Kelsey’s Korner: Sunday Funday

EDMONTON, ALBERTA – Ladies and gents, your Colorado Avalanche are headed to the Stanley Cup Finals. But, you already knew that and I’m late to getting to Kelsey’s Korner. Twas a late night and a long day of travel. So just a quick recap of the last couple of days in Edmonton.

Last time I wrote, it was Saturday after the Avs won Game 3 4-2. Nazem Kadri left the game with a injury and Darcy Kuemper was still had not dressed for a game. A lot has changed since Saturday night as we saw Andre Burakovsky returned to action, Nicolas Aube-Kubel was inserted into the lineup and Darcy Kuemper backed up Pavel Francouz in Game 4. Phew. That was a lot. The Avs certainly like to keep you on your toes and change things up.

Anyhow, Sunday was a rest day for most of the team and the media. Practice was scheduled to start around 1:30, so I thought this would be the perfect time to explore a little bit and try to find the famous Tim Hortons. Luckily there was one right across the street from the arena. Let me tell ya, it lived up to the hype. It tasted as if I was drinking liquid gold. It warmed my heart and I probably could have had three more cups if I was being honest. And yes, I did come home with a souvenir cup. It’s going to work with me tomorrow filled with my crappy coffee. But it still makes me smile.

There was an optional skate, where most of the players listed above, had practiced. It wasn’t anything crazy and Jared Bednar met with the media while the guys were on the ice. After the night before, the focus was on Kadri, how he was doing, who was taking his spot, etc. I want to get this out there, Bednar is extremely tight-lipped on player injuries, their status coming back, line combinations, all of it. Especially this far into the playoffs he isn’t going to share much with us unless it’s a season-ending one like Sam Girard. If there is news or an update on a player and their status, Colorado Hockey Now has you covered. Right now, there just isn’t a lot.

After practice, Adrian Dater, Darren McKee and myself recorded a podcast at Joey Bell Tower. This was definitely the place to be. They had incredible food, great beers and it was fun atmosphere. Their chips and guacamole are to die for. I actually went back the next day and had it for lunch, it was so good and filling. We cranked out the podcast and finished our drinks. Onto to the next adventure! Except, I didn’t really have anything on the schedule after that. I wasn’t quite ready to go back to the Airbnb and there was still a lot of sunlight.

I went and checked out Sherlock Holmes. This was my kind of pub. The walls were covered in dollar bills, concert tickets and sporting event tickets. One wall specifically had different amounts of money all signed and then stuck into the wall. I overheard the waitress say, once the wall is filled, they take all the money down and donate it to charity. How awesome is that? I enjoyed a lovely Peach Sour beer and helped myself to some beer cheese with pretzels and naan. I used to work in the service industry and we would always know the best sides and random things that tasted well together. For example, sweet potato fires and caramel. I know it sounds crazy but don’t knock it till you try it. Let me know what you think. So the bartender suggested trying pickles with this amazing beer cheese. I love trying new food, just about as much as I like trying new beer. Boy, he wasn’t wrong either. It was amazing! I asked for another order of pickles to finish of the last of the beer cheese. If I go back to Edmonton for whatever reason, I will certainly be making a stop at Sherlock Holmes. Wonderful suggestion readers! Thank you!

With a full belly it was time to call it a night. Monday was another big day. Not just for the Avs but this was also the COVID testing day to get back home. A negative test means you get to travel back home and a positive meant time to extend that Airbnb. At no point did I feel sick but I was sweating bullets about this test since Dater booked it. Stay tuned for results and who I ran into while getting tested. There is one thing to remember, no one is above COVID.

Epilogue: Negative. Back home. Thanks for the memories, Edmonton.