It’s not a word that’s thrown around when it comes to sports.  It’s a name that’s undoubtedly earned.  Chris Drury earned being called clutch, ask any Avalanche fan and they’ll tell you.

Here are some examples as to why no Avs fan will ever hesitate in calling Chris Drury clutch.  There are some HUGE playoff goals in here.

Click here to view the embedded video.

If that montage doesn’t bring back some good memories Avs fans, I really don’t know what will.  That Forsberg/Drury combination was lethal to the Avalanche’s opposition.

Chris Drury created great memories and brought the Avs faithful, including myself, to our feet many, many times.  And it can be argued that the Avs haven’t been quite the same since he left.  Many fans will never forgive Pierre Lacroix for trading Drury to the Flames back in October of 2002.

Chris Drury will never have his number hanging in the rafters of Pepsi Center and he won’t be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but those two facts won’t keep Avs fans from having a special place in their hockey hearts for him and his uncanny knack of scoring big goals in big games.

Thanks for the memories Chris Drury.  You have always been missed here in The Mile High City for all of the right reasons.

It all began with this mention at about 1:00 this afternoon.

Then more interesting mentions.  Like this:

A few funny mentions as well.   People assume that I have some influence that I definitely won’t ever have, but it never hurts to ask, right?

A few simple mentions of thanks.  They are obviously always welcome.

It was Friday, so Follow Friday mentions were happening throughout the day.  Here’s my favorite list though.  Only two, but a great two to follow I guess.

There was even this mention that was retweeted by the Avalanche’s Twitter people.

It looks like we’ve made a difference.  At the beginning of this morning the Avalanche were following 23 people.  Tonight, they’re at 70.  They listened and responded so I mentioned them in this tweet.

Hopefully this is the beginning of a new and improved relationship with the Avalanche organization and their fans via social media.  Only time will tell, but it’s better than it was yesterday, so we’ll take it.

Well done Avs fans and well done Avalanche Twitter reps, let’s do our best to keep this energy going.  It’s time…

It’s hopefully the start of something nice for Avs fans following the organization on social media.

A special thank you to Stephen DeGraff, one of my followers on Twitter.  He forwarded the link to my original post to his Avalanche season ticket representative.  That rep got back to him and told him that the right people with the Avs would see the post.  I then gained a new follower on Twitter.  Thanks again Stephen.  That was very cool of you.

Thanks, as well, to all of you for the retweets, reposts, comments, reads, shares, and everything else having to do with my last post.  Together we can definitely make a difference.  Let’s Go Avs!

Take care and talk to you again soon, Jay

We, the fans, want more.  At the same time, we want less.  Let me explain.

You currently, as of May 31, 2011, have 20,584 fans following your feed on Twitter.  Out of ALL those people that follow you, you in-turn follow 22 people.  You’re not even following players from your own team that now have Twitter accounts.  I’m not asking you to follow every Avalanche fan that mentions the Avalanche in a tweet.  I am asking you though to connect to your fans.  Let us know you’re there.  Let us know you’re listening.  More on this as a whole here in a second.

You also currently, as of May 31, 2011, have 253,802 following your official Facebook Fan Page.  That’s an amazing number, but what do Avalanche fans get there?  We are blanketed with links to stories on your website.  I can guarantee that pretty much every single one of those fans on Facebook knows where to find your website, so, with all due respect, what’s the point?

Let’s talk big picture here.  If I “unfollowed” your feed on Twitter and “un-liked” your Facebook Fan Page, what would I miss?  Nothing at all.

I follow, visit, and see retweets from other Twitter accounts for many other professional sports teams.  I routinely see retweets of fan tweets along with replies to fans from representatives in the team’s PR department whose job it is to connect with the fans.

For example:  Here’s a screen shot the the Chicago Blackhawks official Twitter feed.  Notice they are interacting with their fans with replies every once in a while.

Here’s a screen shot from the Edmonton Oilers’ Twitter feed.  Notice the retweets from the players on the team that have Twitter accounts.

