It’s a fact: some nights are better than others. Last Friday I not only got to witness the Colorado Avalanche take on their arch-rivals, the Detroit Red Wings, in the Alumni Game, but then I got to meet a majority of the Avs Alumni team. Needless to say, it was a night that has outshines most.
The Avalanche came to Colorado when I was in the fourth grade, and I spent my young adult life enthralled by anything Avalanche. To me the rivalry with the Wings was just as much a part of youth as Kool-Aid and Nintendo. I came of age in era of Roy, Sakic, and Forseberg. While I’ve tried to diversify my favorite players, I can’t stray far from the 2001 team with Podein, Hinote, Hedjuk, and Footer. It was those players, and the heated rivalry with the Red Wings that made me fall in love with the sport.
My excitement has been amassing for the Alumni Game since it was announced over a year ago. The fact that all my favorite players would once again be lacing up their skates in front of a Coors Field packed stadium seemed like a dream come true. Game day finally came, and the weather and atmosphere couldn’t have been matched. With a solid win by the boys of yore, a solidifying group photo of both teams and a final salute to the fans, who were just as much a part of the rivalry as the teams themselves, the night couldn’t have been more idealistic. Or so I thought.
My mom had decided to treat herself, and got a room downtown at the Four Seasons, the same hotel where the Avalanche Alumni team were hosting their post-game festivities. There, only a stone’s throw away from me were all the players I grew up idolizing: Forseberg, Foote, Bourque, Deadmarch, Hejduk, Lemieux, Messier, Ricci, Podein, Yelle and Sakic. For the better part of the next two hours, I watched them like I was binge watching some series on Netlix, and even snapped a few photos with them when it felt right. The prize was definitely taking a selfie with Ray Bourque.
At the end of the night the only players I missed were Roy and Blake. But fear not, Blake was in the lobby the following morning, and when we made eye contact I literally dropped my mouth and muttered something dumb about having his jersey upstairs.
I’m sure I sound like the maniacal fan that I rightly am, but the truth is (and I know it sounds cliche) those players all belonged to a team and an era in Avalanche history that stand for everything I love about the Avs and hockey. Being able to be part of that team during their reign, and then getting to relive all their glory, even for one night, is something I will always cherish.
To read about the rest of my the Stadium Series experience, click here