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For the 2010-11 season, The Avalanche Guild’s founder, Justin Goldman, is proud to announce that he will be providing his live in-game Avalanche analysis and post-game recaps through Mile High Sports. Below is a message from him regarding the jump and what it means for Avalanche fans.

Dear Avalanche fans,

For my fourth season covering the Avalanche with Mile High Sports Radio (and my sixth covering the team as a whole), I’m excited to take things to the next level. This is great news for Avs fans, as I will now have an even larger and more recognizable voice in the Denver sports community. I have put a lot of time and effort into supporting Mile High Sports over the years, and they have been kind enough to offer me this opportunity to continue to grow with them. For my pro career and my long-term goals, making the jump was a no-brainer.

It hasn’t been easy to get to this point. The radio station started just a few months prior to the start of the 2007-08 season and their signal, as everyone knows, was quite weak. But as time went on and relationships started to grow, they continued to develop a stronger signal and more solid fan base. And now, thanks to very hard work by their magazine staff and owners, they not only broadcast on 1510 AM, but on 93.7 FM as well. Duel signals on both sides of the dial? Yep! It doesn’t get much better than that.

So the three years of hard work has paid off. I stuck by their side and supported their endeavors and clearly saw passionate sports fans doing their best to provide listeners with a new voice in Colorado sports. And now, with a new three-year partnership extension as the official flagship station for the Avalanche, the sky is the limit. The fans, thirsty for more competent Avs coverage and analysis, will truly enjoy some healthy competition between myself and long-time reporters from the Denver Post and other traditional, mainstream media outlets.

Of course, The Avs Guild website is not going anywhere. We’ll still have the discounted ticket offers, the on-ice programs and the Blogger Network Roundup. But if there’s a home game taking place, you’ll now find my analysis on the new twitter feed @MHSR_Avs and the Mile High Sports website. And of course you can catch me and Thunder Dan every Monday night during the Avalanche Weekly show. I’ll still host and jump in the Live Game Chats we hold right here for every single road game as well.

My first season with MHSR was back in 2007 when I produced and co-hosted the weekly Gross Misconduct show, which aired on Tuesday mornings. In the 2008-09 season, I was the co-host of the Avalanche Post-Game show alongside my cohort and good friend Brenden Thomas. And last season, I was fortunate to co-host the Avalanche Weekly show on Mondays at 6:00p with Dan Bettlach and special guest Mike Haynes from Altitude TV. Along with my duties on MHSR, I have also been appearing on The Uncle Nasty Show prior to every game (M-F) since the NHL Lockout ended in 2005. This will be my sixth season on KBPI 106.7 FM previewing games with Uncle Nasty and Matt Need.

Since all of my radio shows aired just once a week, I had to provide my in-game analysis and post-game coverage through The Avalanche Guild. This season, however, all of the in-game analysis and coverage will flow through the Mile High Sports website thanks to a new dedicated blog account and a brand new Twitter feed, @MHSR_Avs.

To be honest, it’s about time. I’m not only extremely confident in my ability to analyze this team, but I will continue to provide insight that no other Avalanche reporter is able to provide. The emphasis of my analysis focuses around the most important player on the ice – the goaltender.

Why have I committed so much of my time covering this team for very little to no compensation? Because I’m striving to be a professional goalie scout. If you didn’t already know, I have worked hard to build up the first independent goalie scouting service in the USA - The Goalie Guild.

The Goalie Guild is truly my pride and joy when it comes to The Hockey Guild, which I started back in 2007. It is a free and premium service I take great pride in providing. I put a lot of time into managing it on a daily basis. And even though I have no pro hockey experience as a goalie, I have the trained eye to dissect a goaltender at any level, age or ability and analyze their strengths and weaknesses down to the slightest movement. It is a talent I have honed for over 15 years through endless hours of video analysis, goalie coaching and most importantly, by playing the position at a high level in high school and college. I played for CSU, I coached for the DU Junior Pioneers and I’ve helped a number of goalies reach the next level in their career.