The Vancouver Canucks and the San Jose Sharks both have separate live in-game official Twitter accounts so people can follow the game if they’re not able to watch it on television or listen to it on the radio or stream the game online.  I don’t follow other NHL teams, but I imagine that many of them have the same type features within their team’s Twitter account.  I like that.

I see, every once in a while, from other team’s official Twitter feeds, who is starting in net for that night’s game fairly early in the afternoon.  The only “official” Avalanche news that most fans get is from The Denver Post’s Adrian Dater.  Avalanche radio play-by-play man Marc Moser does what he can, but during the games it’s tough for him to stay that active because he’s doing his job live.  Moser does his best to connect with fans, he’s a total class guy, but there’s only so much he can do.  Mike Haynes also does his best to connect with fans via Twitter, but again, it’s difficult with the job he has.  I give them both all the credit in the world for the effort though.  That means a lot to fans.  The many fans that have received replies and mentions from either or both of them know exactly what I’m talking about.  It’s a good feeling.

And overall, the teams, for the most part are following their fans.  There are a few exceptions that you’ll see here, but I’ll let the fans of those teams speak up when it’s their time.  Here’s a breakdown of your Western Conference competition when it comes to Twitter.

Let’s begin with the most and work our way down.  These numbers are current as of June 1, 2011.  Check out the second column above “Following.”

And some other local teams…

The Broncos are an exception on the point that I’m making here.  They don’t follow many people, but they connect with the fans in other ways.  More details below.

And then there’s the Avalanche.  Following a whole 22 of their fans directly on Twitter.

Again, I’m not asking you to follow absolutely everyone that mentions you Twitter, but it does make me wonder how St. Louis Blues fans feel when they get that email notifying them that their favorite NHL team now follows them on Twitter.  I imagine that’s somewhat exciting, but that’s just me.

And the hometown Denver Broncos may just be your best example to follow when it comes to Twitter.  They are approaching their fans in a whole new way after a long stretch of mediocre football.  Jim Saccomano, Vice President of Public Relations for the Broncos, has an active Twitter account.  John Elway, Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the Denver Broncos, has a Twitter account and uses it often.  And when former coach Josh McDaniels was relieved of his duties during last season, the announcement wasn’t made during a press conference, or on the Broncos’ website, or on a ticker tape during a newscast;  the announcement was made on Twitter.  There is usually a string of news on Twitter before news like that breaks from many sources close to the team, but the very first mention I saw of the firing was official word from the Denver Broncos Twitter feed.  Since when did details follow on a website when it came to breaking news?  Since Twitter.  That’s rethinking what you’re doing based on what’s available and I like that a lot.  It made me feel like my follow on Twitter was worth while.  I have never felt that way about following the Avalanche’s Twitter feed and that’s too bad.

It obviously would be pretty silly to retool your entire PR department so your lives all revolve around Twitter and Facebook.  That wouldn’t make sense.  You obviously are the experts and have experience that I lack in that side of business.  But I am asking you to let the fans know you’re there and listening every once in a while.  And this isn’t a table with a couple people sitting at it at the top of the main staircase at Pepsi Center.  It’s time to connect with the fans in a virtual sense too.  A retweet or a reply may be all one fan needs in order to get them that much more excited about the team as a whole.  It’s VERY simple and it only takes, literally, a few seconds.  Do that a couple times a day and who knows what will happen.  Thank the fans that follow you religiously and see what happens.  If not now, when?  And if no, why not?  You have NOTHING to lose.  The tools are available and they’re free.

Please take some notes from a few of your Western Conference opponents as well as the hometown football team.  Help relevant Avalanche news and notes find the fans.  We’re already waiting for it.  You don’t even need to ask.  With web and mobile tools people are connected all of the time.  News these days finds people.  People don’t need to look for news any longer.  You just have to feed in what the fans want and that doesn’t include mainly links to stories on your website.

In reality, attendance and/or fan morale can’t get much worse after the worst season in Avalanche history.  Now is the time to take a chance.  It won’t hurt.  I promise.  And over a quarter of a million people promise too.

Thank you for your consideration and see you at Pepsi Center.  I’ll always be a fan of the Avs, no matter what.  I’m just hoping that you can make the experience of being an Avalanche fan a more pleasurable one for fans like me.

