Author: Mark Kiszla [email protected]
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Mark Kiszla: Why this Avalanche mess in NHL playoffs is of Joe Sakic’s making
LAS VEGAS – With the Avalanche having a complete meltdown on the ice, Joe Sakic stood in an arena suite and stared into space, with no answer to a hockey mess 10 years in the making. For a full decade, ever since Patrick Roy quit on him in a huff, Sakic has seemed hellbent on…
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Mark Kiszla: Epic playoff collapses now a Jared Bednar trademark
LAS VEGAS — Ding, dong. The Avs are dead. Don’t tell me about a championship window for a hockey team that keeps beating its head against the same wall and somehow expects a different result. This is insanity. And it’s got to stop. A disgusting 5-3 loss to Vegas screamed the problem with the Avalanche…
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Mark Kiszla: MacKinnon and Avs centers have vanished in Vegas’ diabolical black hole
Where the Avalanche’s championship mojo has gone is no mystery. It’s been swallowed by a $27 million black hole at the center of the ice. Colorado has 99 problems in the Western Conference final, and the injury to star defenseman Cale Makar is only one. But the No. 1 reason for the Avs’ 2-0 deficit…
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Kickin’ It with Kiz: Bednar is better BBQ buddy, but Payton more kick-butt coach
The Avalanche have too much talent to be down 2-0 to Vegas in this playoff series and have won only one Stanley Cup in this era. It seems like we are always a little behind in the effort and physicality, sloppy and unorganized on the power play and lazy too often when clearing the zone.…
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Mark Kiszla: Avs play like chokers instead of champs in brutal playoff loss to Vegas
The Avs saved their biggest choke of this NHL season for when it mattered most. Until this sad Friday night that seems doomed to live in infamy in franchise history, the Avalanche’s record this season when leading after two periods was 45-0-0. But all that perfection got tossed in the dumpster as a piece of…
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Mark Kiszla: Avs in big trouble if they need Jared Bednar to outcoach John Tortorella
For the first time in these NHL playoffs, the adversity facing the Avs looms as big as the “A” on their sweaters. Home was where the hurt was Wednesday, when Las Vegas pushed around Colorado in a 4-2 loss to open the Western Conference finals. For the first time in their pursuit of the Stanley…
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Mark Kiszla: This Avalanche run to the Cup is revenge tour against the hockey gods
The Avs’ bandwagon has a full tank of gas and is steamrolling everything in its path on a revenge tour against the hockey gods. If this quest for the Stanley Cup feels personal, that’s because the Avs, starting with superstar Nathan MacKinnon, are taking it very personally. After toppling the Kings and taming the Wild…
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Mark Kiszla: The Rockies might not lose 100! It’s a baseball miracle.
At age 34, the Rockies are taking baby steps in the only race they can win. Are you ready for this? Instead of stumbling toward baseball infamy, this new-and-improved 2026 version of our lovable losers might not be the worst in the major leagues. When the Rockies beat Arizona 4-2 Saturday, they actually resembled a…
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Kickin’ It with Kiz: The Broncos’ Super Bowl dream as shaky as Bo Nix’s ankle
I hate those heavily weighted games for the Broncos during the first four weeks of the NFL season. I’d rather see inter-conference games scheduled in the opening month, while the product gets in shape. I would hate to see Denver start 0-3 and endlessly hear how 0-3 teams rarely make the playoffs. – C.R, Syracuse,…
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Mark Kiszla: The Avs have what the Nuggets don’t — a championship mentality
The Avs and Nuggets are neighbors who live under the same arena roof, but their definitions of success seem to have been discovered on different planets. For the hockey team, winning is all that matters. “It’s like Cup or bust, Cup or bust. Well, we’ve got one Cup. It’s hard to win, OK? But I…