Mount Rushmore of the Colorado Avalanche: Blueline
*This is the second instalment in a series highlighting a "Mount Rushmore" of positional groups in Colorado Avalanche history*
Mount Rushmore is one of the iconic landmarks of the United States. Nestled in the Black Hills of South Dakota, it’s a mountain with sculptures carved into the side depicting previous influential United States Presidents. It’s comprised of four people, Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt and Jefferson.
Since its creation, the faces depicted on the mural have been debated in multiple ways like their impact on the country, if others should have been sculpted, or their merit for being on the mountain at all.
In the sports world, a “Mount Rushmore” of a team, or positional area, or city, has been debated for years, and Mile High Sticking will take their turn. As the Avalanche have been in Denver since 1996, there are plenty of players up for selection, and the franchise’s time in Quebec won’t be taken into consideration.
The primary instalment of this series started with the goalies and the next installment of this series will be the Defensemen. There are plenty to choose from over the course of 28 years in Denver, and there were a few that stood out, and some that were debatable. Here is the Mount Rushmore of Colorado Avalanche defensemen.
4.) Adam Foote
Avalanche stalwart Adam Foote starts this Mount Rushmore. He’s third all-time in games played for the Avalanche franchise with 967. It’s a shame he didn’t get to 1,000 in an Avalanche uniform quite honestly. He played four years as a Nordique, and normally that would disqualify him from this list, but he played 13 seasons in Colorado and was a part of two Stanley Cup championship teams, so he’ll make this list.
With Colorado, he scored 56 goals and added 203 assists. He was never known as an offensive force as most Avs fans know. That said, good things happened when he was on the ice, as he was a +129 for his Colorado career, which means the Avalanche scored 129 more goals than they allowed while he was on the ice.
Foote made his mark on the defensive side of the puck and with his grit and leadership. He accumulated 1,279 penalty minutes in his Avalanche career and never shied away from defending a teammate or sending a message. Although blocks and hits weren’t tracked for his entire career, at least via hockey reference, he made major impacts in both of those areas. The coaching staff trusted Foote, as he averaged over 19 minutes per game on ice every season but one in Colorado. He was a pillar of the early success in Denver, and he’s firmly on Mount Rushmore.
3.) Cale Makar
This one is the most obvious, at least when recency bias is considered. After his career is all said and done, he’ll go down as the greatest defenseman in Avalanche history and he’s already receiving discussion about the greatest defensemen of all-time. Although Makar has only been in the league five years, he’s made a massive impact.
The 2019-2020 Calder Trophy winner as the league’s top rookie hit the ice sprinting and has not looked back. He’s averaged over a point per game throughout his career, with 336 points in only 315 games played. Those are video game numbers for a defenseman. He has an innate ability to change the game from the backend and he’s an invaluable piece for the Avalanche as currently constructed. Makar is a difference maker and a player other teams need to gameplan for each night.
He was a vital piece of their 2022 Stanley Cup championship and has already won a Norris Trophy in 2021-22 as the league’s top Defenseman. Makar is also already a three-time All Star and won the Conn Smythe trophy in 2021-22 as the most valuable player in the playoffs.
He arguably already has a hall of fame-worthy career, and it’s only just beginning. The only season he did not average a point per game was his rookie year, and he was just short, totaling 50 points in 57 games. Makar has scored more than 20 goals twice in his career and has over 85 points in a season twice thus far.
There’s no debate on Makar having a place on Mount Rushmore.
2.) Rob Blake
Another one of the old guard of Avalanche defenders, Rob Blake had a big impact in a shorter time in Denver. He played most of his career with the LA Kings and came over to Colorado in a trade in the 2000-01 season. He played 23 games during those playoffs, scoring 19 points. He also averaged nearly 30 minutes per game (29:26) for the team. He was a vital piece to hoisting the Stanley Cup that season, his first Cup victory.
During his five seasons in Colorado, Blake played in 322 games. He was effective, earning 208 points during his tenure. He scored 13 or more goals in each full season he was in Colorado. Known for his heavy shot from the blue line, Blake was extremely effective on the Power Play. He had 34 power play goals and added 67 powerplay assists while in burgundy and blue (black at the time).
Blake was reliable. He averaged over 25 minutes per game (25:38) as an Avalanche defender and did not take many penalties. Aside from Blake’s reputation of a heavy slap shot, he also was a fear player, as he was no stranger to delivering a big hit. His steady play earned him a top five finish in the Norris Trophy voting three of the five seasons he was in Colorado.
Blake was not a shoo-in for Mount Rushmore. There was some competition among others, but his consistent play during his tenure in Colorado, his Power Play prowess, and his Stanley Cup victory put him on it.
1.) Erik Johnson
If Adam Foote is Mr. Defenseman over Avalanche history, then Erik Johnson’s got to be his Robin. Acquired from St Louis in 2010-11, Johnson spent the next 13 seasons wearing burgundy and black, playing a total of 717 games for the franchise.
Johnson was never the flashiest member of the team, but he provided a steady presence through some tumultuous seasons for the franchise. Playing primarily as a defensive defenseman, Johnson registered over 100 hits in a season seven times for Colorado. He blocked over 100 shots in a season on nine different occasions as well. Playing a physical style like Johnson did takes a toll on one’s body, and he also had his fair share of injuries.
Offensively, Johnson was serviceable for the team. He scored eight or more goals four times as a member of the club and had 15 or more assists in seven different seasons.
Importantly, and this statistic cannot be measured, was Johnson’s leadership during his tenure in Colorado. Although he was never named captain, Johnson did wear an A during his tenure, and he helped the Avalanche organization grow tremendously from its poor form during his early tenure in Denver to its Stanley Cup winning season more recently.
There could have been others selected to this final spot, like they could have replaced Rob Blake also. Recency bias says Devon Toews should have made this list, and he’s close for sure. For nostalgic purposes, Ray Bourque would make this list. Bourque only played two seasons in Colorado however. Serviceable members of the D corps like Alexei Gusarov or John Michael Liles come to mind as well.
This is the Mount Rushmore of Colorado Avalanche defensemen as I see it.
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