? When the Avalanche took to the ice Wednesday to practice at the Saddledome, Peter Budaj tended one net and a "Shooter Tutor" was placed in the other.
Meanwhile, injured goalie Craig Anderson was in Denver, and the wheels were in motion for John Grahame to join the team in time to serve as Budaj's backup for tonight's game against the Flames.
After practice, Avalanche coach Joe Sacco said Anderson had seen doctors in Denver and that he would be out "indefinitely" with a knee injury but wouldn't require surgery.
"It's going to require some treatment and rehab, and we hope to have him back as soon as possible," Sacco said.
Sacco wouldn't provide any more details, repeating his previous answer virtually word for word when asked about the specific diagnosis. But he left the impression the injury, which Anderson suffered in the pregame warm-up at Vancouver on Tuesday, when he was scheduled to back up Budaj, isn't serious.
The Avalanche recalled Grahame, 35, from Lake Erie of the American Hockey League. The decision came down to Grahame and Jason Bacashihua, who had been splitting the work with the Lake Erie Monsters.
"From all reports down there, he's been playing the best of the two goaltenders, so it's based on merit," Sacco said.
Sacco made it clear that he would consider Budaj the likely workhorse while Anderson is out.
"I will probably play Peter the majority of the games, but I will see how the schedule plays out, like I always do and see how Peter's rest is and make sure he's feeling fresh," Sacco said.
The situation with the Denver-born Grahame was potentially awkward because he is the son not only of University of Denver associate athletic director Ron Grahame, a former NHL goaltender, but also Charlotte Grahame, the Avalanche's vice president of hockey administration. But John Grahame has played 224 NHL games and has had stretches of effective and even impressive play in stints with Boston, Tampa Bay and Carolina. The Avalanche signed him last March and assigned him to Lake Erie.
"It was the coaches' decision in Lake Erie," Avalanche general manager Greg Sherman said of the Grahame call-up. "They have the pulse of what's going on down there, who's playing well and who's deserving."
Budaj started only 11 games in 2009-10 and has seen little regular work since he played 56 games for the dreadful Avalanche squad of 2008-09.
"It seems like I'm going to play more games than usual, but I'm excited," Budaj said. "It's a big test for me. I've been in the league awhile and I've played many games before, and I know what I have to do."
Budaj's teammates, meanwhile, predictably expressed confidence in him.
"Boods is playing well," defenseman Kyle Quincey said. "Hopefully, he can keep going. Johnny Grahame's a good goalie too, and we can give him a second chance to come back. But we have all the faith in the world in Boods."
There was a lot of talk about who would have stepped into the net if Budaj were hurt against the Canucks on Tuesday, with Anderson out. After the game, Sacco said he hadn't pondered that scenario, but Quincey joked that he might have volunteered.
"I'm a pretty good goalie in the offseason, road hockey," Quincey said. "I was willing to put on the old pads."
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Spotlight on Rene Bourque: The former Wisconsin Badger had a hat trick against Columbus on Friday and two goals against San Jose on Sunday, leading to him being named the NHL's No. 1 star for the week. He has missed two games with a mild concussion and has six goals in only seven games for the Flames.
Avalanche: The Avalanche's Wednesday afternoon practice at the Saddledome preceded the later major junior game between the Calgary Hitmen and Kootenay Ice. Avalanche winger TJ Galiardi is from Calgary and played for the Hitmen. "My parents usually buy a bunch of tickets and will give them out to family," Galiardi said. "We'll see how many I have to get."
Flames: Calgary has won three games in a row and five of its last six. . . . After signing a one-year deal last summer as an unrestricted free agent, former Avalanche center Alex Tanguay is in his second stint with the Flames and is off to a good start with three goals and four assists. . . . Brendan Morrison, 35, who signed a one-year deal after spending last season at Washington, also is showing he has something left in the tank. The former Hobey Baker Award winner leads the Flames with nine points.
Meanwhile, injured goalie Craig Anderson was in Denver, and the wheels were in motion for John Grahame to join the team in time to serve as Budaj's backup for tonight's game against the Flames.
After practice, Avalanche coach Joe Sacco said Anderson had seen doctors in Denver and that he would be out "indefinitely" with a knee injury but wouldn't require surgery.
"It's going to require some treatment and rehab, and we hope to have him back as soon as possible," Sacco said.
Sacco wouldn't provide any more details, repeating his previous answer virtually word for word when asked about the specific diagnosis. But he left the impression the injury, which Anderson suffered in the pregame warm-up at Vancouver on Tuesday, when he was scheduled to back up Budaj, isn't serious.
The Avalanche recalled Grahame, 35, from Lake Erie of the American Hockey League. The decision came down to Grahame and Jason Bacashihua, who had been splitting the work with the Lake Erie Monsters.
"From all reports down there, he's been playing the best of the two goaltenders, so it's based on merit," Sacco said.
Sacco made it clear that he would consider Budaj the likely workhorse while Anderson is out.
"I will probably play Peter the majority of the games, but I will see how the schedule plays out, like I always do and see how Peter's rest is and make sure he's feeling fresh," Sacco said.
The situation with the Denver-born Grahame was potentially awkward because he is the son not only of University of Denver associate athletic director Ron Grahame, a former NHL goaltender, but also Charlotte Grahame, the Avalanche's vice president of hockey administration. But John Grahame has played 224 NHL games and has had stretches of effective and even impressive play in stints with Boston, Tampa Bay and Carolina. The Avalanche signed him last March and assigned him to Lake Erie.
"It was the coaches' decision in Lake Erie," Avalanche general manager Greg Sherman said of the Grahame call-up. "They have the pulse of what's going on down there, who's playing well and who's deserving."
Budaj started only 11 games in 2009-10 and has seen little regular work since he played 56 games for the dreadful Avalanche squad of 2008-09.
"It seems like I'm going to play more games than usual, but I'm excited," Budaj said. "It's a big test for me. I've been in the league awhile and I've played many games before, and I know what I have to do."
Budaj's teammates, meanwhile, predictably expressed confidence in him.
"Boods is playing well," defenseman Kyle Quincey said. "Hopefully, he can keep going. Johnny Grahame's a good goalie too, and we can give him a second chance to come back. But we have all the faith in the world in Boods."
There was a lot of talk about who would have stepped into the net if Budaj were hurt against the Canucks on Tuesday, with Anderson out. After the game, Sacco said he hadn't pondered that scenario, but Quincey joked that he might have volunteered.
"I'm a pretty good goalie in the offseason, road hockey," Quincey said. "I was willing to put on the old pads."
____________
Spotlight on Rene Bourque: The former Wisconsin Badger had a hat trick against Columbus on Friday and two goals against San Jose on Sunday, leading to him being named the NHL's No. 1 star for the week. He has missed two games with a mild concussion and has six goals in only seven games for the Flames.
Avalanche: The Avalanche's Wednesday afternoon practice at the Saddledome preceded the later major junior game between the Calgary Hitmen and Kootenay Ice. Avalanche winger TJ Galiardi is from Calgary and played for the Hitmen. "My parents usually buy a bunch of tickets and will give them out to family," Galiardi said. "We'll see how many I have to get."
Flames: Calgary has won three games in a row and five of its last six. . . . After signing a one-year deal last summer as an unrestricted free agent, former Avalanche center Alex Tanguay is in his second stint with the Flames and is off to a good start with three goals and four assists. . . . Brendan Morrison, 35, who signed a one-year deal after spending last season at Washington, also is showing he has something left in the tank. The former Hobey Baker Award winner leads the Flames with nine points.
