Sakic, Bednar address Avs playoff injuries

The Avalanche are exactly six days removed from their gut-wrenching Game-7 loss to the Dallas Stars. While it’s likely felt like a lifetime to you and me, for the Avs’ coaching staff and front office, the grieving period is already over. They say it pays to have a short-term memory in this business, and that has to be the case, especially for this strange offseason. Free agency opens in less than a month, with training camps following shortly after that. Avs general manager Joe Sakic is already working the phones.

But while there’s very little time between this season and next, Sakic still took the time out of his busy offseason to host his annual “Joe Sakic Classic,” a charity golf tournament that benefits the Food Bank of the Rockies. The 23rd annual tourney was held Thursday at Sanctuary Golf Course in Sedalia, Colorado, and Sakic and head coach Jared Bednar spent some time off the course addressing the status of their many injured players and the disappointing season that was.

“It took me a couple days,” Bednar said of his grieving process. “You pour your heart and soul into something that turned out to be a full calendar year and come up short. It’s disappointing for the players, coaches, Joe and his staff, our fans. We’re all trying to get to the same place. You sort of go through a state of depression for a couple days when you lose out.”