We’re getting closer.
September has always been the most transformative, scary, unique, ultimately much-needed months in my life. It’s the month when it starts to get colder, the month when you used to have to go back to school (the weekend after Labor Day in my day, now it’s earlier). It’s the month when the winter sports teams start training camp too.
That means hockey. We’ll have Avalanche hockey to talk about next month. Sept. 20, in fact, when the Utah Mammoth invade Ball Arena to play a game that will mean absolutely nothing.
One of the best decisions the NHL made this year was cutting the number of preseason games to just four. I believe, in 1995 when I first covered the Avs, there were 11 preseason games. There was a full, five-game road trip, in fact.
Remember, the NHL regular-season schedule is increasing to 84 games this season, up from 82. That explains some of the cutback in preseason games. But, also, preseason games usually have low attendance. Teams historically lost money in the preseason. Not a lot of money, as players don’t start drawing paychecks until the regular season starts (first and 15th of every month), but owners still have to pay for all those arena employees and other costs of putting on a game, with far fewer ticket buyers to make up for them.
Anyway, September is coming fast. At least I don’t have to go back to school anymore, so it’s not a terrifying month to me anymore. Oh god, there was nothing worse than that final Sunday of summer vacation. You’d start out the morning OK (sleep in! Mom’s breakfast! Football!) but by 7 o’clock, the dreaded “60 Minutes” clock would start ticking and you knew you were down to the final hours before life would radically change back to school five days a week, with 6 a.m. wakeup calls.
The regular season will actually start in September for the first time in probably forever, with the season-opener on the 30th at home against the Kings. So, good things are coming, kids.
Some random notes:
