Our third-annual Battle for the Banner Colorado Avalanche shootout finals took place last night during the first intermission of the Avs/Ducks game on Pepsi Center ice between Realty Source Financial and Hatrick Swayze.

The Avalanche Guild would like to congratulate REALTY SOURCE FINANCIAL on winning the Championship Banner with a 2-1 victory, winning on the 10th and final shot!

Please check back over the weekend as we will post tons of photos and hopefully a short video of the shootout! Thanks to everyone that checked out the shootout and enjoyed the adult hockey in-game entertainment experience!

:: REALTY SOURCE FINANCIAL ::
Reggie Archer
Alex Guralnik
Adam Kane
Will Briggs
Warren Niffeneger
Mike Berry (G)

Below is the official completed bracket from the Battle for the Banner 3 Shootout Tournament, which took place last month at Pepsi Center.

CLICK ABOVE TO DOWNLOAD THE FINISHED BRACKET

There was a lot of free food and drink, video games, casino games, and a silent auction all on the arena floor. Here are a few observations I made as I toured the party:

• As I played blackjack with Carmelo Anthony, I quickly learned that I am no good at blackjack.
• As I played Wii basketball with Matt Duchene (hey, how did he get in? The invite said 21+…), I learned that he’s either a gracious host and let me win, or I am much better at it than he is.
• Craig Anderson is a lot taller than I expected.
• Peter Mueller is a whiz at craps. I played for 30 minutes and I still have no idea what the rules are.
• Brett Clark was the nicest guy I spoke with all night. Instead of just listening to my questions and congratulations on a good season, he asked me about myself and how I was doing. It was a pleasant surprise.
• Matt of The Burgundy Blog was there, and though we only briefly spoke, it was great to talk to him. Definitely give him a follow on Twitter.

The event was a blast and I’m definitely going to try and make it again next year. The Avalanche website has a photo gallery and video of the event, so head over there for more.

Did you attend? Tell us all about your night in the comments.

As we do with all of our supporters and followers, we enhanced their hockey experience with an unforgettable game on Pepsi Center ice! This game took place on Jan. 8, 2009 after the Avs/Blackhawks game. The event was a great success and it was a tightly played game with The KBPI Guild winning by a score of 5-4.

After Hours Game v. Sydney Pirates from Brad Stabio on Vimeo.

Shot by Joe Movick on his Sony EX-1 and edited at Stabio Productions studio, the video below is a great way to learn more about The Avalanche Guild and the unique programs we run. Some local celebrity players on the KBPI Guild team include Uncle Nasty from KBPI, Brian Maass and Alan Gionet from Chanel 4 News and goalie Jim Gromer from Comcast Entertainment TV.

Check out our video recap below, which includes information on this awesome fan appreciation event. We were there pretty early since we had to run another After-Hours game, but some of the rides we did catch were slick!

Although the Avalanche came back down to earth with a sputtering 2-2 road trip out west, the team has a few days to rest up for a solid three-game homestand. Avalanche fans have a great opportunity to catch the Phoenix Coyotes on Wednesday, the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday and the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday.

Injuries have become a major concern for this team, as T.J. Galiardi was the latest victim of circumstance during the road trip. Although the team did get John-Michael Liles and Peter Budaj back in the lineup, one was considerably rusty from missing a few weeks of action and the other still has yet to play in a game for the Avs this season.

So please support The Avalanche Guild and our mission by tuning into Mile High Sports Radio AM 1510 starting at 6:00p and join us for Avalanche Weekly. You can reach us at 303-297-1510 at any time during  the show to voice your opinion on our 10-3-2 Colorado Avalanche and you can also stream the show online by clicking links above!

Despite a couple of late power plays for Detroit and a total of 21 shots in the third period, they were just unable to find any twine behind Anderson. And despite being out-shot by more than a 2-to-1 margin (49-23), the Avalanche were able to find a way to collect two crucial points and stay perfect at home (4-0). 

And once again, in timely fashion, the Avs had goals and strong efforts from the younger players on the team to go along with a great motivational lift from the near (very, very near) sellout crowd. Not even the usual amount of slovenly and over-dramatic Wings fans could hex Anderson’s heroic goaltending. In fact, they failed…miserably.

Case in point – another legendary octopus that was thrown by a sheer genius of a Red Wings fan from the worst spot possible for sticking a successful landing - behind the net. Although we can’t say for sure if the person tossing the horrendous creature intended to have it stick high above Anderson’s net during the third period, that’s where it would stay until the game ended.

After the game, members of the The Avalanche Guild’s event staff were getting players on the ice for the first-ever RMHL After-Hours game (4-3, Earls over Ice ranch in a shootout, btw) when we walked right past the vile octopus. How did this one in particular meet his maker? He was simply jiggled loose from the netting and into the hands of the brave Pepsi Center ice staff warrior.

