If we look at the written record, it would appear that I have become a stagnant fan and blogger, but as a former student of history, I know that the written record often has many gaps and one needs to examine other potential factors to unveil the truth. One such factor could be circumstantial, for example, I now find myself living in New York instead of the great state of Colorado. While I am well aware of the fact that this a poor excuse for abstaining from doing what I actually love (writing about the Avs, obviously), I have simply found it hard to be inspired when I am surrounded by a sea of Rangers, Devils and the occasional Islanders fan.
This isn’t the first time I have found myself being an Avaholic Abroad, and I do appreciate the Ranger fans. They are an Original Six team, and the picture of Messier hoisting the cup in 94’ is the second most iconic hoist in modern NHL history, the first being… anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Of course, I am alluding to Raymond Bourque. Furthermore Rangers fans actually understand and love the sport, as opposed when I lived in Los Angeles and had to deal with Kings fan’s going to a game because it was the closest they were going to get to going to a Lakers game (this was when the Lakers were actually good) and would show up wearing a Kobe jersey. Though the one thing that was comforting when I have gone to those out of state games was that there was always a strong contingency of fellow Avs fans. I recently went to the Avs vs. Rangers game and I saw fewer than ten Avs fans. Of those few, none of them gave me the usual high-five or “Go Avs”, not even a slight nod of the head in acknowledgement of being an outsider. Apparently these Avs fans were too “New York” to realize that they were being rude. Or perhaps they were originally from LA, but recently moved to Colorado for 6 months before landing in NY. They probably also had a “Native Colorado” stick on their car too.
This is what $20 in New Jersey looks like
I have also made the journey to Newark to see the Avs vs. Devils, and I am still unsure of what was scarier: the city of Newark, the New Jersey Devil fans or the lukewarm nachos that were $20 and had to wait half a period in line for. I don’t think I’ll be traveling back to the Prudential Center anytime soon.
I think perhaps it is the isolation of being an Avaholic in a region where lots of people don’t even know who I am talking about when I say “Avs” that gets me down the most, and why I have shied away from writing. However, blogging should be what brings me solace in my isolation. If anything, I have more time to write because I have to stay up late to watch most of the games. 10 P.M. puck drops can be brutal, especially because win or lose I will be wound up after the game and won’t be able to sleep immediately following the buzzer. I now realize that the hour drive home to Boulder after home games, was the perfect amount of decompressing time.
I have not, and hope to never be one of the fans that simply absorbs into a fan of the team where they are currently living. Being an Avaholic is something that transcends state and national borders, and is at the core of your identity. It is with this knowledge that anyone reading this in the post apocalyptic world that we are approaching, or perhaps residing, would look at this record and realize that there was something else contributing to my lack of verbiage. This post can now serve as supporting evidence that I have not abandoned my beloved Avalanche, along ticket stubs from stadiums across the Eastern Seaboard, and hopefully no black eyes from Devils fans. Now, give me some caffeine, my login for NHL.TV and let’s beat Nashville tonight!