the NHL, in some way, can learn a few things from its counterpart, and suspending things for some time might be one of them.

Of course, in the event, whether it be the Colorado Avalanche or the NHL, things get shut down, the former gets a massive advantage, much like where things left off last season. With a host of players on the shelf for some time, not limited to Nathan MacKinnon, Pavel Francouz, and Erik Johnson, the time on hold is a major plus for a team aching at different corners.

No matter what pro comes with it, it’s past the point where it’s a vague issue. If the NHL claims it’s taking the safety precautions it says it is, the Avalanche, and the rest of the league, need to take a hiatus.

In other words? Take it week-to-week.