Fun With Facts: Avs and Habs Square Off as Homestead Continues
The Canadiens traded Patrick Roy to Colorado one time... that was stupid.
Another day, another game and another “fun facts” with Pat!
The Avalanche welcome the Montreal Canadiens to Ball Arena tonight for the third contest of a five-game homestand with puck drop set for 7 p.m. Mountain Time.
Tonight’s game offers fans the opportunity to welcome back former Stanley Cup Champion Alex Newhook to Denver for the first time since being traded to Montreal last summer. The former first-round pick has played in just 43 games in his first season in a Habs’ sweater, registering 24 points (12-12-24) to rank sixth in scoring on a Canadiens team that currently is tied for last place in the Atlantic (64 points) and second from the bottom in the conference.
I’m sure that he will receive a warm ovation back in the Mile High City after playing on the 2022 team that returned the Cup back to Denver after more than two decades. In 159 regular season games with Colorado, Newy had 66 points (27-39-66) playing mostly in the bottom six. In that Cup run, he appeared in 12 games with four assists and no goals. He also failed to score a goal in last season’s playoff loss to Seattle and never lived up to the expectations of the 16th overall pick. The Avs’ front office did a good job in getting a first- and second-round pick (as well as a prospect) for Newhook who needed a fresh start and room to grow his game at the NHL level.
I’m looking forward to seeing him back tonight. It won’t be the same as J.T. Compher or even in the same stratosphere as Erik Johnson’s return, but he played a role in winning the Cup and that will always be special to fans.
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