Mount Rushmore of the Colorado Avalanche: Left Wing
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’s 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 second instalment of this series was the Defensemen. The next installment will be the Left Wings. 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. This is Mount Rushmore for Colorado Avalanche Left Wings.
4.) Gabriel Landeskog
This one should be the most obvious. He’s arguably the current Mr. Avalanche and has spent his entire career in burgundy and blue, captaining the team for the last number of years. He missed this past two seasons due to rehab from an injury, but that doesn’t negate the impact he’s had on the organization since his start.
Drafted by Colorado with the second overall pick in the 2011 NHL draft, Landeskog has spent eleven years with Colorado (not counting the last two years), scoring 248 goals and adding 323 assists. He was the Calder Trophy winner as the league’s top rookie. He was also on the All-Rookie team that season.
He plays a two-way game, as evidenced by being in the Selke trophy conversation as the league’s top defensive forward multiple times over his career, and he’s never been afraid to stick up for his teammates when necessary. He’s had 120 hits or more seven times over his career.
That bruising style has taken its toll on Landeskog, however, and he has played 51 or less games the last three seasons that he played in (2019-21). He’s on track to return next season at latest report and was skating and readying during the past playoffs.
Unfortunately, the Avs didn’t last long enough for him to enter the lineup, but hopefully this extended layoff will give Landy the time he needs to once again be an effective player and leader for the team.
3.) Alex Tanguay
Alex Tanguay is the next Av on Mt Rushmore. He played nine years across two separate stints in Colorado and played 598 games in total with the burgundy and blue, good for 13th on the Avalanche all-time games played list.
A consistent offensive threat, Tanguay scored 48 or more points in every full season he played in Colorado, with highs of 29 goals, 54 assists, and 79 points, although not all accrued in the same season.
Tanguay was also part of the 2000-01 Stanley Cup winning team. During the regular season, Tanguay had 27 goals and 50 assists for 77 total points. He kept that hot hand going during the playoffs, as he scored 21 points in 23 games, with six goals and 15 assists. Without him, the Avalanche likely don’t win the Stanley Cup that season. Tanguay played 83 playoff games in total with Colorado, far more than with any other team. He totaled 50 points during that time.
Tanguay always had a keen eye for putting the puck in the back of the net and he led the NHL in shot percentage twice during his years in Colorado. He averaged 19.4% over his Avalanche career.
Tanguay bounced around a bit after his initial time in Colorado, spending some years in Calgary, and then one each in a few different spots. He’ll be remembered as a valuable, important piece of the Avalanche in the early 2000’s, and a steady offensive presence in the lineup. For those reasons, Tanguay has firmly cemented himself as one face on the Mount Rushmore of Avalanche left wings.
2.) Valeri Kamensky
Many of you may not remember Valeri Kamensky, but you should. For those that don’t, Kamensky was a Soviet Union born left winger, drafted in the seventh round by the Quebec Nordiques in 1988. Prior to the fall of the Soviet Union, a lot of quality Russian players were drafted in the later rounds because of questions about their ability to physically play in the NHL—they were obviously very talented.
The 6’2”, 198lb winger eased into the NHL in the 1991-92 season in Quebec, but his career really began to blossom when the Nordiques moved to Colorado and became the Avalanche. His lowest point total over four seasons in Colorado was 44, at least 22 points lower than the other three seasons there. Kamensky had his best season in 1995-96, scoring 85 points in 81 games, with 38 goals and 47 assists. Kamensky also scored 18 power play goals that season. He continued that torrid play in the playoffs, averaging one point per game, with ten goals and 12 assists for 22 points in 22 games. The Avalanche won their first Stanley Cup that season.
The next season, Kamensky was even better in the playoffs. Across 17 games, he scored 22 points, averaging more than one point per game. His regular season wasn’t as good as the previous season, scoring 66 points in only 68 games. For a fun fact, Kamensky had six career hat tricks, all of them with Colorado.
Kamensky was a vital part in the early success once the Nordiques moved to Colorado. His offensive skill helped set him apart and provide opposing teams with another player to gameplan for, taking some heat off Joe Sakic and others. For those reasons, he makes Mount Rushmore.
1.) Cody McLeod
The final spot on Mount Rushmore for left wingers was a difficult one to choose from. Sure, there are a ton of left wingers who’ve donned the burgundy and blue, but not nearly as many that have made a major impact like a player on Mount Rushmore would.
In a potentially controversial decision, Cody McLeod rounds out the Mount Rushmore of left wingers.
McLeod wasn’t an offensive player. Anyone who knows him knows he earned the respect of his peers and fans alike for his unwavering willingness to defend teammates and play good, physical hockey.
McLeod played ten years in Colorado and 659 games as a member of the Avalanche, good for tenth all-time for the franchise. It’s not often that a “tough guy” gets ten years in an organization, but McLeod was a good enough player aside from his prowess engaging in fisticuffs to hang around the team.
He had 66 goals and 51 assists over his Avalanche career, but his major impact came in the form of roles we already touched on to the tune of 1359 penalty minutes in his Colorado career. A check of McLeod’s fight record shows 129 majors for fighting over his Avalanche career, averaging almost 13 per season. He had 20 fighting majors his rookie season alone!
McLeod had over 100 penalty minutes each season of his Colorado tenure, with only the strike shortened 2012-13 season under 100. He had 83 PIM’s that season in just 48 games.
McLeod was also able to change his game. As the strike changed the game from a less holding and grabbing type into a more free-flowing type game, the role of the fighter changed. Gone were the days of a player who could barely skate and was only an enforcer, and those players had to transform into all around players.
Directly after that season, McLeod had over 230 hits in two of his next three seasons, mutating from a fighter into a fourth line grinder, physical type player. His offensive production increased as well, scoring seven or more goals twice in the next three seasons also.
manual