{"id":292880,"date":"2023-09-29T01:21:17","date_gmt":"2023-09-29T01:21:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allmysportsnews.com\/?p=292880"},"modified":"2023-09-29T01:21:17","modified_gmt":"2023-09-29T01:21:17","slug":"avalanche-newcomers-praise-team-culture-high-standard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allmysportsnews.com\/nhl\/avalanche-newcomers-praise-team-culture-high-standard\/","title":{"rendered":"Avalanche newcomers praise team culture, high standard"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jonathan Drouin noticed it right from the start.<\/p>\n

Drouin, who signed a one-year contract with the Avalanche this offseason, has played for teams that missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in five of the past seven seasons. He knew that signing with Colorado was going to be a different experience.<\/p>\n

This is a club that in 2023-24 has simple expectations \u2014 win the championship. It didn\u2019t take long for him to see why.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the informal (pre-training camp) skates,\u201d Drouin said. \u201cSometimes the informal skates are kind of relaxing and just going through the motions, but it\u2019s not that kind of skate here. Guys are trying to get better every day. You see guys pushing each other right away.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s great that the bar is set that high. I think the expectations are high for the fans and the people who follow us. They are high for us, too. You feel it. You can feel that hunger. It\u2019s not just we are trying to make the playoffs. We want to go far.\u201d<\/p>\n

Drouin is one of several key new additions for the Avs, a slightly remodeled group that expects to return to the mountaintop. Colorado won the Cup two seasons ago, but the Avs\u2019 repeat bid fell short amidst a collection of injuries and absences.<\/p>\n

The core players from the title team are still here. The championship DNA remains, permeating the dressing room. One newcomer, Ross Colton, has also won the Cup. The others who are expected to be key contributors have not, but they now have a firsthand taste of the culture that is established here.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe expectation here, I felt it right from day one,\u201d Miles Wood said. \u201cThe standards are super high. You can just sense the intensity in the room. I think that\u2019s why they won two years ago. They have very high standards. They hold each other accountable. I\u2019m happy to be part of this group.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wood and Tomas Tatar arrived from New Jersey, where the Devils struggled for several years before breaking through in the 2022-23 regular season. They won a playoff round, and the contention window in Newark, N.J., is just starting to open.<\/p>\n

Ryan Johansen came from Nashville, where his Predators reached the Cup Final in 2017 but haven\u2019t advanced past the first round since.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt does have a similar feel to back (in 2017), but the difference is this group has won,\u201d Johansen said. \u201cWe hadn\u2019t won in Nashville. There were a couple years in Nashville where we felt we had a good chance. It\u2019s pretty darn hard to pull off. The focus and the intensity in this group from day one has been pretty impressive.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so many guys in this room that know what it takes. Everything throughout a season can set you up for success in the postseason. It is just about bringing what we can add to this group and this core. It\u2019s a great challenge and a great opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Culture is tough to define and easy to overstate in professional sports. Every team wants to build a winning culture. There is no secret recipe, and it becomes more of a \u201cyou know it when you see it\u201d kind of thing.<\/p>\n

For the Avs, it starts with captain Gabriel Landeskog, even if he\u2019s not available to play right now. Superstars like Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen help set the pace. MacKinnon in particular has earned a reputation for his ferocious work ethic.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a high standard,\u201d MacKinnon said. \u201cI think a lot of teams do. The guys who have been here, we like to get better every day. If you\u2019re not really doing that, you don\u2019t fit well here. But we have fun too. Guys are laughing and joking all the time. We have an awesome time, we\u2019re also trying to get better, so it\u2019s a really fun place to come to every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wood noted that constant turnover in New Jersey was a hindrance for a young team trying to establish a winning culture. He was there for seven seasons, and only he and Damon Severson remained in 2022-23 from year one.<\/p>\n

A team like the Devils will likely continue to look for veterans like Tyler Toffoli, an addition this offseason with multiple championships on his resume. For the Avs, adding a player like Colton is a luxury.<\/p>\n

Adding players like Johansen, Drouin, Wood and Tatar gives the group a boost on the depth chart, but also guys who are eager to buy what the Colorado core is selling.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have some guys who have gotten close, but were not quite there,\u201d Devon Toews said. \u201cI think what they\u2019ve noticed is our culture and the intent behind what we do here is second to none. We don\u2019t take a day off. We don\u2019t take a shift off. It\u2019s that kind of mentality, and I think everybody knows that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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