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Right Foote in

Vocal leader's return has Avs doing hockey-pokey

By Rick Sadowski, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published March 1, 2008 at 12:45 a.m.
Updated March 1, 2008 at 1:53 a.m.

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Defenseman Adam Foote is "a voice, and we missed having him around," says Joe Sakic, captain of the Avalanche.

Photo by Ken Papaleo / The Rocky

Defenseman Adam Foote is "a voice, and we missed having him around," says Joe Sakic, captain of the Avalanche.

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He carries a big hockey stick but doesn't always speak so softly.

Aside from an ability to play solid defense while logging major minutes, Adam Foote's commanding presence in the locker room makes him a valuable asset.

"I just try to be myself," he said Friday. "I'm coming into a new environment and there's a lot of different faces in that room. I wouldn't say I get personal on too many guys. I just talk about the game and try to share some of my experiences and maybe have a calming effect."

Foote, who played a pivotal role on Colorado's two Stanley Cup championship teams, will wear an Avalanche sweater at the Pepsi Center tonight for the first time since leaving as a free agent following the 2004-05 lockout.

"He's a voice, and we missed having him around," captain Joe Sakic said. "And on the ice, not too many guys in the league want to play against him."

Acquired Tuesday from the Columbus Blue Jackets, Foote and defenseman Ruslan Salei, who was acquired the same day from the Florida Panthers, will make their home debuts against the Los Angeles Kings.

But Peter Forsberg's much-

anticipated return won't be determined until after he skates this morning at the Pepsi Center. Signed Monday to a prorated $5 million contract, Forsberg arrived in Denver on Friday evening after being issued his work visa in Vancouver, British Columbia.

As of Friday, about 500 tickets remained for tonight's game.

"My family's flying in as we speak, so I'm very excited to get them in town," Foote said during a news conference at the Family Sports Center after practice. "There were times when I thought it would be nice to retire back here. I didn't think I'd be back here right now, that's for sure."

The Avalanche acquired Foote, who is in the final year of a three-year, $13.5 million contract, after he and the Blue Jackets couldn't reach agreement on an extension.

The Avalanche will part with this year's No. 1 draft pick if it makes the playoffs, a first-round pick in 2009 if it doesn't. Columbus would receive a fourth-round pick in 2009 if Foote signs a new deal with the Avalanche, but general manager Francois Giguere said that situation wouldn't be addressed until after the season.

"I was a little bit in shock that I wasn't signed in Columbus," Foote said. "I guess, 20 or 30 minutes later, I sent my wife a text telling her that we were coming back to Denver, so a lot happened in a short period of time.

"My wife didn't believe me, at first. She was obviously very, very happy that, if I had to get traded, that it would be coming back to where our kids were born and where we have a lot of great memories. She was excited and my family back in Toronto was excited, also."

Foote flew in a private jet from Columbus, Ohio, to Calgary, Alberta, for Tuesday's game against the Flames. He entered the bench area with 6:26 remaining in the first period and played 18:30 in the Avalanche's 3-2 overtime win.

"It's funny because I was sitting next to him for five or 10 seconds and I didn't even know he'd arrived," John-Michael Liles said. "I told him we were really happy to have him. It's always good to see a guy like that climb on the bench next to you in the middle of the first period."

The travel-weary Foote logged 23 minutes Wednesday in the Avalanche's 3-2 shootout win in Vancouver and finally managed to get some rest Thursday after the team flew home.

"He's not a young buck anymore, so I'm sure it was tough on him that first game, just hopping off a plane like that," Milan

Hejduk said.

"But he did really well and was unbelievable in the next game, too."

The Avalanche is holding the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, with 17 games to play. It's a far cry from the elite status the team had in Foote's first stint, when it won division titles eight seasons in a row after coming to Denver from Quebec and competed for the Stanley Cup every year.

"He brings leadership, brings a presence," coach Joel Quenneville said. "There's a respect - he's a proven winner. His overall experience gives us one more leader, one more guy that knows the importance of what it means to be an Avalanche and to be a part of the tradition of winning here.

"You could feel his impact immediately in the game in Calgary and the next night in Vancouver, where I thought he was a force the whole game. That competitive edge that he has is contagious."

Ryan Smyth learned plenty about Foote's competitive nature when they roomed together while playing for Canada's Olympic gold-medal-winning team in 2006.

"He knows when to joke around, but he knows when to get serious," Smyth said. "When something needs to be said, he's not afraid to say it. Sometimes, it gets a little personal, directed at a player, but he does what he feels is best for the team. He does it like a brother, and you'll go through the wall for a teammate like that."

sadowskir@RockyMountainNews.com

Kings at Avalanche

* When: 6 tonight.

