I’m still trying to unpack this. Man. God fucking dammit this sucks. On so many levels and the first part that hits me so hard is the toll this has taken on Gabe. The man is a legend, a genuinely amazing human being. Lifelong pain is more often than not a consequence of being a professional athlete but this has the potential to be so much more than that.
I feel so heartbroken for him because he knows his role was to be the captain of the next great Avalanche dynasty. He still can serve that role but as of now who knows if he can. If we move past the “if” he comes back part of the equation we then go to the “will he be as good” part. I’m not going to speculate and I have full confidence in the Avs and in Gabe to make every decision with profound deliberation and due diligence.
It’s just hard for me to now assume he can come back and be one of the top dogs again on this squad. He can still come back and be our cap but I just feel like this has thrown a massive wrench in the Avs plans. I think we might be seeing the first part of a new journey where the Avs find their new cap (likely Mack although I think it should be Mikko) and they just hope that Gabe can eventually come back or retire to mitigate the cap consequences to the Avs (if it even helps I have no clue).
I think Gabe is going to be a head coach one day, I think we’ll see him involved in the NHL for decades to come. But I never thought that game 6 against Tampa last year could be the last we see of him. Certainly at the form we expected him to be for at least 2-4 years after he signed his last contract.
Ultimately tho I just wish him the best. Watching that conference I could tell how hard this whole situation has been for him. Dude seemed to be holding back tears. What an absolute stud and true champion. Regardless of the future he will always be one of my favorite athletes. I hope he continues to be involved with the Avs for a long, long time.
mattevs119
For him to get up there and lay it all out there like that took serious testicular fortitude. It was evident in his tone and demeanor that this is very serious. I truly hope this isn’t career ending for him, but based on what he said it sounds like they have worked with countless medical professionals and have yet to find a long term solution that will get him back to full strength anytime soon. But here is hoping that there is someone out there they can find that will help get him the treatment he needs. We love you and are pulling for you, Cap. God speed brother.
88Tygon88
God damn Landy was holding it together better than I was through that. Love him and his no regrets! Get better cap get better. The boys got this.
3 Comments
I’m still trying to unpack this. Man. God fucking dammit this sucks. On so many levels and the first part that hits me so hard is the toll this has taken on Gabe. The man is a legend, a genuinely amazing human being. Lifelong pain is more often than not a consequence of being a professional athlete but this has the potential to be so much more than that.
I feel so heartbroken for him because he knows his role was to be the captain of the next great Avalanche dynasty. He still can serve that role but as of now who knows if he can. If we move past the “if” he comes back part of the equation we then go to the “will he be as good” part. I’m not going to speculate and I have full confidence in the Avs and in Gabe to make every decision with profound deliberation and due diligence.
It’s just hard for me to now assume he can come back and be one of the top dogs again on this squad. He can still come back and be our cap but I just feel like this has thrown a massive wrench in the Avs plans. I think we might be seeing the first part of a new journey where the Avs find their new cap (likely Mack although I think it should be Mikko) and they just hope that Gabe can eventually come back or retire to mitigate the cap consequences to the Avs (if it even helps I have no clue).
I think Gabe is going to be a head coach one day, I think we’ll see him involved in the NHL for decades to come. But I never thought that game 6 against Tampa last year could be the last we see of him. Certainly at the form we expected him to be for at least 2-4 years after he signed his last contract.
Ultimately tho I just wish him the best. Watching that conference I could tell how hard this whole situation has been for him. Dude seemed to be holding back tears. What an absolute stud and true champion. Regardless of the future he will always be one of my favorite athletes. I hope he continues to be involved with the Avs for a long, long time.
For him to get up there and lay it all out there like that took serious testicular fortitude. It was evident in his tone and demeanor that this is very serious. I truly hope this isn’t career ending for him, but based on what he said it sounds like they have worked with countless medical professionals and have yet to find a long term solution that will get him back to full strength anytime soon. But here is hoping that there is someone out there they can find that will help get him the treatment he needs. We love you and are pulling for you, Cap. God speed brother.
God damn Landy was holding it together better than I was through that. Love him and his no regrets! Get better cap get better. The boys got this.