High Points: It ain’t easy

It’s hard being a sports fan. Especially if the teams you are fanatical about are the professional sports teams that call Colorado home. Despite high hopes, it has been a disappointing year thus far.

Tuesday night, the Colorado Avalanche, affectionately known as the Avs, were swept out of the Western Conference final in the National Hockey League playoffs by the Vegas Golden Knights, ending their quest for a fourth Stanley Cup. This comes after the disappointment suffered by the Denver Nuggets when they were eliminated in the first round of the NBA playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves. And both of those defeats followed the star-crossed loss by the Denver Broncos in January to the New England Patriots when they were a game away from the Super Bowl. We won’t even talk about the Rockies, who have, as of this writing, the fewest wins in the major leagues.

Putting the Rockies aside, the thing about the other three teams is that they all teased their fans with spectacular success before succumbing in ignominious fashion. In other words, it’s not just that they lost, but it was the way they lost.

Start with the Denver Broncos — they had a season for the ages, going 14-3 to tie a franchise record for victories. But it wasn’t just the wins that generated fanaticism; it was the spirit and determination they displayed throughout the season, consistently snatching victory from seemingly certain defeat. It was best exemplified by the come-from-behind-win against the New York Giants when they trailed 19-0 going into the fourth quarter and eventually scored 33 points to prevail 33-32. They were the No. 1 seed in the playoffs and beat the Bills at home in overtime in the first round but lost quarterback Bo Nix to a broken ankle. That left Denver’s hopes for the Super Bowl resting on the shoulders of backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham. We all know what happened after that, as the Patriots held the Broncos to a single touchdown in a 10-7 New England win and dashed their, and our, hopes for the Super Bowl.

The Nuggets, celebrating their 50th year in the NBA, had a spotty regular season due to a plethora of key injuries to stars like Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray, but they still made the playoffs for the eighth-straight year. And they did so with a flourish, winning the final 12 games of the regular season, tying the second-longest regular season winning streak in Nuggets history. They entered the post season with great expectations and won the first game of the playoffs at Ball Arena vs. their perennial nemesis, the Minnesota Timberwolves. Then they went completely flat losing four the next five games and dribbling out of the playoffs. Sheesh.

Next, it was the Avs turn. They had an incredible season leading the NHL in wins with 55, winning the President’s Trophy and taking the top seed in the NHL playoffs. They featured a stellar roster including Nathan MacKinnon, who led the league in goals scored with 53, All-Star defenseman Cale Makar (who missed much of the postseason with an injury) and their captain, Gabriel Landeskog. They entered the post season as the favorites for the Stanley Cup and went 8-1 in the first two rounds, sweeping the Los Angeles Kings and winning the second round over the Minnesota Wild 4-1 in an epic Game 5 that saw them come back from 3-0 in the third period to win in overtime. Things were looking good. Until they weren’t.

The Golden Knights showed they were the better team by taking the first two games of the series in Ball Arena, quieting the Colorado crowd. Then the Avs took a three-goal lead in the first period of Game 3 to excite their fans only to see Vegas score five straight goals, effectively ending the series. It seemed like it was all over before it really began.

Yes, it hurts to be a Colorado sports fan. The High Point? I can’t wait until Sept. 14 when the Denver Broncos kick off the new season at the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football.

In sports, there is always next year.