* Where: Pepsi Center.

* TV/radio: Altitude; KKFN-AM (950).

* Leading scorers

L.A. (26-35-4) G A Pts.

C Anze Kopitar 28 34 62

LW Alexander Frolov 19 37 56

LW Dustin Brown 28 21 49

C Patrick O'Sullivan 17 23 40

C Mike Cammalleri 16 24 40

Coach:

Marc Crawford

Colorado (33-26-6) G A P

C Paul Stastny 19 33 52

RW Milan Hejduk 21 20 41

LW Andrew Brunette 13 28 41

LW Wojtek Wolski 14 25 39

RW Marek Svatos 26 10 36

Coach: Joel Quenneville

* Injuries: Los Angeles - C Derek Armstrong (knee), G Jason LaBarbera (groin) and LW Ladislav Nagy (neck) are out; LW Scott Thorntom (sternum) is day to day. Colorado - D Brett Clark (dislocated shoulder) and LW Cody McCormick (chest contusion) are on injured reserve; D Jeff Finger (hand) is out.

* Sidelight: Defenseman Ruslan Salei, who was acquired Tuesday from the Florida Panthers and made his Avalanche debut Wednesday in Vancouver, was taken aback by the media turnout Friday at the Family Sports Center. "I don't really see that many media people around unless you're in Canada and something really big happens," he said. "Obviously, Peter (Forsberg) is not here, so probably people are upset a little bit. But we'll try and fit him in."

* Notes: The Avalanche is coming off a 3-1-1 trip in which it went 2-1 in shootouts, 1-0 in overtime and 0-1 in regulation. . . . The Avalanche has gone 2-for-42 on power plays in the past nine games. . . . Wolski, a healthy scratch in two of the past four games, wore a blue sweater at Friday's practice, an indication he won't play tonight. He has nine assists and no goals in his past 13 games. . . . The Kings are 1-3-1 in their past five games. . . . They have allowed 33 goals, 10 on power plays, in a 3-5-1 stretch.

Comments

  • March 1, 2008

    10:21 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Avalanchefan719 writes:

    Yeah we're still around, have been for twelve years. We're only five points behind minn for the division lead in case you haven't noticed. What rock were you living under when our top three were down and the rest of the team came up huge mr. fairweatherjo ???

  • March 1, 2008

    2:28 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    warrengfunk7 writes:

    Good enough to hold the 8th Seed in the West without points leader Paul STASTNY, Joe Sakic... Now they have both back and healthy, just signed a healthy Peter Foresburg and Traded for a top Defenseman in Adam Foot.

    Looks like Colorado just positioned themselves to make a run and close in on that 5-point gap between the 8th Playoff seed and first place in the division.

  • March 1, 2008

    9:52 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    GJrodburner writes:

    I understand you disdain towards "jo" there Avalanchefan, but he does have a point, regardless of how galling he put it. The Aves do have to win games, and they have to win at least 4/5 of these next home games to allow themselves to close that gap in N.W.D. These last three games, the Calgary win, Vancouver win, and now tonight at home against the Kings have shown that this club has a better feel around the opponents net, a better physical presence when other teams come in close to our own net, and for whatever reason, we are putting a body on anyone that does come into our own zone (although tonight against the Kings that point could be argued); now when we were winning without our big guns in the line-up it was very nice not to have nose-dived during Stastny's and Sakic's and Smythe's absences, but it was pretty damn nerve wracking too! So in a weird sortof goofy, non-conformist, malcontent way Avalanchefan, "jo" does make a relevant point. My understanding is that it has to be more than just a few games.

    I've never seen a pro season like this N.H.L. season (from any of the other major sports) where every stinkin' game is so damn important. The boys in the Maroon and Blue have to put as many points on the ledger as soon as possible, because if you don't then you give teams like St. Louis, Nashville, Phoenix, and even Chicago that one piece of glimmering hope to catch up and supplant us in the play-off race. With the injuries that occured tonight to Svotos and to Smythe, the relevant point of winning a few more games takes on an even more dramatic tone. Granted, "jo" may have no idea as to how important the FA's were that the team just signed, and how quickly they have changed the landscape out on the ice and probably in the locker room too. In reality they have won a few more games, and they were the type of wins that only we as die-hard Aves fans can so dearly love: on enemy ice in the thick of play-off positioning, and doing it with skill, grit, and to be honest...some well timed luck as well. I can deal with some of the Broncos bs losses, but there is just something about hockey that won't allow me to watch the Avalanche lose that way. As of right now, I don't think the Aves will lose by playing uninspired or underprepared hockey.