Colorado Football Is Over, But We Still Have Hockey & Basketball

Sure, this Denver Bronco season was one of the most fun to watch in years, and when it came to an abrupt end last night in Boston it may have you singing the sports blues! No more Tebow Time, no more Mile High Magic, no more Broncos, but I am here to tell you it’s not all bad for the Colorado sports fan! We do still have Lawson, O’ Reilly, the Nuggets, and the Avalanche!

Over the last few months people who haven’t watched sports in years busted out ESPN and spent Sunday afternoons glued to the TV to see the worldwide phenomenon known as Tebow. The Broncos set TV ratings records that haven’t been reached in years, and social media could have been renamed Bronco-mania. As the days, weeks, and months go by, the Tebow and Bronco talk will be much less, but the magical season in Denver won’t soon be forgotten. The Broncos will be back more experienced and better next season, so don’t get too sad that it’s over.

Plus, even though we no longer have the Broncos, we do have two major sports teams in the Mile High City that are holding their own, and giving Colorado fans reason to keep cheering. The two teams happen to share the same home, Pepsi Center, and they also don’t make you wait a week in between games.

The only guys in pro sports that may be tougher than football players are hockey players. The Avalanche play hockey in Denver, and actually used to be Colorado’s second favorite son when they were winning Stanley Cups and selling out record numbers of games in the late 90′s and early 2000′s. A young team that has struggled the last few seasons combined with an NHL lockout a few years back have sort of killed interest in the Av’s over the last few years. They have young players that are making names for themselves around the league like Matt Duchene, Paul Stastny, and Ryan O’ Rielly who leads the team in both goals and assists. Plus, they have some veteran leaders like Milan Hejduk and goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere. The Av’s are currently 24-20-2 and in third place in the Northwest Division with 50 points, but with end striking distance of the playoffs.

The basketball team in Denver, the Nuggets, also had to battle adversity of late. The NBA lockout had

fans turning their backs on the game, and the Nuggets traded away Carmelo Anthony late last season, who was arguably the best player in franchise history. All that bad could have spelled disaster for the Nuggs, but they have responded better than anyone could have expected. Through 12 games this season, the Nuggets are second in points per game, and they lead the league in assists per game. Their 8-4 record puts them in second place in the Northwest Division, and young Ty Lawson is putting fans back in their seats at Pepsi Center leading the team in scoring at 17 per game. Without Anthony the Nuggets are a new team, possibly a better team, and are poised to make a deep run into the NBA Playoffs this season.

So, wipe the tears, put the memories of a great Bronco season in a box in the attic, and let’s give the other teams around town the same support we gave our Broncos! Oh by the way, only 81 more days until April 6th… That’s when the Rockies get their season started in Houston against the Astros!