Scott MacDonald
On what is the final day of the Avs training camp and the eve of the 2021 season opener, general manager Joe Sakic took some time to address the media ahead of Wednesday’s season opener against the St. Louis Blues.
Sakic began with a short statement, which he announced the team would not only be honoring former general manager Pierre Lacroix in a ceremony before the opener on Wednesday, but the team will also be wearing “PL” stickers on their helmets for the entirety of the 2021 season.
“Pierre, it was a tough loss for everybody to hear,” Sakic said in his opening remarks. “He was such a special person, special to our organization. We talked about honoring him the right way, and that’s with the fans. Unfortunately he won’t be there next season to be with us for that, but we’re all looking forward to the 2021-22 season where we can rightfully honor Pierre (with the fans).”
After his opening remarks, GM Joe Sakic opened the floor to questions, which ranged from Lacroix to Bo Byram to the team’s expectations heading into this season.
“Well that expectation kept growing and growing over the last couple years,” Sakic stated. “We like hearing from our players and our coaching staff that we all expect to compete for the Stanley Cup. At the end of the year, we want to hoist that over our head and that’s our goal.”
“What I like is that’s the way our players feel and we feel we have as good a shot as anybody else in the league,” Sakic added. “I like where our players’ mentality is. That’s the expectations and it’s good to be in a position where your players feel like that and that’s their expectations. It is for all of us.”
It’s a lot of pressure to put on this team, but “it’s exciting pressure,” Sakic added. “That’s what you want as a player. You want to know you have the ability to try and win a Cup. That’s every player’s ultimate dream…There’s nothing like being a team that is expected to win. You want to come to the rink every day and work for that goal.”
The Avs GM knows he’s built a talented roster. It is, after all, the reason the team is heading into this season with such high, Cup-bound expectations. But as a player who has been around the block and who has been in a locker room with those very same Cup expectations, he understands it isn’t just about the product on the ice.
“I mean, talent only gets you so far,” he said. “You have to catch some breaks; you have to be healthy; you know, bounces got to go your way.”
But one of those things you can control is having at certain je ne sais quoi — and belief — in the locker room.
“We feel in that dressing room that guys believe in each other and care for each other and want to win for each other…We like the team we have here and they expect to compete for the Cup and win the Cup,” he said.
“And when you have all the ingredients, you have a good chance.”
Other news and notes from GM Sakic’s pre-season presser:
Expectations are high and everyone knows it — inside and outside of the room. The journey to Cup glory begins tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. MT.