How much is Avs’ home advantage hurt by transplants rooting for visiting teams?
Kiszla vs. Chambers
Kiz: Mind if I share a pet peeve? There are way too many regular-season games in the Pepsi Center when it feels as if the hometown Avalanche is skating on neutral ice. Hey, way back in 1983, I moved to Colorado. So I certainly have no problem sharing our beautiful state with folks smart enough to leave Chicago, Detroit or anywhere it’s gray all winter long. But did all these fine people have to bring their old hockey allegiances with them from the dreary Midwest?
Chambers: To me it seems that the die-hard Avs fans or Colorado natives usually drown out opposing fans. But, no, it’s not a disadvantage for the Avalanche players. If nothing else, the place just gets louder, and usually players just hear the noise — not what’s actually being said. I think the bipartisan crowds are only an annoyance to Avalanche fans in the seats, and perhaps those at home watching (who don’t have Comcast or Dish Network). I’m a Colorado native, and proud of it. It’s an awesome place to live.
Kiz: Here’s a statistic I find a little worrisome. As the Avs laced up their skates for a MLK Day matinee against the Red Wings in the Pepsi Center, only two of the 16 teams holding down playoff spots had recorded fewer home victories than Colorado. I’d hate to think the Avs might blow home-ice advantage in the opening round of the playoffs because their home arena is regularly filled with chants of “Let’s Go Blues!” from St. Louis partisans and Dallas fans screaming the word “Stars!” during the singing of our national anthem.
Chambers: The Avs’ home record of 14-7-4 is poor for a good team — a playoff team. That said, I believe the Avs will turn it around in the second half. The Avs defeated St. Louis twice recently in Denver, despite all those Blues fans in the stands. As for home-ice advantage, if Colorado finishes second in the Central Division, where it currently sits, the Avs will begin the playoffs at home against the Central’s No. 3 seed.
Kiz: Denver is a rabid hockey town. But in this city of transplants, I’m not certain how many of the most passionate hockey lovers love the Avs best. I tend to believe the Avalanche is the second-favorite hockey team of many local residents, behind the Blackhawks or Penguins or whichever team they grew up cheering. And know what else? For all the amazing plays that Nathan MacKinnon makes, it’s difficult for the Avs to win new converts when their games are hard to find on local television.
Chambers: Passionate hockey fans love any type of hockey. Yeah, if they’re from Detroit and the Wings are in town, they’ll show up in their red. Otherwise, though, they’ll spend their hard-earned cash with the burgundy and blue. As for the television issue, yeah, that’s a big problem. If team owner Stan Kroenke can’t get Avs and Nuggets games on TV, he should sell the rights and get out of the television business.