Thanks to a great partnership formed over the summer with Dallas Stars goalie coach Mike Valley and former NHL goaltender Steve Shields, I’m able to publish a Monthly Scouting Journal, which provides goalie coaches around the world with awesome insight and analysis on more than 200 goalies every month. The first two issues were a great success and I am excited to continue publishing issues on a monthly basis.

As you can see, reaching my life-long goal of becoming a pro goalie scout is not an easy process. It takes full commitment, numerous hours in front of computer screens and TV’s and even more time managing notes and tracking goalies all over the world. But it is something I’m extremely passionate about, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. In order to make this happen, I have to be flexible, both with my budget and my time.

And if Avalanche fans are the true beneficiaries of my insight and dedication to covering the NHL, more power to us all. I’m dedicated to really pushing the envelope this season. I’m going to teach you all a lot about the game of hockey and strive to make all of you better fans and analysts of the game. Whether you’re a die-hard or a casual fan, you’ll learn a thing or two about the Avalanche on a daily basis. I’m fueled by a fire to be something I’ve always wanted to be and I know it will happen if I keep my nose to the grindstone.

So I hope you’ll follow me on the new Twitter feed @MHSR_Avs during games. And I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read my articles and recaps on the Mile High Sports website. And I also hope you’ll continue to listen to Avalanche Weekly as well.

I really appreciate everyone’s support over the last five seasons and I can’t wait to spread the good word of Avalanche hockey to more sports fans throughout the Front Range and the Rocky Mountains. This team is one of the most exciting group of players to watch in the NHL and I have a strong feeling they’re only getting better.

Sincerely,

Justin Goldman

If you follow the Avalanche closely, you may have heard that long-time Denver Post reporter Adrian Dater recently deleted his Twitter account. His actions not only caused more than 1,200 followers to lose a valuable resource for daily Avalanche news and notes, they also reflected negatively on traditional media journalists. On top of that, this has also frustrated some of his other newpaper comrades.

On the topic of quitting Twitter, I have no comment. Dater is free to do as he wishes.

On the topic of his reporting regarding the Flames’ post-game locker room discussions, however, every writer has to know that players get yelled at all the time, especially after a tough loss. Why Dater even considered this a “story” is beyond comprehension. As a long-time goaltender and a current private coach, if I ever wandered by a locker room and heard a coach and player yelling at each other, I would never publish it in the media because it wouldn’t matter.

In fact, as a player, I would actually consider it a good thing. It leads me to believe there’s a lot of energy, enthusiasm and passion in there. I would be reminded of my old High School hockey coach that cursed all the time, even if we taped our sticks wrong. What makes “yelling” or “screaming” at each other after a tough loss a bad thing, anyways? Am I missing something? I could just as easily argue that the the Flames will come back “fired up” and ready to actually play a full 60-minute game because of this whole thing. I’m pretty sure this sort of thing is called motivating.

To be honest, the entire online hockey community is comprised of many talented and insightful writers, especially in Canada. We are fortunate to have quality analysts from NHL.com and TSN.ca tweeting about situations taking place throughout the league. But why is this growing community a perfect reflection of the phrase, “Quality over Quantity” compared to most other sports?

Because most of us are also players. Current and former coaches and scouts dominate the new-media platform of Twitter, which does more to inform me than it does to annoy me. Therefore, I use it frequently.

Onward and upward to the Twitter and new media hockey revolution, I say! If it’s raising our hockey intelligence level, bringing fans and followers closer together, raising money for foundations and good causes like Hockey Fights Cancer, then I am going to support it…regardless of twitter blunders or a journalist quitting because of drama.

On a night like this, I hope all Avalanche fans will realize that, more than fans of most teams, we need to work together to promote the team and game we love. This team doesn’t have the largest fan base in North America and they don’t have the sellout streak or the Hall of Fame players anymore, either. But this team does have incredible class, a rich past and some really amazing players on the current roster.

The actions of a traditional media journalist is all the proof we need that Avalanche fans will continue to thrive on new-age media to obtain information, discuss the team we love and enjoy the Avalanche Experience. Besides, hockey is just a game, and if we don’t get busy loving it, we get busy hating it. And that’s not on any sports fan’s agenda.

