Dater: We’ll Know Soon Whether Avs Actually Learned from Past, or are Paper Tigers

Judging by my mentions and inbox, Avalanche fans are not at all through the seven stages of grief yet, over last night’s epic meltdown in Game 5. Everybody is still stuck on the “anger” part it would seem. Hey, I don’t blame you.

I had one of those moments when I woke up today where I actually thought I had I dreamed that collapse, that unbelievable loss to St. Louis. I was like, “Wait, that didn’t really happen. Did it???” It remains just unfathomable to me and most every one of you that the Avs really did blow that game. Especially, given how this team has talked so much about learning from the past, learning how to win, learning never to let up. Yadda. Yadda. Yadda. You’re in your own building with a roaring crowd. You’re up 3-0 late in the second period against a team missing its top goalie, arguably its best defenseman, a team that was 2-12 to you at that point against you all-time in playoff series competitions, with a chance to finally get this second-round-exit gorilla off your back and….you lose the damn game?????

I think a lot of Avs fans today are feeling like those in a bad relationship that we’ve all had at some point, where you keep hearing “I’ve changed, I’ve changed, I’ve changed, things will be different this time, promise!” and then, boom, they go right back to their old selves again. Of course, this isn’t that serious. It’s just a game. But that’s how a lot of fans seem to feel today. Just deep, deep disappointment in the team for letting that happen last night. Everybody just sooooo wants to buy in and let loose with wild cheers for this team. But they couldn’t close out a game in which the odds of not doing so were sky high.