Kyle Keefe

Mauled!

I was on my way to drop some tickets at the will call window last Saturday evening at the Pepsi Center when I passed Greg Mauldin. I’d seen him at practices, and in the locker-room after games, but had never really said hello.

I stopped him and introduced myself and we shook hands and all that “stuff” that goes into first introductions. He nearly broke my hand when he shook it (I faked like it didn’t hurt) and he smiled his whole way through our 5-minute encounter. He told me how he was never going to let this opportunity pass him by without giving it a hundred percent, and I believed him.

You see, everyone always says “I’m gonna give it a 110%, play like there’s no tomorrow, not gonna hold anything back”…all the RA-RA stuff you hear in every locker-room. But this guy was for real.

As a 28-year-old minor league hockey player, chances like this don’t come around very often. Greg’s life in the AHL has had stops in Syracuse, Houston, Binghamton, and Bridgeport Sound. He has a little NHL experience with the Bluejackets and one game with the Islanders. So when I looked into his eyes, and his grin reached from one ear to the other, I knew he meant every word. I slapped him on the back and told him good luck, and he walked away.

That night Greg Mauldin had the game of his life. He scored 2 goals and had 2 assists.

There were 11 other games in the NHL on Saturday night, with all the big dogs in action. Crosby and Bobby Ryan both had hat-tricks. But no-one had more points than Greg Mauldin. He was the number 1 star of the evening. Prior to our on-ice interview after the game, Greg smiled at me and said, “I need to say hi to you more often”.

Way to go Greg …I'’ll be sure to say hello Tuesday Night!

 

10 Things to be “Thankful” for as You Feed Your Face

10. Kevin Porter. Big (helpings) moments seem to find him.

9. Andy’s “Leg” seems to be just fine.

8. No Cranberries. The Avs found a new celebration song in the locker-room.  It sounds like the theme song at Cabo Wabo.

7. How about “mashing” the competition. Avs go undefeated against 4 of the best teams in the league last week.

6. No hair in the soup. Liles might have the long locks, but his play on the ice got him some hardware from the league office.

5. More gravy please. As of Monday, no one in the Western Conference has scored more goals     than Colorado.

4. Red or white with your turkey? I’ll take Burgandy and Blue, The Avs have climbed on top of the Northwest Division.

3. Piece of Pie anyone? 18 players have scored a goal this season!

2. Wishbone? Avs got back a few players now I just want a healthy December.

1.  Colorado vs. Edmonton on Thanksgiving Day.

"I'm not smart, I just sit next to a guy who is"

I watch the hockey games just like you, I just sit in a different chair. 

When the team is at home here at Pepsi Center, I have the best seats in the house (actually I stand) right next to the glass.

I can't lie, it's awesome. But when the team is on the road, I watch the games on Altitude from a humble little black chair that sits in the corner of the control room. Right behind me, sits Brian Engblom, perched over his own monitor, surfing hockey websites, much like a judge sits in a courtroom. However, it's nothing like you'd expect it to be.

You might think that a guy who has played in the National Hockey League, won Stanley Cups and traveled the world would be hard to relate to (especially if you were a nerd from Wyoming). But Brian is as real as the come. Down to earth.

A real "guy's" guy. He's the kind of dude YOU WANT to watch hockey with, not the guy that sits right behind you at the Metallica concert screaming the wrong words to the wrong song, while spilling his nine-dollar Beer over your shoulder.

Brian knows his stuff. So as I watch these hockey games, I have carte blanche to say whatever I want, whenever I want, and it's always met with some sort of response, usually the right one, and with no hesitation.

Let me give you an example.

Kyle: "Wow. Shattenkirk looks fast tonight..this kid is gonna be good."

Brian: "You know when he was at the Brunswick School in 2004, he was named to the All New England Prep First Team All Stars."

Kyle: (Crickets)

Actually, it's pretty handy having him around. If I get lazy and don't want to look something up on the internet, I will just talk to myself (out loud) and wait for the answer from "the voice" behind the curtain.

Kyle: "Hmmm...now how many goals does Stamkos have this season...let's see here..."

Brian: "15. He's projected to finish with 72 on the season.  He's averaging almost 21 minutes of ice time every night. 7 power play goals and 3 game winners"

You see, it's a sick little game that I play in order to bring YOU, the information you need. I immediately write it all down and give it back to you during the intermission or Post-Game Show. However, I like to take this little game to extremes to see how far I can push it.

Kyle: (Stretch) "Kevin Porter looks a little bit like Paul Kariya."

Brian: "No he doesn't.  He was however, Phoenix's fifth selection in the fourth round of the 2004 Entry Draft."

Kyle: (Yawn and laughing inside) "Kariya is shorter though..."

Brian: "Porter played in 34 games in 2008 with the Coyotes you know. He had 4 goals and 4 assists. Pretty good player at the University of Michigan."

Kyle: "I wonder if Kevin has ever met Paul Kariya.."

Brian: "I know what you're doing.."

OK, I got side tracked for a second, but I think you get the point. Having Brian in the backseat of this little television program is priceless. His wealth of knowledge makes our broadcast better. His resume and contacts around the NHL are ridiculous.

He's great on camera, easy to listen too, and is always on top of all the big stories around the league.

So when you see the two of us on camera during any given show, know this, I'm not smart, I just sit next to a guy who is.

"That's What We Do"

Did Paul Stastny just say that?

Was I surprised?  No.

The Avalanche are having more fun than anyone right now.

Are they winning all of their games?  Maybe not, but they are enjoying the game they love to play and you could hear it in Stastny's voice.

In a post game interview, on the ice after the Avalanche throttled the Columbus BlueJackets 5-1 on Saturday Night, I asked Paul what is making this offense so explosive. His response was perfect, "That's what we do."  I agree.

That is what you do. You score goals at will. You make goaltenders look silly and confused at times.  Colorado, 2-1-1 in their last 4 games, has scored 18 goals.  Ten different players have scored during that span with Chris Stewart (4) and Paul Stastny (3) leading the charge.

So if that's, "what you do"...keep on doing it.  The Avalanche are tied with the Chicago Blackhawks with the most goals scored in the NHL through 11 games (39).  If this pace keeps up, they will score 291 goals on the season. That's more than 15 of the 16 teams that made the playoffs last year (Washington led with 318) and they are having fun doing it.

The youth on this team has brought new meaning to scoring goals. They are not just slapping each other on the butt and heading back to the bench, this crew is fired up!  Chris Stewart is "big-wheeling" his right arm, Stastny is posing under the lights, and some of the other young guns (Duchene, Galiardi, Yip) are slamming themselves into the side boards after lighting the lamp.

Is it too much? 

Never.

I say celebrate like there is no tomorrow. Let the rest of the league fear the celebration. Have fun playing hockey.

After all, that's what you do.