The Colorado Avalanche are all about setting records in 2011. So far they’ve set the franchise record for the longest running losing streak -currently at eight games – and the record for most goals allowed in a single game, dropping a 9-1 disaster of a hockey match to the Calgary Flames.

Scoring for the Flames started just 18 seconds into the game and subsided with just a minute and five seconds remaining in the game. Both starting goaltender Peter Budaj and backup-for-the-evening Craig Anderson saw two different stints in the Avalanche net and neither played particularly well. Budaj allowed five goals on 18 shots and Anderson allowed four goals on 15 shots, though Anderson clearly came in cold both times.

The Avalanche managed to play a well rounded second period, scoring a goal and keeping the Flames at bay, but that was short lived as the 2011 Avalanche failed to impress again. Lacking confidence, passion, and often times poise, the Avalanche look their young age. On the whole, the woeful throes of crippling adversity will provide life lessons to a spry team of newcomers.

Though not much consolation, none can deny that an Avalanche rebuild is fully in effect. Management has refused to right a blatant, gaping hole on the blue line and head coach Joe Sacco continues to trust players who take too long to bloom. The time to fix the situation has long been eclipsed by a quest to maintain the bottom line, nurturing fresh talent in the ranks until they can lift the team to lofty laurels once more.

This morning, fans were stunned by the sudden retirement of former superstar Peter Forsberg, who had appeared to play two well rounded games since his most recent return from injury. The news undoubtedly had an impact on the team despite earlier comments from Sacco about the focus of the team:

“We don’t want to have distractions right now, moving forward. …I don’t think (his retirement) should have any real implications as far as what we’re doing here. My job right now is to focus on the players that we have here, not the players that are not available to us.”

Obviously the players were not only distracted by the retirement of a longtime Colorado Avalanche superhero, but by his sudden appearance initially. The team has arguably underperformed since he arrived in town and it is now apparent that many players, and fans, expected Forsberg to save the Avalanche. Instead of cultivating positive moments and building on what made the team once successful, they expected an outsider to carry them to the top of the mountain, refusing to put in the legwork themselves.

The fact of the matter is the season is over for Colorado and not much, if anything, will be done at the trade deadline. Not many players are worth the Avalanche asking price at this point and the team is notorious for letting talent walk for nothing instead of trading them out for anything.

The team has clearly hit rock bottom this season and the one shining light, the single positive side of all of this is that the there is nowhere to go but up.

Game notes: Philippe Dupuis received a major and a match penalty for a blown hit on Olli Jokinen. While many believed the hit to be an intentional knee-to-knee play, supplemental punishment from the NHL is unlikely. Dupuis was the only player to finish with an even p;us/minus rating. Matt Duchene was hit in the left hand by a puck and left the game at the end of the second period. Cameron Gaunce, playing in his second NHL game, was struck in the leg by a slapshot and also left the game. David Koci played over seven minutes tonight and John-Michael Liles finished minus six.

What do you think?

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