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For nine years, I was an ESPN.com hockey columnist on a contract basis
while I worked at The Denver Post. For most of the period, I was part of a pool of newspaper-employed freelancers
providing most of ESPN.com's hockey writing. I enjoyed it immensely. Below are links to a few of the available
samples of those perhaps 300 columns. ESPN's remaining archives for that period are limited. From what I was able to find,
I've included few game- or event-oriented columns. These are mostly issue-oriented commentaries. I also have a lot of hockey
material on my Post page here. -- TF
November 11, 2000: Here's what we gotta do to make the game better.
December 31,
2000: Ray Bourque skates past 40
January 9, 2001: Could others in sports do what Lemieux is doing?
January 15, 2001: The Expansion Cup: Blue Jackets vs. Wild.
February 2, 2001: Denver does have a hockey tradition. Seriously.
February 22, 2001: How the Rob Blake trade to Colorado changed the landscape
March 5, 2001: If the coach is such an idiot, what's that make the GM who hired him?
March 12, 2001: On "Chemistry"
March 24, 2001: Bruins fans endorse Bourque Cup quest
May 9, 2001:Avalanche get past the Kings ... and it wasn't easy
May 22, 2001: Avalanche back in Stanley Cup Finals
June 14, 2001: Joe Sakic picks up the hardware
June 26, 2001: Fulfilled, Ray Bouque hangs 'em up
July 3, 2001: Mario Lemieux on the financial game
July 25, 2001: Did Fedorov marry Anna? Did Hasek have viral infection? World wants to know!
September 10,
2001: Avs in Sweden ... as it turns out, on the day before 9/11
September
17, 2001: Taking stock after 9/11
September 25, 2001: They have stats, but ...
October
1, 2002: Categorizing the D-men? Everbody has to have a bit of the hybrid in them
October 8, 2001: Safety measures should be more than suggestions
October 24, 2001: Lecavalier intriguing mix of talent and potential
November 5, 2001: Get ties out of the NHL ... and not the kind the coach wears
November 12, 2001: A Finn, a Russian, an American -- an historic Hall of Fame class
November 28, 2001: Only negative of OT. Takes away the last-minute test
January 30, 2002: It's STILL a Miracle on Ice
February 1, 2002: NHL turned the Olymic preliminary round into a fiasco
February 14, 2002: Germans, Belorussians seek respect, fun
February 19, 2002: He's the Great One, but Gretzky's Olympic compaints hollow
February 24, 2002: Setting up USA-Canada gold-medal game
February 28, 2002: Good for Golden Mario, bad for business
March 12, 2002: What a stupid system ... the late trading deadline
April 11, 2002: Sens show class in getting Neilson to 1,000 games coached
April 14, 2002: Dollar valued measured by distance from Lord Stanley
May 22, 2002: Drury has that "it" ... in hockey, too
May 28, 2002: Forsberg made all the right moves
May 31, 2002: Rivalry
redux -- Red Wings blast Avalanche to move on
June 20, 2002: The Hart choice here is Iginla
June 25,
2002: Now, Hasek has it all
September 1, 2002: Can Roy re-establish his image as "money" goalie?
September 4, 2002: For at least this season, Rangers can be America's Team
September 24,
2002: NHL taking the crunch out of numbers ... at least on the sheet
October 7, 2002: Captaincy -- A suit that doesn't always fit
October 9, 2002: Measuring Gretzky's impact as his number retired in L.A.
November 11,
2002: Drury-Morris trade shouldn't be the sole scapegoat
December 2, 2002: With Joe Sakic, what you see isn't what you get
December 9, 2002: The lunacy of the coaching carousel
December 18, 2002: An actual surprise firing! Bob Hartley is out, Tony Granato in
January 6, 2003: Dollars and sense case studies: Ranger$ vs. Senators
January
16, 2003: Is the Blood Feud cooling off?
