Yesterday’s Rocky Mountain News column by Dave Krieger updates a thread he kicked off on Saturday, where he noted the rage with which Colorado Avalanche fans have greeted the signing of former Vancouver Canuck Brad May and the difficulty they’ve had in finding a way to let the organization know about their feelings. In his Saturday column, he posted the e-mail address of Jean Martineau, the Avs’ senior vice president for communication.

Here’s the letter I just sent to Martineau.
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Dear Jean,

I’m a huge Avs fan. I can’t tell you how many games I have attended and how much money I have spent on merchandise over the past decade, but it’s plenty (I have four different Colorado sweaters, for instance). The top spot on my Christmas wish list was usually occupied by Avalanche gear of some sort (although I never did receive the Blake third jersey I so desperately wanted). And up until a few days ago, I thought Pierre Lacroix was god of hockey.

Now? Well, you know what I’m talking about and I won’t waste time on the rational part of the argument, since if the organization was being even vaguely rational we wouldn’t be doing this, would we? The fact that Brad May is now an Av demonstrates that somebody at 1000 Chopper Circle is either stupid, clueless, gutless, or all of the above, and I’m not saying anything in this e-mail that I won’t say to the face of anybody at Pepsi Center (including Brad May – I figure I’m safe with his kind so long as I don’t turn my back).

The league may be back in business, but when it reinstated Todd Bertuzzi (speaking of fourth-rate parking lot punks) I did what little I could do – I put the whole league on suspension. Not that it matters, I guess, but the NHL will not get a penny of my money anytime soon. Now the Avs are on the list, too, and I guess I won’t put another penny into your coffers at least as long as Brad May is part of the organization, and then for an appropriate period of time thereafter.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but signing Brad May was about as pathetic and gutless an act, from an organizational standpoint, as what the “bounty hunter” encouraged people on his team to do to Steve Moore, and I can’t begin to imagine what Pierre was thinking when he decided it would be a good idea to bring him aboard.

By now you’ve probably figured out that a lot of us hardcore fans are disgusted beyond measure. Looking at the personnel moves necessitated by the new salary cap, it’s clear that it’s going to be tougher going on the ice this year, and there has never been a time when you needed loyal fan support more. I’d rather go 0-82 with a clean conscience than to win the Cup with scum like May in a Colorado sweater. If you don’t get that, no sweat – there are lots of other places for me to spend my enntertainment dollar.

How about growing a set and doing whatever you have to do to send Brad on his way. Then spray the place down with Lysol to get rid of the stink and let’s get on with the business of being a class organization again.

Sincerely,
Sam Smith