Kyle Keefe

This is Snow. Remember?

This is snow. Remember? We live in Colorado.

Ok, now that we’ve established what that “white stuff” is falling from the sky, let me ask you something…why are you driving 4 miles an hour on the freeway?

Every year we get the meeby-jeebies about the first snow. It’s like we’ve never seen it before. We cancel school. We postpone city council meetings. We steer our vehicles like it was our first test in Driver's Education. Seriously, I get the fact that the weather has changed, but it’s late October in Colorado! This is what happens. Every single meteorologist in town has been talking about this storm for the last 4 days, it finally arrives on Wednesday morning, and we panic like a volcano just blew up in our backyard. I have an idea, let’s celebrate the first snow. Make a snow man, have a snow-ball fight, make a snow angel, but don’t eat the yellow snow. It’s supposed to be mid 60’s the rest of the week. We’re safe.

Maybe I’m just bitter because I don’t get a snow day.

Something to Prove

David Jones was all smiles on the bench after the Avalanche beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in Overtime on Monday Night.  He said, “This team has something to prove.”  Well, David, you’re proving it.

When I first looked at the schedule three months ago, I cringed.  Now, I laugh.  Seriously, after watching them beat the defending Stanley Cup Champions, absolutely steam-roll the Senators, win two other games in a shootout, and finally, an over-time winner in Toronto, I laughed out loud.  Hard.

This team is good.  Really good.  Hopefully you are watching, because, if you aren’t, you won’t have anything to talk about as far as Denver sports are concerned.  The Broncos are toast.  I love Tebow, but this season is lost, 4-12 maybe.  The Rockies are done, thank God.  I’m done getting all fired up for the Rockies three days prior to Opening Day with all the radio and television hype that this year is going to be different.  It’s not.  The team right now, and hopefully for a long while, is the Colorado Avalanche. This road trip was no fluke.  It was not just another good start to an average season.  This team is tough to play against and this latest road trip proved it.

Any road trip is difficult.  I took a road trip with my family in 1980 to Disneyland.  Trust me, I know.  My dad drove five of us across the country in a 1977 Jeep Cherokee Wagon.  Think of all the “pee” breaks and the moaning and complaining.  We didn’t have video on demand in the backseat, we didn’t have portable play-station games, iPods, iPads, or Nano’s.  We had “Cat in the Hat”, and there was only one of those books on this ride.  We didn’t have air conditioning either (that was supposed to be fixed on the Tuesday before we left, but 18-holes at the local golf course was on the agenda instead) to help with the 100 degree heat.

Now, while the Avalanche travel a little easier, this road trip was not easy.  David Jones has four goals. Milan Hejduk has five points. Ryan O’Reilly has five points and might be the best player on the ice right now.  The defense, led by Eric Johnson (five points) is doing the dirty work. Both Varlamov and Giguere have been standing on their heads.  Sixteen different players on the roster already have points.  Five games, two countries, in eight days is not easy.  Take notice people and start tuning in.  This team has something to prove.

21 Things That Happened on Opening Night

21 Things that happened on Opening Night

1. (3:30pm) Had a pregame meal with two coworkers…They served tuna and nacaroni.  That combination is just weird and should not be allowed.
2. (4:00pm) In television truck.  Got final instructions on Peter Forsberg Ceremony.
3. (4:10pm) Headed up to T.V. booth to record billboards.  Mike Haynes was doing a reality show on himself. It’s syndicated I believe.
4. (4:40pm) Over to section 216 to check out pregame set.
5. (4:46pm) Took a picture with a nice couple from Colorado Springs…five pictures actually…flash didn’t work, cheeks started to hurt from smiling for three straight minutes.
6. (5:15pm) Peter McNab and Mike Haynes show up to the set.  Peter made fun of himself and the new microphones we wear.  He thinks his head is too big!
7. (5:30pm) LIVE ON TELEVISION
8. (5:48pm) Peter Forsberg video begins.  Serious chills.  This guy is amazing
9. (5:53pm) Video still going…can one guy have this many highlights?  Yes…and it could have gone longer, no one would have cared.  He’s that good.
10. (6:18pm) Peter addresses the crowd.  He’s funny.  Cracking jokes about Deadmarsh and Hinote.  It was awesome to see him and Sakic together on the ice again.
11. (6:29pm) Jersey heads to the rafters.  Pretty special moment.
12. (6:32pm) Avalanche Face-Off kicks off.  At this point, my butt is killing me, why would I not stand when I had the chance?
13. (6:40pm) Both legs are completely asleep.  Wishing I wouldn’t have eaten that tuna and macaroni.
14. (6:58pm) Wrapping up the pregame show, my uncle Pat, who I haven’t seen in years stops by with his family to say hi.  Very cool.
15. (7:02pm) Open the Live broadcast, and run to the elevator as fast as I can, I have an interview on the bench in 5 minutes.
16. (7:07pm) I forgot they had to introduce the entire team. Now I feel stupid for running like a 9-year-old through the concourse. I have plenty of time.
17. (7:19pm) Interview with Matt Duchene on bench.
18. (7:33pm) On Club level, trying to track down Claude Lemieux. Found him.  In a box with Foote, Forsberg, Yelle, etc…pretty good company.  Do interview.
19. (7:47pm) First interview with Landeskog.  He speaks better English than me.
20. (8:13pm) Interview with Erik Johnson on the bench.
21. (9:08) Interview with Joe Sakic in press box.  He can’t be any more relaxed or cool.  What a guy.

Actually, I wish I had more time. So much more actually happened, but in the spirit of 21, I must stop.  It was a great night.  The Avalanche didn’t win, but they looked good.  Forsberg is a rock star and I’m happy to say that I was there for every one of his games, and now, will get to appreciate his jersey (good old #21) every single night.