John reminded me that longtime Colorado Avalanche center and captain Joe Sakic will retire tomorrow.
Like many Coloradans, I started following hockey right around June of 1996, right as Sakic was wrapping up his masterpiece postseason that would earn him the Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP. Over the next few seasons his reputation soured a bit among some Denver fans as his postseason numbers often didn’t match his lofty standards, which is sort of hilarious considering he led a Colorado team to the state’s first-ever major pro sports championship. Sakic was outstanding again in 2001, when the team won its second Stanley Cup.
I don’t really have any specific Sakic memories, but he’s been a leader and star of the Avs ever since they came to Denver. I want to call him the steady hand to Forsberg’s flash but that’s selling Sakic, who was a spectacular player, way too short. He will be missed.
1 comment:
I had the same thought about Sakic and Forsberg - for some reason, I spent years thinking Forsberg had better numbers, only to find out that Sakic's steadiness was what really got it done. But that was part of his brilliance: he was steady and almost unnoticeable in his dominance, which at times was epic.
Hats off to a great, and certainly Hall of Fame, career.
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