Avalanche Opening Night sights, sounds

By Aaron J. Lopez, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published October 9, 2008 at 10:44 p.m.
Updated October 10, 2008 at 12:33 a.m.

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Photo by Barry Gutierrez © The Rocky

Avalanche head coach Tony Granato talks with Ryan Smyth during the Avalanche's opener against the Bruins on Thursday night at Pepsi Center. Boston beat Colorado 5-4.

Photo by Barry Gutierrez / The Rocky

Avalanche center Joe Sakic embarked on his 20th NHL season Thursday night at the Pepsi Center against the Bruins.

Photo by Barry Gutierrez / The Rocky

Avalanche fan Dave Whalen, 49, of Aurora, wearing a Ray Bourque jersey, gets his face painted before taking his seat for the season opener at the Pepsi Center on Thursday night.

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Preceded by the requisite rock music, video tributes, spotlights and spinning logos, the 2008-09 Avalanche season got under way Thursday night at the Pepsi Center.

Joe Sakic, beginning his 20th season, emerged from the tunnel to a rousing ovation, Tony Granato officially began his second tour of duty as Avalanche coach and four hockey greats were honored before the puck dropped against the Boston Bruins.

Some of the other sights, stats and stories from Opening Night:

Brothers and sister

Calista Flockhart might not know a blue line from a chorus line, but she certainly would be a logical choice to play Cammi Granato in a movie about the women's hockey icon.

Granato, a member of the gold- medal-winning U.S. women's hockey team at the 1998 Olympics, was among the four U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame inductees honored before the game.

The recognition came with older brother Tony nearby, preparing for his season debut behind the Avalanche bench.

"It's very cool," Cammi Granato said. "The hockey world is such a tight family. A lot of times you get this overlap. This one just happened to work out good for my family. Seventeen of us are in town, all my nieces and nephews and some siblings."

Among her earliest hockey memories was playing in the basement with her three brothers. They used ministicks and a ball of tape.

"The rule was you don't tell mom," Cammi said. "I remember once when Tony checked me into the boards. If someone got hurt, you weren't allowed to tattle."

One degree of Laperriere

Just about everyone has played the "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" game, but Avalanche forward Ian Laperriere was the common link when Granato, Brett Hull, Mike Richter and Brian Leetch stepped into the pregame spotlight.

"I played with three out of four," Laperriere said after the morning skate. "I played with Brett in St. Louis (in 1995-96), and I played with Richter and Leetch in New York (in 1996)."

As for Granato, she served as a radio analyst for the Los Angeles Kings during the 1998-99 season. Laperriere played there from 1996 to 2004.

"I know Cammi well, too," Laperriere said. "It's nice to see all four of them get recognized."

Hello, again

Opening Night reminded Avalanche forward Ben Guite just how far he has come in nearly three years.

Guite made his NHL debut with the Bruins on Jan. 30, 2006, but it turned out to be a one-night stand.

Because of an injury to Leetch, Guite was promoted from Providence (R.I.) of the American Hockey League in what he termed "a sympathy call-up." He returned to the minors after his debut against the Ottawa Senators.

"(The Bruins) picked up Josh Langfeld on waivers that very night and sent me back to the minors, never to be seen again," Guite said.

Not exactly.

Guite, 30, has established himself as a member of Colorado's penalty- killing unit and is in little danger of another trip to the minors.

"It's about sticking in there long enough that somebody will notice you and like what you do," he said. "If you're lucky enough, you do well and keep going."

Sure, blame the wife

After seeing Sakic at the annual Celebrity Golf Championship in Lake Tahoe, Nev., in July, Hull wasn't sure if Sakic would retire or return for another season.

"I don't want to tell stories, but his wife was begging hard that he would retire," Hull said. "She wants to have a family life. But he obviously still wants to play, and he's obviously still unbelievable."

Sight of relief

Avalanche defenseman Jordan Leopold avoided injury while skating onto the ice for pregame introductions. Leopold has played in 58 of a possible 164 games since joining the Avalanche before the 2006-07 season.

Slap shot

When a goalie doesn't get much action at his end of the ice, there's a saying he could play in a rocking chair. Apparently, a wheelchair would be just as apt.

"When we were pulling in (to the Pepsi Center), there was a handicap (area)," Hull said. "Brian Leetch was driving and said, 'We can't go in there.' I said, 'Yeah we can. We have a goalie with us.' "

Numbers game

999 career regular-season games played by Avalanche defenseman Adam Foote, who took the ice for his 17th NHL season. "I didn't think (1,000 games) would (mean a lot), but it does," Foote said. "It seems, with the lockout and different injuries, it's taken longer than it should've."

.667 saves percentage for Avalanche goalie Peter Budaj after Boston scored its third goal on nine shots 10:43 into the second period.

2:47 remaining in the second period when a Bruins slap shot shattered a glass panel behind the Avalanche goal. The teams went into an impromptu intermission while the glass was replaced. The extra time was added to the third period.

He said it

"I'll go in my mom's hall of fame. How about that? That's where I'm going to end up."

Laperriere, on any career honors he might receive once he retires.

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