To be honest, we are blown away that there are such thankful, kind, appreciative hard-working hockey lovers on Twitter. From the consummate pro player like former NHL goalie Kevin Weekes to the fan-favorite Dani, the Hockey Mom of Twitter, these people dedicate their time to promote the game we love and they are appreciative of the opportunities they have.

When I see all of these passionate people coming together (fans and pros alike), I’m only left to wonder how can some people be so thankful for their fans, followers and supporters, while others can just give up and allow more than 1,000 fans to have a bitter taste left in their mouths.

When a candle’s flame is blown out and the wax fully dries, the next flame becomes stronger & brighter right before our eyes. That was a tweet I sent out after reading a number of posts and tweets today from Avalanche fans and bloggers, including one of our closest comrades, Grant Beery from Hockeyism.

From now on, if you run an Avalanche blog, enjoy covering the team and writing, you are free to post something here, on The Avalanche Guild. When it comes right down to it, that’s the true essence of a Guild. We all have a voice, we all have the passion and we all have the means.

Also, if you have a minute, please check out the website PICK MY NHL TEAM for a second. As you will see, a new-found hockey enthusiast is asking one fan from every team to convert the game’s newest follower. The Avalanche Guild has been chosen to represent Avalanche fans everywhere.

On Saturday afternoon, our post will be presented on John Meyer’s website and posted here as well. It’s a quality read we hope will motivate you to get involved and celebrate the game of hockey in the best way we know how – through the glory that is social media. Vote for the Avalanche and our post and let’s convert a new Avaholic!

On a rare Saturday afternoon game at Pepsi Center, the Colorado Avalanche continued to ride the wave of youthful energy and potent offense with a 3-0 win over the 0-2 Vancouver Canucks. For the first time since 2002, the Avalanche have started the season with two straight wins.

Craig Anderson was once again named the first star of the game today after making 35 saves for what was a very convincing shutout. He has now made 73 saves on 75 shots in two games to start the season.

+ Craig Anderson controlled his rebounds early in the game and cruised through the afternoon with ease. Why is early rebound control such an important factor for Anderson? Because it allows him to settle into the game quickly and with a lot of confidence. Goaltending is all about rhythm, so the more action a goalie sees early, the better his timing and rebound control will usually be through three periods.

+ Anderson’s special talent is his ability to make the desperate save. His footwork is still a little rusty, but even when he’s caught out of position after making the first save, he was able to scramble, flop or flip over in order to make the second and third save. He was great at covering the puck in and around his crease today with a lot of bodies and traffic around him. It wasn’t always pretty, but he got the job done and once again inspired his teammates and fans.

+ It’s always a great story when a hard-working goalie that has paid his dues as a backup gets rewarded with minutes. During his post-game interview with Kyle Keefe on the ice, you could see how happy Anderson was with his performance. In just two games, Anderson has proved what I already knew – he’s a full-blown NHL starter.

+ The defensive pairings consisted of Adam Foote with J-M Liles, then Brett Clark with Kyle Cumiskey and then Scott Hannan with Kyle Quincey. Ruslan Salei was the healthy scratch once again.

- Colorado struggled in their own zone throughout the entire game. Although they didn’t have any recorded giveaways in the first period, they had four in the second and five in the third (nine total). There was very little support for the puck carrier deep in their own zone, which resulted in too many turnovers along the boards or in the neutral zone. There was no physical edge to their defensive effort and they were very passive in front of Anderson, as he had to deal with tons of traffic, especially in the second period.

+ One noticeable aspect of the team’s penalty killing that I do like is the positioning of the forwards. One of them is religiously playing much higher up in the zone, which is an effective way to force the point-men to make quicker decisions with the puck. That forced a few turnovers and sloppy passes, which made the PK more effective than usual.

- Kyle Quincey struggled defensively in this game with four total giveaways and an undisciplined penalty at 5:06 of the second period. On the offensive side he did pitch in an assist, but overall he struggled in his own zone. Kyle Cumiskey made better decisions with the puck and was much more confident today, but he was still caught out of position a number of times, in particular on the penalty kill in the second period.

