29 Reasons I Love The Colorado Avalanche

To many other people, they are the Colorado Avalanche. To fans, they are the Avs. To me, they are the Sugar Sweet Burgundy Boys. They are my absolute favorite hockey team in the entire world. They are the one team whose victories I love to celebrate on my Instagram story. Here are the top 29 reasons this team has my entire heart:

1. THEY LOVE DOGS! I’ve mentioned in a previous post that I have a soft spot for people who love dogs. I saw a video on the official Colorado Avalanche YouTube channel where the players got to hang out with dogs. Players have mentioned they love dogs and Cale Makar even mentioned one of the puppies was now his. I will link the adorable video below, but be prepared to have an overwhelming urge to squeal and cry at the cuteness.

2. Two words: Hockey Hugs. There’s something so cute about hockey players hugging to celebrate. It’s extra cute when someone hugs a player because he loves his teammate. It’s an amazing example of brotherly love in professional sports.

3. Their awesome social media team. I clearly remember the first time the Colorado Avalanche replied to me on Twitter. I still get giddy every single time they reply to me on Twitter or like one of my Tweets. One of my favorite interactions was when I told them I believed their mascot ran their social media, and they replied with the eyes emoji, feeding into the theory. They post some amazing content, from photos of group hugs to Tweets rating on-ice celebrations (known as Cellys). I don’t know who runs their social media accounts, whether it be the mascot or someone else, but they deserve a raise.

4. Their bromance with the Carolina Hurricanes. There is Twitter evidence of this love. At one point, the Hurricanes’ Twitter description mentioned they were friends of the Avalanche, win or lose. The Avalanche also wished them luck in a virtual game, and in a thread spreading positivity, the Hurricanes said they looked forward to many seasons of being best friends with the Avalanche. My heart feels full seeing that kind of content. Honestly, this bromance is the reason I began following the Hurricanes on Twitter.

5. They literally won the Stanley Cup their very first season in the National Hockey League. The Avalanche played their first ever National Hockey League game on October 6, 1995, in Denver, Colorado. Eight months later, in June, the team would raise the Stanley Cup for the very first time, having won the Stanley Cup Finals four games to zero against the Florida Panthers. The fact they did this their first season blows me away.

See the source image — The 1995-1996 Colorado Avalanche celebrate winning their first ever Stanley Cup (Credit: CBS Denver)

6. Bernie, their doggy mascot. Bernie is a Saint Bernard who has been the official mascot of the team since 2009. I sold concessions for the Colorado Eagles, an Avalanche affiliate team, in 2018, and got to see Bernie at work from time to time. I decided that Bernie was a very good boy. He has is own Twitter account: @AvsBernie. Now I’m not sure if this energetic, positivity-filled pup runs the official Avalanche accounts, but it would be really fantastic if he did.

7. Gabriel Landeskog. I like to refer to him as Captain Boy. From what I’ve seen, Gabriel Landeskog, known as Landy, is an extremely talented hockey player. Plus, he’s a very handsome player. Landy scores goals and breaks hearts. I really appreciate Landy, he’s an amazing captain.

8. Samuel Girard. I like to refer to him as either Sammy G or Spinny Boy. He has a beautiful spin move that he likes to showcase on the ice. He has such a bubbly personality and is a talented singer. I remember my friend sending me a video and they advised me to skip to the part where Sam sings. Such a beautiful singing voice. Honestly, if he wasn’t playing hockey, he’d probably be signed to a music record deal.

9. Cale Makar. I like to refer to him as Rookie Boy. Cale is a very bubbly and talented young man. He made his debut in the Stanley Cup playoffs and he scored his first goal on his first day in the National Hockey League. That’s a sign of a very talented player. What I really love about Cale is how humble he is. He prefers looking at the team performance instead of his own. What a class act! Plus also he loves puppies. That’s a huge bonus.

10. Matt Calvert. What I love most about Matt “Calvy” Calvert is how he is always there to stand up for his teammates. If you dare mess with the Avalanche, you should prepare to feel Calvy’s wrath. Does not matter who is messing with any of his teammates, Calvy will not let anyone mess with the Avalanche. I feel like having a teammate who will stick up for you is a fantastic idea.

11. Pavel Francouz. The goalie who is known by fans as Frankie is an amazing asset to the team. He has performed his goaltending duties very well from what I’ve seen on Twitter. During a game against the Los Angeles Kings, he recorded a very good save. He also has recorded a shutout win, too. I’m very grateful that the Avalanche have Frankie for a few more years.

12. Ian Cole. Ian seems to play the role of the veteran that people look up to. He’s played in literally hundreds of games. I am very happy with how long he’s played and it goes to show how much he enjoys the sport. I believe his experience is a great lesson for the rest of the team and he will be a great example for the team.

