End of An Era

It's the end of an era for the Colorado Avalanche. Not officially for about 12 more hours, but Avs' Captain Adam Foote will be announcing his retirement from the National Hockey League. This will mark the end of an era in Avalanche history. Adam Foote is the last remaining player on the Avalanche who also played for the Quebec Nordiques. Foote is also the last player on the roster who won both Stanley Cups in 1996 and 2001 with the Avs.

Foote's retirement shouldn't come as a surprise to any Avalanche fans. Last year, it was uncertain whether or not Foote would want to play another season. In addition to all the injuries he has suffered this season, it was pretty clear he was going to be hanging up his skates. Also, if you play close enough attention things, prior to today's news that Foote would be making an announcement tomorrow morning, a story came out that Foote was going to be coaching a youth hockey team next season. It would be pretty much impossible to coach a youth team and still play in the NHL at the same time.

Adam Foote spent most of his 19 seasons in the NHL with the Quebec/Colorado franchise and only played a short amount of time with the Columbus Blue Jackets after the lockout. Foote was with the Avs for both Stanley Cup victories and also won an Olympic gold medal with Team Canada in 2002. After the retirement of long-time Avalanche Captain Joe Sakic, Foote took over as captain of the Avalanche.

Despite announcing his retirement at the end of the season tomorrow morning, Foote will try to play his final game in front of the home fans on Sunday, April 10th. He has missed many games lately due to a foot injury, but wants to play in the final game of the season. Whether or not he's able to suit up and play in the season finale, it's a classy move on Foote's part to at least attempt to play one more time in front of the home crowd. After a disappointing, injury-riddled season for the Avs, it would be nice to see our captain play one last time before his retirement.