The octopus was laid to rest in a heavy white plastic bag, an appropriate “white-out” ending to mark the Avalanche’s 3-1 victory over Detroit. To be honest, that’s what the Red Wings get for starting backup rookie goalie Jimmy Howard against the best team in the Western Conference.

Wow, that sure sounds nice…as does a 4-1 record against Detroit in the last five regular season games.

To see another Guild photo of the octopus, check out our social media guru Grant Beery’s Red Wings recap on his website, Hockeyism!

Like all of our After-Hours teams, the boys took advantage of a great Guild discount on tickets and in return for their support, they received a rare opportunity to hit Pepsi Center ice following the game for an hour of shinny, Vail style.

Here’s an interview we shot with Gary Defina, the captain of the Vail crew. Gary is also a coach for Battle Mountain High School’s hockey team, so he’s well-connected in the Vail hockey community and a great guy with some great stories. He’s a big supporter of The Hockey Guild and The Avalanche Guild, so we thank Gary for his passion and are proud to have him be a part of the exclusive After-Hours club!

As a way of saying thanks to Gary’s crew for their support, we granted him two free shootout teams in our third-annual Battle for the Banner Colorado Avalanche Shootout Tournament, which takes place every March right on Pepsi Center ice. The tournament brings together shootout teams comprised of players that participated in After-Hours games throughout the year. The two teams that advance to the final shootout game actually play the championship on Pepsi Center ice during intermission of an Avalanche home game!

If your adult (or youth) hockey team is interested in setting up one of our exclusive Avalanche Guild events, just contact us at info@thehockeyguild.com and we will do our best to make it happen!

“The Colorado Avalanche and Kroenke Sports Charities invites you to play in an on ice battle at Pepsi Center in the 3rd Avalanche Adult Invitational!  Proceeds from the tournament will benefit The Colorado Youth Hockey Foundation and programs supported by Kroenke Sports Charities in the areas of health, recreation, and education.”

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE TOURNEY INFO PACKET

• All participants will receive a tournament jersey, ticket to the regular season game on Nov. 25,  Colorado Avalanche vs. Nashville Predators with opportunity to purchase additional tickets at a discounted rate.
• 1^st and 2^nd Place teams from each division will receive tournament medals.
• 1^st place teams will receive a complimentary suite for their team at an Avalanche home game during the 2009/10 regular season!  Suites will be available on dates that are mutually agreed upon with the Colorado Avalanche.

The Avalanche Guild is once again proud to support this event by promoting it to all of our members, teams and players. We are currently looking into registering The Hockey Guild All-Stars, a team comprised of A and B-level skaters that would like to play in the most exclusive adult tournament in Colorado.

If you are interested in playing in this charity hockey event, please contact us today!

Simply put, the Colorado Avalanche organization proved why they are the most classy team in the league, as the entire ceremony was picture perfect from the moment Joe Sakic entered Pepsi Center to the moment he dropped the ceremonial first puck with Avalanche captain Adam Foote and Sharks captain Rob Blake.

The entire Avs Board Bash group had bright eyes as wide as dinner plates throughout the entire night, as they caught the Retirement Ceremony and then a dominating offensive performance over an extremely rusty Sharks club. The first two periods were filled with brilliant plays by Wojtek Wolski, Paul Stastny and Matt Duchene, while the final frame was all about the focused goaltending of Craig Anderson. The result? A 5-2 victory worthy of Sakic’s retirement night.

Once the game was over, it was time for 30 members of the Avs Board Bash group to hit the ice for our first After-Hours game of the season! Here’s a short video for everyone to enjoy…and we apologize for the jittery video, but it’s a little tough to video tape a hockey game in all that goalie gear

No After-Hours game is complete without thanking the Colorado Avalanche fan development staff, especially Matt DeLuzio and Jason Schofield. Without their support, programs like ours could not exist. Thanks to everyone that joined forces to be a part of the Avs Board Bash, including Jill Jurca, Brian Holt and David Clark. We speak for everyone when we say we can’t wait for the next one!

Members from the Avalanche Message Board will be attending the game as a massive group in order to celebrate Joe Sakic’s career together while having the opportunity to take advantage of some great discounts throughout the night.

Then we turn things up a notch by hosting one of our exclusive After-Hours games for the group as well. So once the Avs are finished wiping the floor with Dany Heatley and the Sharks, you can catch close to 30 die-hard Avalanche fans playing in a friendly game of drop-in hockey on Pepsi Center ice, which caps off what will easily be one of the most memorable home games in Avalanche history!

Click above to learn more about the first-annual Avs Board Bash and remember, it’s still not too late to join us at the game. Just purchase your discounted tickets by clicking here!