Puckhead's Lament

Derek razzed me a couple of weeks ago, saying that "Colorado isn't really a hockey friendly town. Wait until the Avalanche go in the tank for a few years," he said, "and watch the attendance dwindle."

Well, I guess we're about to find out.

Over the past decade, the Colorado Avalanche have had one of the deepest and most consistent teams in the NHL. This was, in no small part, because the owners were always able and willing to spend top dollar to attract and retain the best available players.

With the advent of the new collective bargaining agreement and the salary cap, this can no longer be the case. And as predicted, the Avs are one of the teams hardest hit by the new system.

Peter Forsberg will be skating for the Flyers this season. Paul Kariya has moved on to Nashville. (Yes, Nashville has a hockey team. Scary, isn't it?) And Adam Foote opened the free agent frenzy by signing with Columbus for three years.

The loss of Kariya isn't unexpected. He only signed with the team—for salary lower than his market value, mind you—to get a shot at the Stanley Cup. But Forsberg and Foote are career Avs. It's hard to imagine either of those two playing elsewhere. The first time I turn on SportsCenter and see Peter in orange and black, I know I'm going to say to myself, "That's just not right." It would be like seeing Jerry Rice in a Broncos jersey.

Oh, wait....