Yours Truly,

Jay Vean, (Host, The Avs Hockey Podcast) on behalf of Colorado Avalanche fans all over the world

So…what would you like us to talk about?  Is there a question or two that you’d like us to answer?  Anything you’re wondering about us that you’d like to know?  Have a question about jerseys?  Let us know!  We can automatically build in shout outs and have some fun interacting with you at the same time.  Please help us bring you almost everything Avalanche by being a part of the next show.

There are several ways to get in touch with us: the big paragraph to the lower right of this post has my email address in it.  You can shoot us something there.  You can reply to this post on the blog of course.  You can also send a message or reply to me on Twitter.  My username is AvsHkyPodcast.  You can leave a post on the AHP’s Facebook wall as well.  We’ll take the best of the best and include them in the show.

Thanks for all of your support and hope to hear from you soon, James and Jay

Click here to view the embedded video.

I can definitely vouch for the fact that The RBC Center is one of the loudest buildings in the NHL, but it can also get pretty quiet when the visiting team comes back from two goals down to steal the game in the third period.  Thanks for the memories Marek Svatos.

When the schedule for the 2010-2011 season came out my attention went immediately to when the Avalanche would be back in Raleigh.  Flight reservations were made and tickets were acquired.  Steps one and two, done.  That was easy.

Step three (and for those of you that know me at all this is a very important step) it was time to decide what jersey to wear.  For most people, that’s a simple task.  Just open the closet door, grab your Avalanche jersey, and head out the door to the game.  For me, it’s obviously not quite that simple.  If I went with a white jersey, I may have blended in with the home town crowd.  I didn’t want that at all.  I brought a jersey for my friend to wear because he has a lot of Martin Brodeur jerseys and no Avs jerseys.  I’m cool with that.  He’s a true hockey fan so I don’t give him too much stuff.  Here’s what he wore to the game:

Since I brought the burgundy jersey for him, I was going to go with one of the two alternate jerseys the Avs have worn through the years.  The burgundy alternate might have been lost in the sea of red and white in Carolina, so I went with my game issued blueberry David Koci jersey.  It was made for him to wear during the 2009-2010 season.

As marked on the collar tag,

…this jersey was a backup (“B.U.”) alternate jersey for the 2009-2010 season as Koci’s jerseys can take a beating (pun very much intended) at times.  Here are a few examples of why a backup jersey is needed.

December 13, 2009.  Fight against Calgary’s Brian McGrattan.  Check out the neck of the jersey at the end of this one.

Click here to view the embedded video.

And something similar happens to his jersey during Joe Sakic night on October 1, 2009 during a scrap with San Jose’s Jody Shelley.  And for those of you that are into that type of thing, check out the Meigray tag towards the end of the fight as well.  It’s the white tag with blue stitching that’s sewn into the inside of the back tail of the jersey.  Here’s the Meigray tag on my alternate.

Click here to view the embedded video.

As far as the jersey goes, I’ve received more heat concerning it than any other jersey in my collection.   People sometimes don’t think much of David Koci because of his limited role and limited skating ability as well, but, honestly, he’s never really given me any reason to not like him.  I purchased the jersey for two main reasons.  One, I wanted that style represented in my jersey collection.  And two, it fits me just in case I ever decide to wear it to a game.

Fast forward to December 3, 2010 in Raleigh, North Carolina.  My buddy and I were excited about our seats knowing that they were three rows from the ice, but we became even more excited when we saw exactly where they were located.  The RBC Center is one of those buildings where the opposing team has to skate from one of the corners of the rink to their respective bench.  Our seats were exactly four seats away from where the team entered and exited the ice.  We got there plenty early so we could watch pre-game skate as well.  That’s when the magic began.

A couple of the Avalanche equipment managers and trainers noticed my jersey right away.  They called me over and asked me a few questions about it.  They even took a picture of the back of it.  I’m assuming they were going to show it to Koci himself.  It was unexpected and exciting to draw some attention from the people with the team.

Then, after the Avalanche tied the game at one in the third period with a Milan Hejduk goal, my jersey made its network television debut.

