Tanguay and Skoula both making an impact

By Billy Gilliam
The Colorado Avalanche have eight starters out with injuries including Peter Forsberg, Chris Drury, Adam Deadmarsh, Adam Foote, and Stephane Yelle. Colorado still has the best record in the NHL mainly because of the emergence of two young guns. Alex Tanguay and Martin Skoula. Both have made large strides in their development from last year. Both have been counted on to play on the top 2 forward and defensive lines for the Avs, and they have looked stellar, not out of place like most 21 year olds would.

First lets take a look at the progression of Alex Tanguay. Ever since Colorado took Tanguay with the 12th pick in the ’98 draft, they knew they had a kid with star potential. They may have even more than that, as Tanguay is dominating out on the ice with a vast array of plays such as perfect tape to tape backhand saucer passes, blistering slapshots, and serious moves one on one. Last season as a 20 year old, Alex put up very respectable numbers with 51 points and led the team in shooting percentage (23.0), and was also second in rookie scoring to Scott Gomez. This season, Tanguay has 25 points in 23 games including an NHL best 11 game point streak. One reason for his success is his improved skating. Last year, he didn’t have that breakaway speed that is necessary in the NHL today. Now, his skating is much more fluid, and he can really fly. Another reason Alex is on the verge of superstardom is his hockey sense. Tanguay anticipates the play as well as anyone is in the NHL right now. He has taken full advantage of playing on a line with Joe Sakic and Milan Hejduk. The line has a great mix of speed, skill, and even toughness. Since the injuries, it has been Tanguay’s responsibility to stand in front of the net and take punishment. In a recent game against LA, Alex scored a powerplay goal after taking cross checks and slashes for over a minute from Rob Blake and Kelly Buchburger without giving up any ground. Tanguay is proving to everyone he is one of the most complete young players in the game today. When you combine his skill with his work ethic, the sky is the limit. Tanguay reminds me of Peter Forsberg when he was first breaking into the NHL, and believe me, Tanguay could be that good. If Tanguay stays healthy, 70-75 points would not be out of the question.

After taking Tanguay in the ’98 draft, the Avs nabbed Czech defenseman Martin Skoula with the 17th pick. While Skoula has yet to live up to the offensive defenseman label put on him, he has still played very well. Last year, he played a simple, but solid defensive game that kept him in the top 4 rotation throughout the year. This season he has a few new tricks in his bag and hasn’t been afraid to show them. His numbers offensively aren’t breathtaking, ( 0 goals 5 assists, 23 games ) but he has 30 shots and has hit the post or the crossbar at least four or five times. I wouldn’t worry about his offense, because defensively he has been one of the Avs most dependable. He is a master at poke checking already. Forwards better learn to stay away from the back of the net because Skoula will either take the puck away from you then skate right by you, or take the puck away from you and smartly use the boards or put a perfect outlet pass to a teammate, or he might just throw his 6’3″ 220 pound body on you. He is not considered a physical player, but he will hit when needed. His skating is very natural, and well balanced. With the trade of Sandis Ozolinsh, Skoula has more responsibility to produce offensively. The puck isn’t going in for him right now, but he picks his spots to jump in better than Ozo did. He could establish himself as a classic two-way defenseman, and one of the top 5 D-men in the NHL in the next couple of years. A future All-star for sure.

As you can see, the Avs have a few gems in their hand. Is it fair for a team to have Sakic, Forsberg, Deadmarsh, Drury, Hejduk, Bourque, Foote, Roy, Skoula, and Tanguay? Not just that, but also two young future stars in Vaclav Nedorost and Jared Aulin in their system. With Tanguay and Skoula emerging, this team may be as deep as the ’96 cup champion team. If the Avs don’t win the cup this year, regardless of what happens to Sakic and Bourque, the Avs will be ready again in ’01-’02 thanks in large part to Alex Tanguay and Martin Skoula.