December 26, 2009 - Stars at Avalanche

Great game for the Av's, not a great game for this photographer. I'll post a couple I liked OK. 4-1 victory, including an empty-netter. Chris Stewart showed up, and 29-year old rookie Chris Durno scored his first NHL goal.



Colorado Avalanche center Matt Duchene (9) has a wrap-around assist to right wing Milan Hejduk (23) (not pictured) as Dallas Stars goalie Alex Auld (31) tries to follow the puck during a regular season game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Dallas Stars at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.

Colorado Avalanche center Matt Hendricks (15) bleeds from his eyebrow as he and left wing Cody McLeod skate during a regular season game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Dallas Stars at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche beat the Stars 4-1.

Next up on the schedule are the Islanders on January 6th. Thanks for looking!

December 22, 2009 - Ducks at Avalanche

Total 3rd period implosion. Av's looked pretty good for 55 minutes in this one. Then a flurry from the Ducks and the Av's fall 4-2 (including an empty-netter).

Rookie Brandon Yip scored his 1st NHL goal and I got a half-decent jubilation shot. The action was at the far end of the ice from me, but I was still pleased with the image.



Colorado Avalanche right wing Brandon Yip (59) leaps in the air as he celebrates his first NHL goal with teammates center Matt Hendricks (15), defenseman Brett Clark (5) and center Chris Durno (45) during a regular season game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Anaheim Ducks at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.

Next up are the Stars tonight, December 26th. I'll post something tomorrow, thanks for looking!

December 19, 2009 - Blue Jackets at Avalanche

Av's score a goal in the first minute, two more in the next 4 minutes, then another at 8:02 into the 1st period. Blue Jackets came back with 2 in the 2nd but could never recover from the early deficit (Av's added an insurance goal in the 3rd to make it 5-2 final). A player named Brandon Yip played well in his NHL debut. Bernie had a Santa Clause outfit on. The evening featured the 3rd smallest attendance figure in the history of the club in Colorado with 11,782 announced (on a Saturday no less).

Here's an image of rookie center Ryan O'Reilly getting stopped on a breakaway by a Columbus winger Jacob Voracek. I didn't actually get action on any of the goals, because they were all scored at the far end of the ice from me (the scoring judge told me that the ice was tilted). Great game for the boys in maroon and blue, even if the outcome was never in doubt from the beginning.



A couple more western conference teams visit this month. The Ducks of Anaheim visit on the 22nd, then the Stars of Texas on the 26th. I'll post after both. Thanks for looking.

December 15, 2009 - Ovechkin and the other guys at Avalanche

When a star like Alexander Ovechkin plays in front of my lens, its hard for me to focus on any other aspect of the game at all. His shifts all seem too short, even though the score sheet has him in the game for a solid 19:12.

My favorite image of #8 was taken in the 3rd period, before a face off, when he and I had a staring contest (which of course he won). That's the image below:

The wizard, Alexander Ovechkin, participates in a staring contest with a photographer.

Another photo that is a favorite of mine but probably won't ever be published (other than here) was when the Av's new enforcer, David Koci, threw down the gloves and laid a solid beat down on Capitals defenseman John Erskine. A pair of fans right on the glass were pumped up as well. After, Koci and Ovie exchanged some words. Koci is a beast. I don't even think he plays hockey.


Colorado Avalanche fans cheer as Colorado Avalanche left wing David Koci (28) and Washington Capitals defenseman John Erskine (4) fight near the glass during a regular season game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Washington Capitals at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.

December 13, 2009 - Flames at Avalanche

This game was great. This is why you would pay to watch a game. Division rivals going for each others throats, and the home team taking the 3rd win of the year (of 3 matches). Lots of goals, but more for the home team.

I have several strong images from this game, so I'll post a couple. The first one is an obvious choice.


Colorado Avalanche center Matt Hendricks (15) flies through the air as he tries to get a shot off against Calgary Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff (34) during a regular season game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Calgary Flames at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.

I like this image for the dejected goalie in the foreground. Hockey jubilation is rarely unique at all, and usually you just see people's helmets and gloves.


Colorado Avalanche players celebrate a right wing Darcy Tucker (16) goal against Calgary Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff (34) (in foreground) during a regular season game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Calgary Flames at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.

December 11, 2009 - Lightning at Avalanche

The Lightning came to town on Friday night. Even though it was an Eastern Conference team, with some legitimate stars, on a Friday night, the Pepsi Center was still eerily empty. How much are scalpers charging these days? I would think you could get in for about $15. So do it.

The game was a see-saw if I've ever seen one. The Lightning came out skating circles around a surprised Av's squad. However, by the 3rd period, the Av's had adjusted to the play and tied the game at a goal a piece. In the 3rd the Av's truly outplayed the lightning, but the game still went to a shootout, which the Av's won on a Wojtek Wolski delayed-release backhanded flip.

I chose this shot because I like what O'Reilly is for the team right now. He's a playmaker and a face for the young club. I hope he has a great and long career, so these images of him as a teenager will age as well as he does.


Colorado Avalanche center Ryan O'Reilly (37) takes a shot during a regular season game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.

December 9, 2009 - Wild at Avalanche

This game was such a dud that I put off posting an entry about it for a week! 1-0 win for the Wild, who played a very sloppy game. No real finesse, just dump the puck and then see who comes up with it in front of the goal. Av's played to the same level, but did not get any good bounces.

I chose the following picture because it was literally the only play of consequence in the whole game, and I was glad to have an image. The puck is in the shot floating over the glove of goalie Peter Budaj. Most of my edit is guys standing around waiting for a faceoff to happen (these can be good images, but typically aren't 90% of my edit).


Colorado Avalanche goalie Peter Budaj (31) can't stop a shot by Minnesota Wild right wing Antti Miettinen (20) during a regular season game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Minnesota Wild at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. The first-period goal proved to be the game-winner.

Thanks for visiting.