13. Their fun-to-be-around fanbase. Avalanche fans are fantastic. They love the team with all their hearts and will profess their love for the boys in burgundy jerseys. The fans love the players very much and I love that about this community.

14. When they play Blink-182 to celebrate a good play. Blink-182 music is very fun to sing and dance along to. The song All The Small Things makes games more fun, whether in person or on TV.

15. Mikko Rantanen. I remember a Tweet I posted during the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs: Good morning to everyone but ESPECIALLY the @Avalanche and #MikkoRantanen!! #GoAvsGo. It was in that moment I knew that Mikko was going to do amazing things. I have all the faith in the world in Mikko.

16. Tyson Tuesdays. First, let’s take a look at the alliteration. I love alliteration. I wish I knew why. Second of all, it’s a great way to show appreciation to Tyson “Josty” Jost. Don’t get me wrong. I love a lot of different Avalanche players. However, I feel like celebrating Josty on Tuesday is a great way to bring together the Avalanche fanbase and give him some love.

17. Avs Twitter Psychic. From what I get from the Avs Twitter Psychic, it’s a way to predict who will have a good game. I am an extremely superstitious person, and I feel like it’s a great way to wish a good game for a player. I really hope the Avalanche win another Stanley Cup soon.

18. Joonas Donskoi. One sentence: Game-winning shootout goal. I am not a fan of shootout hockey games. They terrify me. Too much drama. Donskoi must have sensed tension from a lot of fans because that victory was quick and painless. Mad props to him.

19. The Chu-Chu Train. Such an adorable way to celebrate a goal. Makes me feel like a little girl and brings a huge smile to my face.

20. Martin Kaut. I’m so grateful he got called up to the Avalanche. He has performed well in his first game, in my opinion. I am so happy for him and I hope he has a great rest of his career.

21. The R-O-Y Not Us? Campaign. Back in high school, I couldn’t have cared less about hockey. That all changed with the R-O-Y Not Us campaign in 2014. It represented a lot of faith in the team, not just the players and staff, but the fans, even the entire state of Colorado. I started following along to hockey as a result. I fell in love with the team in 2016 and have been following them on social media since 2017.

22. J.T. Compher. He has beautiful red hair and loves puppies. He also has some very excellent statistics that I will post below. He’s the trifecta of amazingness: great talent, great personality, and he loves dogs!

23. Erick Johnson. I mostly love him for the bromance he has with Samuel Girard. I remember seeing a clip the Colorado Avalanche posted on Twitter where Samuel was discussing his gameplay strategy and Erick came and gave him a kiss. I have it bookmarked. He’s the kind of teammate everyone deserves.

24. Their friendship with the other Denver sports teams. Recently, the Colorado Rockies posted a Tweet saying, “Hi.” The avalanche greeted them back. Colorado Rockies legend Larry Walker, scheduled to be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer, wanted to play emergency goaltender for the Avalanche. Avalanche players support fellow Denver sports teams. That’s amazing.

25. Pierre-Édouard Bellemare. Monsieur Bellemare seems to be playing pretty well. What I find fascinating is that he’s a native of France. I took French classes all throughout middle and high school, so Francophone culture is very fascinating to me.

26. They refuse to give up and will fight until the very end. During the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs, I felt very stressed out. I feel bad admitting this, but I struggled to have faith during the second round. The Avalanche still fought their way to make it a seven-game series with San Jose. Although San Jose went on to the semifinals instead of Colorado, it shows the fight in the team. Speaking of the fight in the team, remember when I mentioned Joonas Donskoi’s shootout goal? That, too, is another example of why this team doesn’t want to quit.

27. Nazem Kadri. Some acquaintances of mine have referred to Nazem “Naz” Kadri as someone who’s prone to losing his cool. I think that’s a sign he loves his job and he will protect his teammates no matter what. I also am impressed with how well he’s been performing during his career.

28. Colin Wilson. Colin Wilson comes from a hockey family, which I find really nifty and adorable. In addition, Colin has two medals from the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), a gold medal in 2006 and silver in 2007. He also has some pretty nice career statistics. I’m very excited to see where his career goes next.

29. Nathan MacKinnon. Ah, yes, my favorite hockey player ever. The love of my life. The Avalanche player who I like to call Natey Mac and Dog Dad Boy. I confess I am more in love with Nathan than Gabriel, and that’s a long stretch. Nathan has an adorable personality, is talented at hockey, looks good in suits, and, best of all, he loves dogs with all his heart! I have seen many images of Nathan with dogs. This proves everything that I need to know about him being a fantastic person.

Hockey, and the Colorado Avalanche, you have my heart. #GoAvsGo!