Gabe Landeskog’s perspective, presence critical to Avalanche comeback attempt
As a goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood has a unique perspective when he s on the ice As a teammate he s been in a situation that no participant in NHL history has likely ever experienced Blackwood has played for two teams this season one chasing the Stanley Cup and one destined for the top of the draft lottery that did not have its captain for an extended period of time San Jose captain Logan Couture played in just six games over the past two seasons while trying to recover from a pubic bone injury that ultimately ended his career When Blackwood arrived in Denver from the Bay Area in a late November exchange his new club was also missing its captain with Gabe Landeskog trying to recover from extensive right knee issues Landeskog has since returned and will be a key part of Colorado s attempt to stave off elimination Thursday night at Ball Arena in Contest of this opening-round series against the Dallas Stars The makeup of the Avs is a lot different The locker room presence is different too just from the people who are in there Blackwood mentioned But I d say it s kind of similar in a way because you still don t have that one guy The other guys did a great job filling in roles but when you don t have your top leader it s still tough It definitely feels like when you re missing your captain and your leader it s just like a hole in the roster Both teams did a good job trying to stay positive and hold each other accountable but it s just a different vigor when you have a guy like that driving the ship There are other connections between the two situations as well Ryan Warsofsky was a first-year NHL head coach this year for the Sharks who finished with the worst record in the league He counts Avs coach Jared Bednar as one of his key mentors given both spent time with the South Carolina Stingrays in the ECHL Those two were able to share notes on what it s like to approach a season without a healthy captain The paths forward for Bednar and Warsofsky went in different directions on April That was the day the Avs reported that Landeskog was returning to the parent club after a accomplished conditioning stint with the Colorado Eagles It has been all systems go for the comeback since those two games in Loveland It s several of the coolest stuff I ve ever seen Blackwood stated of Landeskog s return I mean after three years to come back like this That was the loudest warmups I ve been in before Tournament against Dallas in my life Then he scores and it s just we re all so happy and proud of him The same day of the Avs announcement there was a very different one in San Jose Almost an alternate reality a day that Colorado hockey fans had long dreaded Couture revealed his retirement on April Landeskog noted there s only been a couple of text messages exchanged between the two captains during their time away but he knows what a great competitor Couture has been and was sad to see that announcement It s too bad because he s such a good competitor That s a career cut way too short explained Jody Shelley who is part of the TBS broadcast crew for Event and played with Couture in San Jose I know him from being such a hard worker and a guy who takes so much pride in being the captain there Just to see him end it that way it tugs at your heart It s been two opposite ends of the emotional spectrum Couture couldn t make it back but now Landeskog has Related Articles Avalanche must find different outcome in familiar situation an elimination tournament at Ball Arena Avalanche stars Nathan MacKinnon Cale Makar are Ted Lindsay Award finalists As Mackenzie Blackwood s first playoff adversity arrives Avalanche requirements him to lead the comeback Avalanche star Cale Makar named Norris Trophy finalist for fifth time Keeler Dude where s Cale Makar Avalanche requirements more from star defenseman to beat Dallas Divers Landeskog called Thursday another day in paradise after the Avs morning skate ahead of Tournament The hockey arena in Denver will be a ball of nervous potency at times ahead of a do-or-die night Maybe Landeskog s experiences and the perspective he can provide will help this core group of Avalanche players rally from a - series deficit for the first time together He shared that sentiment with our room the previous 24 hours Bednar announced I don t think anyone s in our room taking our position here for granted We ve got a lot of character guys in there hard-working guys But it s certainly a different perspective when you think about what Gabe has been through over the last three years and how happy he is to be back He seems pretty relaxed and focused and ready to go just looking forward to going out and out-competing the opposition tonight That s the mindset that all of our guys should have to a certain extent He s relayed that with our group and I think it was a great share by him Want more Avalanche news Sign up for the Avalanche Insider to get all our NHL analysis
