Frei: Remember when it wasn’t so monumental for Avs just to make playoffs? But this in its own way is more fun.
Absolutely, this in many ways is a lot more fun than the glory-years seasons because it was so unexpected and the single-season…
Frei: How’s this for half full? Barely missing playoffs wouldn’t be all bad for the Avs
The Avalanche’s playoff hopes will come down to the final game of the regular season. After beating the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1…
Frei: Obligations of stardom mean MacKinnon line has to lead this team down stretch
Nathan MacKinnon didn’t dodge it. In fact, he brought it up himself. With a playoff spot at stake, the Avalanche’s MacKinnon-…
Frei: An Avalanche playoff run can be a flashback, and there’s nothing wrong with that
The Avalanche's playoff run will turn out to be a fun flashback, too. And there's nothing wrong with that.
Frei: Here come the Knights … now and perhaps in the postseason
The first task, of course, is to make the playoffs. But the Avalanche needs to maintain the momentum in its evolution.
Frei: The MacKinnon-for-Hart Trophy talk becoming more legit every day
It has become this simple: If the Avalanche makes the playoffs, pulling off the turnaround of epic proportions after the 48-point…
Frei: Amid March Madness, a reminder that NHL draft/watch system is better than NBA’s mess
The NBA and NCAA would both benefit from adopting a draft and watch system similar to what the NHL employs.
Frei: Nathan MacKinnon has the best of intentions … but it’s a bad, bad idea
It's praiseworthy, even impressive humility. Nathan MacKinnon doesn't think he's above this. Well, he is now. And all his…
Frei: Fourteen years ago this week, Steve Moore played his final game for the Avalanche
Then it happened. With Todd Bertuzzi stalking Steve Moore coming up the ice, Bertuzzi threw a roundhouse punch from behind to …
Frei: Going into final month, Avalanche effectively controls its own destiny. That’s a major “W.”
The Avs are going into the final 17 games in control of their own playoff spot destiny. That's about all you can ask.
Frei: Is Duncan Siemens becoming more than an “organization” guy?
One of the more interesting moments in the Avalanche's potentially crucial win came when Siemens, cotton stuffed in what likely…
Frei: At least around here, the NHL trading deadline was much ado about very, very little
Joe Sakic wouldn't address whether the Avalanche got in the bidding for Ottawa's Erik Karlsson, who still is expected to be dealt…
Frei: Avalanche standing pat wouldn’t be irresponsible inertia
Going into Saturday’s games, the Avalanche, with 69 points, was only three out of the Western Conference’s second wild-card…
Frei: If the NHL stays home the next time, too, USA Hockey should go (completely) back to collegians
Realistically, if the NHL stays away, the USA should go all the way. Make Team USA all collegians. That's not a second-guess about…
Frei: With MacKinnon out, Kerfoot continues to show his (Ivy League) worth
Alexander Kerfoot didn't have a point in the Avalanche's first five games minus Nathan MacKinnon, but now has a goal in each of…
Frei: As MacKinnon skates closer to return, Avs at least have stayed in the hunt
The injured Nathan MacKinnon, who skated with the Avalanche at practice in a red/orange non-contact jersey Tuesday at Family…
Frei: Bowman Brothers homecoming part of Eagles’ last season as Avs’ ECHL affiliate
The Colorado Eagles have a comfortable lead in the ECHL's Mountain Division and two of the veterans playing under ECHL contracts…
Frei: After win over Sharks, this is even more clear: The longer Bernier owns crease, the better off Avalanche will be
The longer Jonathan Bernier can hold down the Avalanche crease, on merit rather than injury-caused default, the better Colorado's…
Interview: Homegrown DU Pioneer Troy Terry on his path to Olympic hockey
Troy Terry: "The Olympics are an incredible thing, a sacred athletic event, it’s so fun to watch. To be part of that would be so…
Frei: Don’t let MacKinnon’s longer-than-expected absence knock Avs off course
The start of Nathan MacKinnon's two-to-four week absence from the lineup comes amid a testing stretch of the Colorado schedule so…
Frei: A tale of two Avalanche All-Stars, past and present
As the Avalanche went into the All-Star break with a two-game losing streak that does nothing to diminish the magnitude of its…
Frei: All Aboard! The Avalanche bandwagon is gaining momentum
Banished since the amazing 112-point season under Patrick Roy in 2013-14 -- an accomplishment diminished by the first-round…
Frei: Avalanche’s Matt Nieto still thanking grandpa for that first stick in Long Beach
When Matt Nieto was a kid in hockey-crazed Long Beach — OK, the hockey-crazed part isn’t true — his grandfather bought him a mini-…
Frei: Jonathan Bernier talks about answering the call in the Avalanche net
With Semyon Varlamov again out at least through the All-Star break, the challenge is for Jonathan Bernier, 29, to not only be the…
Frei: Humble Nathan MacKinnon doesn’t mind not getting recognized… at the mall
I told Nathan MacKinnon Friday he would hate the question, but I was going to ask it, anyway. Do you feel like you’re becoming…