Tag: Mark Kiszla
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Mark Kiszla: Can Avs coach Jared Bednar end nasty habit of failure to put the hammer down in NHL playoffs?
MINNEAPOLIS — With the Avs at the playoff crossroads where they often take a really bad turn for the worse, is Jared Bednar the right coach to keep this team on the right track? Well, history tells us: Don’t count on it. “I’m unoffendable,” Bednar said Sunday. No offense. But here’s my truth: Teams coached…
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Mark Kiszla: Avs have goalie controversy at worst possible time after Scott Wedgewood benched in playoff loss
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota gave the Avalanche a Wedgie. I see London. I see France. On Saturday night, I watched the Wild give goalie Scott Wedgewood a swift kick in the pants. In a 5-1 rout of the Avs that proved the Wild are no joke, Wedgewood lost a grip on his stick on…
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Mark Kiszla: ‘Joker Halo Effect’ trapped the Nuggets in luxury tax
The miracle of Nikola Jokic that brought Denver a long-sought championship also landed the Nuggets in the mess they’re stuck in now. Joker is too great for the team’s own good. While that might sound crazy, his generational talent fooled Stan and Josh Kroenke into believing they had a core worthy of being a perennial…
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Mark Kiszla: Avs are wagon rolling to the Stanley Cup with Gabe Landeskog in driver’s seat
Fuel up those fire trucks for the championship parade, because ain’t nobody stopping these Avs from hoisting the Stanley Cup. Hot take? Maybe. But I’ve got my reasons, and the No. 1 reason to believe this is the Avalanche’s year to win it all can be described in two words: Gabe Landeskog. He is this…
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Mark Kiszla: Avs, Wild channel the 1980s in a Game 1 goalapalooza
Dusting off their old fire wagons and rolling ‘em out of the barn, the Avalanche and Wild played classic 1980s hockey that got up and danced like Michael Jackson. The Avs won a Thriller. Their 9-6 victory was a Sunday night tribute to the greatness of Wayne Gretzky and a throwback to the sport’s golden…
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Kickin’ It with Kiz: Nuggets need to end era when team depends on Joker to do it all
This won’t happen, but the Nuggets’ best chance to win again just might be trading Nikola Jokic. I don’t want that to happen, but not a lot of options to move forward unless ownership pays heavy luxury tax, which it won’t do. – K&C, sees end of era Kiz: This team cries out for an…
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Mark Kiszla: Denver is hockey mecca that State of Hockey wants to be when it grows up
Minnesota likes to boast it’s the State of Hockey. But the No. 1 Hockey Town in the whole USA? That’s no contest. It’s Denver. “They call it the State of Hockey for a reason,” Avalanche defenseman Sam Malinski told me Saturday. “Playing hockey is what every kid in Minnesota dreams about. I think back on…
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Mark Kiszla: Big Nuggets’ error that mars Jokic Era on painful display in Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS — The Nuggets’ championship window didn’t close. It shattered. And losing to the team that broke Denver was as painful as chewing glass. With chants of “M-V-P!” rattling the rafters of the Target Center for Jaden McDaniels, the Minnesota Timberwolves eliminated Nikola Jokic and his disconsolate teammates Thursday with a 110-98 loss that left…
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Mark Kiszla: Why Nuggets coach David Adelman can’t ignore the noise and claps back at criticism
MINNEAPOLIS – All the noise drenched with foul negativity that coaches preach to ignore, David Adelman absorbs and wrings into a stinking bucket he feels obligated to carry. “I understand that people want me to crush our guys after losses,” Adelman said Wednesday. “But I’m not going to do that, when I know the temperament…
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Mark Kiszla: Nuggets shut yap of Howlin’ Wolf Jaden McDaniels in blowout victory
On a night when their angry home arena was drunk on boos, Nikola Jokic and his Denver teammates finally gave Nuggets Nation a reason to stand up and cheer. They ain’t dead yet, folks. “I have been here before,” Jokic said Monday, “and we know when you play in an elimination game, you need to…