Young Avs NHL's Biggest Surprise

So what's the deal with this young bunch of Colorado Avalanche?

Who would have thought these guys would be 5-1-1 through the season's first seven games, with a 3-1-1 record in the first five games of what could have been a disastrous seven-game road trip?

Not me, and probably not anybody else, either.

The Avalanche was coming off a last-place finish in the Western Conference; team president Pierre Lacroix fired just about everybody in the front office and coaching staff; longtime captain Joe Sakic retired; and co-scoring leader Ryan Smyth was dispatched to Los Angeles.

So much for expectations.

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Avs Make a Shrine for Sakic

The Colorado Avalanche certainly did it up big Thursday night for former captain Joe Sakic, whose No. 19 jersey was officially retired at the Pepsi Center before the season-opening 5-2 win over the San Jose Sharks.

A banner with the digits was raised to the arena's rafters to conclude the 45-minute tribute, joining those of Patrick Roy (No. 33) and Ray Bourque (No. 77).

"To see it up there with Patrick and Ray, it's a tremendous honor," said Sakic, who was accompanied by his parents, his wife Debbie and their three children.

Not only that, the Avalanche surprised Sakic by creating a shrine at his old corner locker.

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Say It Ain't So, Foppa

Brett Favre, and now Peter Forsberg?

The 36-year-old forward and former NHL most valuable player is attempting yet another comeback, this time with his hometown team Modo in the Swedish Elite League.

The oft-injured center has experienced problems with his right foot for several years and didn't play at all last season, except for three games with Modo, when the chronic foot ailment forced him to give up the comeback attempt.

A great one in his prime and one of hockey's most entertaining players, Foppa as he's affectionately known in Sweden and by his legion of fans (especially in Colorado, where he's still revered), has undergone several foot surgeries and experimented with various skates in an attempt to return to the ice.

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An Avalanche of Teens

It's beginning to look like the Colorado Avalanche could have a couple of teen-age phenoms on the roster for its Oct. 1 season opener against San Jose.

First-round pick Matt Duchene, 18, should be a lock to start the year in Denver, even if new head coach Joe Sacco is reluctant to say as much. The final 23-man roster, he's said, won't be determined until after the Avalanche plays its final three exhibition games.

Matt Duchene (left) and Ryan O'Reilly have been impressive in Avalanche camp.

"I think he's made some progress every day, and that's what you're looking for," Sacco said of Duchene, who was taken third overall in the 2009 NHL entry draft after collecting 31 goals and 48 assists in 57 games last season for the Brampton Battalion in the Ontario Hockey League.

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