Paul Stastny News

Shortly before the Joe Sakic retirement news conference began Thursday, a pack of young players filed into the Inverness auditorium and took seats in one of the back rows.

Stoic Joe Sakic finally cracked, allowing for a rare show of emotion. Delivering a speech that had kept him up most of the night fretting, the longtime Colorado Avalanche captain broke down, his voice betraying him as he stared into a room packed with family, friends and teammates - even the governor of the state.

So this is how it feels to lose an old friend. When Joe Sakic announces his retirement from the NHL on Thursday, hockey will lose one of the best it ever had... by Josh Lewis 0 26 reads Opinion So this is how it feels to lose an old friend.

The Avalanche is a team in need of a lot of help, and a lot of very good players who could provide some will be available starting today on the free-agent market.

The only certainty in an uncertain first round of the NHL entry draft today in Montreal is that Brian Burke will try to steal the show, more than a few teams will be on the go to move up the selection ladder and there will be speculation until New York Islanders general manager Garth Snow steps to the microphone to announce his first overall pick.

The Avalanche lost more than any other team in the Western Conference last season.

Now that you're a top NHL draft pick, Matt Duchene, what's your first big purchase? A car? A house? A small country? "I'm going to buy an electric guitar here in the next couple weeks, treat myself to something I've always wanted and take some lessons wherever I'm living next year and try to become good," Duchene said by telephone shortly after the ...

Hockeyleaks.com is proud to bring you the 2009 NHL Mock Draft. Each pick has been made by a blogger / hockey writer who specializes in the team they are choosing from.

There once was a time that nearly all NCAA Division I hockey players were Canadians.

After three straight 95 point seasons, the Avalanche put up a point total last year that could only make a high school teenager smile.

Since the NHL returned to Denver in 1995, it's been exceedingly easy to be a Colorado Avalanche fan.

The Colorado Avalanche will hold a press conference today at 2 p.m. to formally introduce the team's new head coach, Joe Sacco.

Won't be seeing Tony Granato on this bench anymore.... Yesterday afternoon, during a conversation with Sandy Clough and Mike Evans of FM 104.3/The Fan , Tony Granato, who'd beeen canned as head coach of your Colorado Avalanche a short time earlier, came across as the classiest of class acts, expressing gratitude to the franchise that treated him ...

Dave Oliver is going to have plenty of fresh, young faces to get to know over the summer.

The Colorado Avalanche have fired coach Tony Granato in a sweeping move that also resulted in the firings of five others in the organization.

This might sound funny coming from a guy whose nickname among some with the Avalanche over the years has been "Doom and Gloom," but all is not doomed and gloomy with our beloved Avs.

Cody Danko is ready, once he puts on Peter Forsberg's shoulder pads. Age: 28 Occupation: Student, University of Colorado, studying chemical engineering.

With a Stanley Cup rematch on the horizon for the first time since the mid-80's and another fine, fine season of NHL hockey about to write its final chapter, perhaps it's appropriate we wrap up this conversation between you and I with a look at some snapshots of the bigger picture as it pertains to our beloved sport.

Former Avalanche goaltender Patrick Roy At first glance, the Avalanche is treating Tony Granato abominably, bringing Patrick Roy to Denver to discuss a coaching job Granato officially still holds four weeks after the conclusion of Colorado's abysmal 2008-09 season.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: A tie between right wing Milan Hejduk and left wing Ryan Smyth, frequently linemates and easily the Avalanche's two best players this season.