Mad, Mad World

So it’s been about 3 months and I swear, I have a pretty good reason for not keeping on top of things here at Hockey In Colorado. I quit my job. That is a big life-changing event and I needed to focus on finding a new job and moving on…so I did and I quite honestly could not be happier. In my 4 years as an employee of the University of Denver, I learned a lot about what it means to be a professional as well as a whole lot about how to run a University successfully. I value everything I learned at DU, but it was time for me to start new. I moved to the private sector, specifically to Great-West Life and Annuity. It has been a great two months there and I am looking forward to many more years like it.

Enough about me already, right? Let’s talk hockey!! DU made it to the WCHA Final Five after sweeping the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs. I had the great pleasure of traveling to Saint Paul with two fellow DU fans. It was one of the greatest hockey experiences I’ve had thus far. The Twin Cities were inviting and friendly, as were the other fans. There are really no words to describe what it was like to see DU beat Minnesota for the Broadmoor Trophy in front of a Gopher crowd…

I also had the opportunity of attending the Frozen Four in Denver. Although DU was not playing, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Personally, I thought DU got the short draw (having to play Wisconsin on their home ice in first game of the regionals), but I was glad just to see them make it to the dance after two long years of the being the first team out. For the Frozen Four, I became an ND fan…that’s right, I cheered for North Dakota when they played BC, and Notre Dame when they played the much hated Michigan Wolverines. That being said, I was happy to see a BC/Notre Dame final. I’ve always been a fan of Notre Dame sports and so was thrilled to be there for their first trip to the Frozen Four.

Here are just a few (and yes, 133 is A FEW) of the pictures I took during my hockey adventures late in the season…

In retrospect, DU exceeded every expectation I had for their season. I think they are in great position to do even better next season. With all the best of luck, I’ll take a look at next year’s squad in the next couple of days.

On the flipside, I think the Avalanche only just met expectations for this year. They faced amazing odds throughout, however, as they faced a multitude of injuries to all the players. Joel Quennville will not be returning as coach next year, which I don’t think is a bad thing. I’ve felt that since the lockout the Avalanche have underachieved and been the victim of mediocre goaltending from better than average goaltenders. I’ve heard talk that Ron Wilson (formerly of the San Jose Sharks) is a candidate for the job and I think that he just might be what the Avs need. Wilson is not afraid to call out an underachieving player (of which the Avs have many), however he also might be too abrasive. Only time will tell…