Frei's Lips Are Tired

Terry Frei, the Denver Post columnist and ESPN.com contributer who never tires of kissing the collective asses of the Colorado Avalanche, has finally given his poor, chapped lips a rest. At least for now.

In an article lamenting an apparent lack of class and sportsmanship across the NHL as a whole, Frei cites the Avalanche organization as a key offender:

Yes, it can be argued that savvy fandom can respond with spontaneous and heartfelt salutes, as the Calgary fans did when Colorado's Joe Sakic reached 600 goals with an empty-netter in a game in the Saddledome last month.

That indeed was classy.

It can be argued that Colorado fans earlier should have stepped above the Avalanche's lack of class when Teemu Selanne cracked the 500-goal threshold and the Ducks came off the bench, though no official acknowledgment of the accomplishment was even made.

Instead, there was merely scattered applause.

Well, the fact is, the decision makers in many cases -- such as in Denver, where the Avalanche also refuse to show replays of opposition goals on the scoreboard screens because that's demeaning to the "good guys" -- are either Canadians or, if not, still have deep roots in the sport.

I like the fact that, as he gripes about a lack of class, he throws in an unsubstantiated swipe at Canadians in general, a swipe he never explains in the rest of the article. Classy indeed.

Now, that's not saying he's wrong. The Avs management really should start showing opposition goals on the replay screen, and should be aware of any milestones set by opposing players while in the Pepsi Center. That goes for every team in the league. But I just wish Frei could do it without coming across like a complete asshat.