It's hard to put how I'm feeling into words right now. The one word that comes to mind is sad, but it's a different kind of sad. Twenty seven years ago my beloved Colorado Avalanche rolled into town and the state was finally able to root for an NHL team. They won the Stanley Cup that year, and again in 2001. Then came the lean years after the Avs superstars retired, and "lean" is an understatement. Just over five years ago the Avs were the worst team in the NHL and it was a struggle to watch them try and get through a game. Slowly, they rebuilt the team into a playoff contender, and then a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. They looked dangerous in the Covid bubble in 2020, then lost to Dallas in the playoffs. They looked dangerous in 2021, then had a total meltdown against Vegas in the playoffs. They looked insanely dangerous in 2022 and won the whole damn thing, setting a million records on their way to the Cup. In their 27 years of existence the Avs have had a handful of play by play announcers, most of them good. But they've had only one color commentator, and he was the best.

Peter McNab has called all but a handful of Avalanche games in the last 27 years. I was 14 years old when he began doing commentary for the Avs. I'm 41 now with a 14-year-old daughter. My fondest memories of the Avs are frequently intertwined with Peter's commentary, and I think most Avs fans can say the same thing. I've learned so much about the game of hockey from Peter. He made it easy to learn because his love for the game was infectious. He had such a passion for it and even though he came from a hockey family and had a lengthy NHL career of his own, he was still always amazed at how the game continued to evolve. The only stories I've ever heard about Peter McNab are good ones. There are too few people like him in the world. And now there's one less.

Late last summer I was scrolling social media when I saw an announcement that Peter had been diagnosed with cancer. My heart sank and I felt a sense of dread, which is common when you hear such news I guess. But I was hopeful. People beat cancer all the time and I chose to be optimistic. Peter continued to work while undergoing chemotherapy and seeing him with no hair made me so damn sad every Avs broadcast. It was a reminder of the battle he was fighting. The man had the same hairstyle for three decades so that made it extra jarring. He looked so thin and frail, and did his part of the broadcast from Denver when the Avs were on the road. In February of this year it was announced that Peter's cancer was in remission and it was the best news ever. If anyone deserved to kick cancers ass and live another few decades, it was him. In late June, Peter traveled down to Tampa Bay to cover the Stanley Cup Final and it was wonderful to see him on the ice after the Avs became champions. He was one of the few people who had been with the organization from the beginning. I think most Avs fans were under the impression Peter's cancer was still in remission as the current season of Avs hockey began. His hair had grown back and his color was better. Early in the season during a nationally televised Avs game, one of the commentators sent well wishes to Peter and another hockey guy, "who are battling cancer" and I became concerned. There was nothing anywhere else about a recurrence of his illness and that was...slightly encouraging. But on October 28th, Peter did the Avs pre-game show and he looked rundown. The Avs only had two games the following week because they were traveling to Finland to play them. Obviously, Peter wasn't going on a two week international road trip, but it was odd that he wasn't on the Denver based pre-game show. The Avs won both games in Finland, one on Friday and one yesterday. Today I was scrolling social media when I came across the announcement of Peter's passing. It was a gut punch and I could not stop the tears.

I never had the privilege of meeting Peter McNab but he was a part of my life for 27 years; from teen years, to young adult years, to fatherhood. I've watched and listened to him for 82 games a season for 27 seasons, plus parts of the playoffs. He is an absolute legend and will be terribly missed. I've been sad over celebrity deaths before but it's a kind of sadness that only really takes hold for a short time. This one hits different. It feels like a family member, a beloved uncle died. I can't stop thinking about it and how damn sad it is. I will miss his commentary, and his stories. I will miss seeing him in my living room three or four times a week. Avs games won't ever be the same. Peter's Avalanche career began with a Stanley Cup victory and it ended with a Stanley Cup victory. I'm so happy he got to see this core of players accomplish what they did in such a magical season. What a great man. What a terrible loss. RIP Pete.