+ Beyond the strong performance from Colorado’s top line, I was impressed with the effort of T.J. Galiardi. His natural offensive skill is obvious, but today he had a great defensive effort by blocking a few shots, forcing a few turnovers and being in good position, especially in the neutral zone. One reason why he’s a defensive asset for this team is due to his strong skating ability, so expect his minutes to slowly rise as he continues to play responsibly.

+ Matt Duchene was sensational in this game. His confidence is rising fast and his drive, passion, vision and lethal speed is very noticeable. His tenacity on the puck was great in all three zones today, especially when he drew a penalty on Alexander Edler at 9:44 of the second period. He then promptly had a scoring chance while playing on the top PP unit with Stastny and Hejduk. Ultimately he provides a ton of energy, skill and desire…and he’s only 18.

+ Duchene had two takeaways, hit two posts and had at least two quality scoring chances in 15:29 of ice time. He was also a huge factor in killing penalties. He deflected a pass and then batted the puck out of mid-air and down the ice in the first period and in the second he had a great short-handed individual effort that energized the bench and fans.

+ Wojtek Wolski was pretty opportunistic on his game-winning goal, but I’m still impressed with his level of play in the first two games. Today he did an excellent job of reading plays and staying around the net when the puck was in the slot. He did not have many mistakes in his own zone and offensively he was a threat every single shift. 

- For the second consecutive game, the Avs were very weak in the faceoff circle. In the first period, they only won six out of 21. It may seem like a worthless statistic, but winning faceoffs leads to puck possession. Overall they were 23-28 in the faceoff circle, which is only 45% total.

- The penalty killing units need to be more physical in the slot area. They are still way too passive and need to stop watching the play and start forcing the puck-carrier to make quicker decisions. They do a good job of getting sticks in passing lanes, but there was way too much traffic in front of Anderson.

- Too many times the puck is dumped  just to relieve pressure that’s not really there. Part of this is due to a lack of outlet options or support along the boards from the forwards, but it’s also due to the fact that they just don’t have a lot of patience. All too often the defensemen are getting control of the puck and after one or two strides, either flipping the puck down the ice or straight up icing it.

- Overall it was not a very cohesive game in their own zone, but thanks to the top line and great goaltending from Anderson, the Avalanche were able to get out of this game with two points. Similar to San Jose’s effort on Thursday night, Vancouver looked considerably out of sync and rusty. Wolski’s game-winner for example was a result of a terrible shiftfrom Kyle Wellwood and Mason Raymond.

What could possibly be better than honoring the fourth day of the Colorado Avalanche Blogger RoundTable than by having the one and only Jibblescribbits hosting two questions?!

Called “Popular” by the one and only Adrian Dater, Jibblescribbits is every Avalanche fan’s favorite sultan of sarcasm, so we’re proud to give him one of the most amorphic questions of the year. Yes, it’s nearly impossible to know just which Avs player will be traded next or what they would fetch on the open market, but that never stopped us before!

Mile High Hockey also posted a poll on their homepage as well, so as always, be sure to check it out and keep supporting the Colorado Avalanche RoundTable members.

The third-annual Colorado Avalanche RoundTable proudly introduces a few new members and host today as we continue our trek to dissect the upcoming Avalanche regular season. One of the most noticeable changes this team made over the summer was easily the hiring of Joe Sacco as the new head coach. But what kind of impact will he make and will it ultimately be for the better?

Adam Hersh, who manages the website An Avalanche of Thoughts, hosts the question of what suggestion the RoundTable members would give to Sacco as he prepares for his first season as head coach.

Nic Zamora runs Avaholics Anonymous and digs into the nitty gritty of what changes Sacco will actually bring to the team.

As always, be sure to check in with Mile High Hockey early each morning as they set the table (har har) for the day’s topics!

The Avalanche Guild is on a major overhaul!

Please be patient as we prepare for our re-launch on AUGUST 1st, 2009!

Year #3 of The Avalanche Guild’s classic events like After-Hours games and the Battle for the Banner Shootout Tournament are going to be bigger and better than ever!