For those of you that haven’t met me in person, that was me cheering on my team at the end of that highlight.  For those that had met me in person, the tweets and Facebook posts began to show up.  I caught a little bit of flack from fans complaining that I didn’t stand up though.  First, we were packed in like sardines down there.  I didn’t have the time to squeeze myself out of the seat.  Second, I didn’t want to be “that opposing fan.”  We’ve all been at a game with that fan there, and we all know how difficult that can be.  I did my best to choose the classy and laid back route.

So the jersey in my collection that hasn’t gotten much love from anyone in the past definitely came through for me.  In the end though, it didn’t come through for my team as they lost 2-1 in overtime.  Here are your highlights.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I’ve begged my buddy to stay in touch with the guy he got the tickets from because seats don’t get much better than that.  I’ll never forget the experience I had that night, and that was actually before I knew I had been on television.

And being as David Koci was a healthy scratch for the game and didn’t even participate in the pre-game skate, the jersey that was made for him to wear last season got more air time than the jersey the team brought with them for Koci to wear that night.  That’s a type of thing that doesn’t happen very often at all.

Let’s start with Dater and Kiszla.  I really do try and see their perspective as best I can without being in their shoes.  It is somewhat of a conflict of interest if they begin to smash the Avalanche organization for not promoting this team in a more productive way.  They have access to and interact with the team and its employees on a very different level than the rest of us.  They don’t want to throw anyone under the bus that may get them in deep water or worse.  This makes sense, but only to a point.

What doesn’t make sense is whenever the Avs play a game like they did last night, the fans, or lack of them, automatically become an issue.  The crowds are too small and those that are there aren’t making enough noise.  Blah, blah, blah.  What was there to cheer about for the first 48 minutes of hockey anyways, besides Kevin Shattenkirk’s first NHL goal during a first period power play?

Click here to view the embedded video.

I was there last night.  It was quiet and boring for a perfectly good reason.  The Avs were being outplayed by a Sharks team that was playing well.  What are the fans that were there, including myself, supposed to do?

Let’s  move the focus to Denver as a sports town to maybe help explain the small Avs crowds.  There is a lot of competition for the sports fan’s dollar within literally miles of downtown.  We have the Broncos, Rockies, Nuggets, Avalanche, Rapids, D.U. Pioneers, and plenty of other affordable, yet very enjoyable teams to watch.  Fans have to make a choice concerning what they’d like to see and how much they’d like to pay for it.  It has been made very clear over the years that the Denver Broncos rule this city.  No matter how they play, they lead the news stories of that particular night.  Invesco Field at Mile High and Mile High Stadium have been sold out for years and that’s never going to change.  When fans only have to pay for a few pre-season games and eight regular season games that makes any ticket price seem like a fairly decent deal.  Ticket-holders have had the seats in their families for literally generations and that’s not going to change any time soon.  If anyone tells you that Denver isn’t “Bronco-town” they are fooling themselves.  It is and always will be.  As far as playing football, take a football, Nerf or leather, go out in the yard and throw it around and you’re “playing” football.  Every fan has done that.

The Colorado Rockies play 81 home games a season.  Their tickets are way more affordable than basketball or hockey.  They also went to the World Series three seasons ago.  They have two Gold Glove and Silver Slugger players in Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki.  They also have one of the best young pitchers in baseball, Ubaldo Jimenez, that just finished third the the NL’s Cy Young voting.  People love America’s pastime.  The team also, with a few exceptions, plays outside when it’s warm.  Who wouldn’t want to watch sports in this atmosphere?  On the other hand, people aren’t that excited by how many star free agents the organization goes after and pays, but they go to the games anyway.  The Rockies had the 10th largest per game average in attendance in the Major Leagues last season.  That was the largest average attendance for the team since 2001.  People go to Rockies games in Denver.  It’s what they do.  People have played baseball as well.  It’s easy to.  Go to any park with a couple gloves, a baseball or two, and a bat and “play” baseball.

