To riff on David Bowie, is it any wonder that Passover and Sukkot correspond to the two seasons of the year that are associated with transformation? Spring and fall — sowing and harvesting. Passover and Sukkot. So, too, in the sports world are spring and fall laden with transformation, though the script is mostly flipped. Fall contains the magic moment when all four major sports are, very briefly, active at the same time. In Denver — at least in recent years — we associate Passover (from a sports perspective) as the Avalanche and Nuggets securing their spot in the playoffs.
This year was no different — and what a time of transformation it has been!
Calvin Booth and Michael Malone, gone. Long overdue and as more stories emerge about the petty infighting, the Kroenkes must answer for why they allowed a toxic dynamic to ruin at least one season of one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
Gabriel Landeskog, beleaguered Avalanche captain, on the ice in a professional game for the first time since 2022, lifting up the souls of all Avalanche fans worldwide.
Zeev Buium, fighting to the last to keep DU’s men’s ice hockey team in the Frozen Four, called up by the Minnesota Wild and set to make his debut there, which Pioneer, Wild and Jewish hockey fans are on their edge of their seats for.
Us Coloradans are spoiled with riches. As I face Post Passover Stress Disorder, the brief blues as I pack away all my once-in-a-year kitchenwares, I thank the sports gods for what should hopefully be a seamless transition into the highs of post-season basketball and hockey.
Like the season some years ago when the Avalanche clinched their playoff berth on motzei Pesach, this year, the Nuggets begin their playoff run as Pesach fades, with the Avalanche following closely on their heels.
My ethos going into the highs of sports spring are the recent comments of no less a personal hero of mine that Nikola Jokic: “People say we are vulnerable but the beast is always strongest and most dangerous when they are vulnerable. Maybe [Kroenke] woke up the beast.”
Shana Goldberg may be reached at shana@ijn.com
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