The Colorado Avalanche are the worst hockey team in the National Hockey League, and veteran Jean-Sebastien Giguere has had it up to here with his teammates.
The Avs lost again Monday night, this time to the lowly Calgary Flames, and Colorado is now 1-8-1 in its last 10 games.
The 35-year-old Giguere, who won a Stanley Cup with Anaheim in 2007, knows how to win hockey games. He knows what it takes to be a winning hockey team. Right now, he sees none of that from his Avs teammates, and he let them know about it Monday night.
“There’s no more excuses. It’s not about being young. It’s not about anything. We have to put our head into the game,” Giguere said, according to the Denver Post. “Some guys are more worried about their Vegas trip at the end of the season than playing the games, playing every minute of the game. Quite frankly, I don’t care about your Vegas trip right now. It’s not constructive. We have to get out of this losing mentality. It starts with me and the next guy beside me, and everybody’s got to do their part. It’s embarrassing. I’m embarrassed to be here right now. It’s not even funny.”
The Flames’ 3-1 win over Colorado on Monday night snapped a 13-game road losing streak for Calgary, who also added a shorthanded goal late in the third period to add to the Avs’ misery. Colorado now has a woeful 12-22-5 record on the season.
“I’ve been around for 15 years in this league, and I don’t know what it is,” Giguere added. “I don’t know why we seem like we don’t care [sometimes]. Some guys are fighting to show they belong in the NHL, some guys are fighting for contracts, and it’s just embarrassing, the energy that we have in the room, the way we approach practices and the way we approach this game. It’s not how you’re going to win any games in this league. Every day is the same story. I’m just beyond words right now.”
The 2003 Conn Smythe winner hasn’t really been much of a problem. He’s only 2-4-2 in nine starts and 12 games played, but Giguere has a 2.84 goals against average to go along with a .911 save percentage as Semyon Varlamov‘s backup.
