If I asked you at the beginning of the season who the most exciting team in the NHL would be, I think the majority of people would have gone with either the Capitals or the Penguins (At least that's what HBO would have us believe in the wake of their new 24/7 Series), but there's one team out west that nobody was talking about, a team who has all of a sudden taken the League by storm and is posting one of their most impressive runs over the last several years. I'm talking of course, about Colorado's very own Avalanche.When I look at this team, I see shades of a 2008 Washington Capitals team that was young, brash and high scoring every time the stepped out on the ice. Sitting atop the Northwest division with a 19-10-4 record, its no coincidence, this 2010-11 Avalanche team is both the youngest and highest scoring team in the NHL so far. They have four of the leagues top 30 goal scorers (Duchene, Stansy, Hejduk and Liles) with newly acquired Thomas Flieschmann not far behind. They also have the second lowest payroll of any team in the NHL. Call it the money-puck approach, call it smart drafting, but the fact of the matter is, the Avalanche know how to recognize and develop young talent. For example, Matt Duchene, arguably the team's best scorer and maybe even all around player, is only 19 years old. Ryan O' Reilly, the teams starting center is also only 19 and is emerging into a good player in his own right.
Currently, the Avalanche are in the midst of a six game winning streak, their longest since last January and six shy of the team's franchise record of 12 straight wins which occurred in 1999. A big contributor to the Avs' recent success is new acquisition Thomas Fliecshmann, who was traded from the Washington Capitals in early December. Is it a coincidence that this guy was part of a team just like the Avs for the past two years and was also part of a near histo
ric 14-game win streak in Washington has made his presence known on yet another up and coming team? I would say no. Fliecshmann has played lights out since joining the 'Lanche, racking up 5 goals and 6 assists including a Hat trick and a game winner in back to back contests against the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks. He was also named the league's 2nd best overall player this past week. Who was the league's #1 player last week, you ask? That would be Flieschmann's teammate and linemate, Matt Duchene. Yeah, these guys are pretty hot right now.Yes, its true that they are only half way there, and there is still a lot of season left to play, but the Avs seem to keep finding improbable ways to win and if they keep this up, there's little doubt that they could return to the great success they had in the mid to late 1990s. Who knows, maybe when its all said in done, they'll be the ones holding that cherished cup once again. All I know is, I'll be tuning in to this team as much as I can.