The Nuggets have one huge thing going for them, which the Avs used to have plenty of and more, and that’s star power.  People aren’t very pleased with Carmelo Anthony not signing his offer of a contract extension from the Nuggets, but they still go to the games to watch him because the guy can flat play the game.  People go to Pepsi Center to watch hometown hero Chauncey Billups as well.  We are proud of who he is, what he has accomplished, and couldn’t be happier that he’s back home where he belongs.  The Nuggets tickets are expensive as well, but they put on a heck of a show.  Nuggets games are fun and entertaining, there’s no doubt about that.  Rocky, one of the best in the mascot business in all of sports makes a difference for the kids and the adults as well.  He is awesome.  And as for playing basketball, go to the majority of parks and/or schools with a basketball and “play” basketball.  That’s simple.

And now we get to the Avs.  The last of the true Hall of Fame quality, get you on your feet talent, left last season when Joe Sakic announced his retirement.  Names like Forsberg, Roy, Bourque, Blake, etc. are now gone and have been replaced by the next generation of Avalanche greats.  It’s hard to tell if any of the current Avalanche players will ever be Hall of Fame caliber type or legendary players.  They don’t come around that often at all.  Along those lines, small star power equals small crowds.  That’s the way it goes with pro sports in many cities with plenty of choices with pro sports teams.  High ticket prices are an issue as well.  When the team charges the same price, or actually more than they did in the “star power” days, that’s an issue in today’s economic environment.  And who, at least regarding the generation who can buy tickets on a regular basis, has played hockey?  I grew up in Denver and played hockey growing up.  I had one other good friend that played as well.  Back then (the early to mid eighties) there were maybe four or five sheets of ice to play on within the city and we needed a ride to get there because hockey gear is heavy.  This isn’t like football, basketball, or baseball.  Going down the block and playing just isn’t an option.  Ice time is at a premium.  Hockey equipment is expensive.  There’s no doubt that things are growing, though.  Hockey is very popular and still growing here, but this is a process.  It’s going to take some time to really get things going.

Here’s my issue with Dater’s and Kiszla’s points of view:  Why are they scolding the fans and what good, if any, is this going to do?  Are readers supposed to read the perspective they provide and say, “You know what?  They’re right.  I need to drop a couple hundred dollars and take my family of four to a game a little more often because we’re not doing our part to support the Avs.  I’m going to be a “better fan” because you guys told me so.”  That makes no sense at all.  I have been going to hockey games here in Denver with my Dad for over 25 years.  We go back to the original Colorado Rockies, Colorado Flames, Denver Rangers, and finally the Avs.  Dad and I go as often as we can to games and are the type of fans that don’t need a whole lot of entertainment to really enjoy what’s going on out there.  Our entertainment has always been good hockey (and the “Kiss Cam” too.  That’s always been a favorite ever since Scott Mellanby kissed Doug Weight when the Blues were in town many years ago.)  When it comes to entertainment though, we’re in the minority.  People who aren’t hardcore hockey fans need something fresh.  They need to be entertained by something other than hockey to feel like they got their money’s worth when they leave the arena.  It’s no secret that the Avs struggle with their in-game entertainment.  It always seems like the same old shtick.  Useless promotions that serve as crummy commercials, (shout out to all my “A Christmas Story” fans out there with that reference), the same music during stoppages in play no matter how the game is progressing, and a constant barrage of “Make some noise!” and “Get on your feet!” and “If you came to scream your head off you may proceed” gets really old after a while.  I’ll get on my feet and scream my head off when my team deserves it, not just because the scoreboard told me to do it.  And in the words of Steve Harvey, “I paid $62 dollars for this seat (which my Dad and I do).  You get up and scream.”  (or something to that effect.)

Dater and Kiszla have gotten almost too good at blaming the fans for not showing up to hockey games in Denver.  They wrongly assume they’re going to guilt people into going to Pepsi Center for hockey games.  I suggest a focus on letting the fans know what they’re missing.  Make potential fans want to go watch hockey for all of the right reasons.  There’s plenty of blame and finger-pointing to go around when it comes to the small crowds for Avs games, but focusing on all of that is a waste of energy and won’t do anyone any good anyway.  Let’s get people excited about this young team.  Let’s get people to appreciate the game for what it is.  Let’s all work together to create passionate hockey fans, rather than fickle home-team fans who live and die with every win and loss.  Sure, it takes time and effort, but in the end everyone will be better for it.  That, in a nutshell, is why I make my podcast.

And as far as Kiszla’s “How does the Winnipeg Avalanche sound to you?” comment that he closed with, it’s plain ridiculous.  Comments like that won’t put people in the seats either.  Why even go there?  What’s the point?  Comments like that make it sound like media members have control to spare when it comes to the team staying in Denver when that’s nowhere near the truth.

And maybe, just maybe, the reason many people choose to stay away from Avs games in general is the overwhelmingly negative and pessimistic attitude that’s portrayed by Dater in his Twitter feed and Kiszla with pieces of writing like today’s article in the Post.  Using the word “fans” with quotations around it is a total swipe at anyone that roots for the Avs.  It was unnecessary and something that needed to be addressed by real Avalanche fans, and has been all day long.

The date: Friday the 13th of August, 2010.

The place: Green Valley Ranch Golf Course in Denver.

Tee time: 12:58 p.m.

Weather: As good as anyone could ask for.

The Moser Golf Challenge, Part 2, the challenge issued via Moser on Twitter, was on.  It was a close match the entire day with no team ever leading by more than two holes.  The golf was fun.  There were some great shots, and there were some not so great shots.  That’s the game of golf sometimes.  The teams were well matched and all of us had to grind for any advantage we gained on the opposition.  That’s how an even match works.

The big story of the match was that it was an absolute blast.  Marc Moser is every bit of who he is on the radio while he calls games and then some.  The guy basically lives and dies on every shot that he and his partner hit.  I had the extreme pleasure of looking over after a few of my shots during the round to see him bent over like he was about to throw up.  Kyle Keefe was great to play with as well.  He was the calm one in their pair to say the least.  They, together, accomplished something I never, ever thought would happen during a round of golf, they actually helped me become an even bigger Avalanche fan.  For those of you that know me pretty well, that’s not an simple task at all.  I have to give these guys an absolute ton of credit.  Putting themselves “out there” and giving unheard access to regular old Avs fans like myself and my partner was such a cool move by them on many levels.  We talked about commercials, specifically the famous John-Michael Liles “Hot Pocket” Altitude spot, what buildings are the best for them to work in, what it’s like to have inside access to the team we all love, and many things in between.

I’ve met many hockey players through the years and I don’t believe I’ve ever been let down by any of them.  They have all been kind and pleasurable.  It’s all part of that hockey culture that any hockey fan appreciates.  Kyle Keefe and Marc Moser were no different.  A HUGE thanks to both of  them for taking time out of their schedules to play a round of golf with my partner and me.

After the match was completed, the word “rematch” was mentioned more than a few times.  I hope we can make that happen sometime soon.

Moser made part two of his golf challenge official on August 9 at 1:45 PM with this harmless tweet.  (By the way, I’m @AvsHkyPodcast and my partner, Arbon Reimer, is @RhymeswCarbon.)

It’s official. Next Moser golf challenge is officially this Friday as Kyle Keefe and I take on ——> @AvsHkyPodcast @RhymeswCarbon

And then things quickly turned ugly with this tweet posted by Moser, one minute later, on August 9 at 1:46 PM:

Mark it down on your calendars…this will forever be known as the day that —-> @AvsHkyPodcast @RhymeswCarbon quit the game of golf.

I only have one question when it comes to a statement as bold as that, does this look like the face of someone who’s capable of ending someone’s golf career?

Image courtesy of the 2000-2001 Colorado Avalanche Media Guide.  “The Mose” is lookin’ pretty darn serious.

My partner Arbon put it best in his tweet posted on August 9 at 1:54 PM.  Moser is @avalancheradio on Twitter.

@avalancheradio : Marc picked the right business: he has a face for radio.

Enough said.  I’ll let you guys know how things go on Friday afternoon.  I’m looking forward to it and I’m sure we’re going to have a great time.  Talk to you later.

Thanks for a great season AHP fans.  Your support means a lot.  Next up, a season-ending podcast coming at you this weekend.  Talk to you then!