January 19, 2003: Assessing Brett Hull's legacy on the verge of 700 goals
March 4, 2003: GM accountability
March 18, 2003: "Playoff goalies," step up
April 23, 2003: Avs complete collapse. It was Roy's last game
May 28, 2003: Roy's greatess goes beyond hockey
August 6, 2003: Looking ahead to the salary cap fight
August
11, 2003: On the death of Herb Brooks
October 16, 2003: Hurry up!
October 28, 2003: As his number is about to be retired, Roy revels in retirement
February
21, 2004: Canada, we're jealous
May 26, 2004: Avalanche need 2002-like return from Forsberg
July 15,
2004: A new CBA shouldn't be that hard
August 6, 2004: As John Elway is about to enter Hall of Fame ...
September 30, 2004: Will Bettman ever be allowed to be "a hockey man?"
October 22, 2004: The Stastny Saga
February 21, 2005: Don't lock out Lord Stanley, too
April 25, 2005: No rush to re-instate Bertuzzi
June 13, 2005: After the dark season and settlement, Goodenow and Bettman should resign
June 28, 2005: The NHL needs more speaking their minds
September 5, 2005: Parity, schmarity. NHL doesn't need it.
September 15, 2005: Hey, Avs. Remember Steve Moore?
September 20, 2005: Obstruction crackdown? Everybody has to buy in
July 15, 2005: Don't give up on selling hockey to all parts of the country
October 6, 2005: The NHL-is-back ad campaign should have been locked out
November 17, 2005: Blasphemy! Scrub the morning skate
November24, 2005: Give that diver an 8.2
December 15, 2005: The NHL needs to get on schedule
January 19, 2006: PEDs won't ever be as much of a problem in hockey
May 18, 2006: Belittling the small markets is silly
June 7, 2006: From the Oilers-Hurricanes Stanley Cup Finals on 62nd anniversary of D-Day. Saluting U.S. and Canadian service.
June 13, 2006: Why can't the Finals be more of a party?
June 16, 200: Tender Mercies from a Fathers Day Tragedy
July 27, 2006: All things Penguins ... make up your minds.
August
3, 2006: NHL should be more transparent about salaries
August 17, 2006: The good and bad of the game's old guard
August 25,
2006: How to make the most out of the NHL's divisions
October 9, 2006: Ultimate hockey experiences in North America
October 12, 2006: Hobey vs. Heisman
October
18, 2006: Avalanche waiting to be rewarded for faith in Theodore
November 2, 2006: The never-ending shootout debate
December 28, 2006: NHL New Year's Resolutions
January 11, 2007: Weighing Penguins' options
February 6, 2007: Karlis Skrastins closes in on ironman record
March 1, 2007: Twenty questions
April 19, 2007: After marathon playoff OT ... what are the options?
June 15, 2007: A new era for the 35-and-over player
July 26, 2007: Can NBA's Donaghy debacle be repeated in NHL?
September 7, 2007: American players have more options
October 11, 2007: Stastny family effect
October
25, 2007: Imitate baseball, put on a bow tie and wax poetic
November 29, 2007: Ode to "Slap Shot," the best sports movie ever made
December 13, 2007: Suggestions for Gary Bettman's radio show
January 10, 2008: Spinning the tongue-in-cheek narrative for rest of season
January 24, 2008: Some polite suggestions for the All-Star Game
March 6, 2008: Forsberg about to play again for Avs ... what now?
April 3, 2008: O Canada, can I win the 50-50 just once?
July 4, 2008:Joe Sakic and others ponder
July 24, 2008: On buying out veterans
September 4, 2008: Wasn't moderating ticket prices the whole point of the lockout?
September 27, 2008: On the death of Paul Newman
October 23, 2008: Measuring the No. 1 overall picks
November 3, 2008: Blue Jackets' Nash gives center a shot
December 5, 2008: On Broadway in Nashville -- Preds' resilience
December 11, 2008: Dustin Brown has grown into the "C"
December 23, 2008: Sound familiar? Will Forsberg play ... or not?
January 29, 2009: About those ticket prices ... again
February 13, 2009: Yes, Minnesota is the State of Hockey
March 13, 2009: The best goalies from each NHL decade
April
1, 2009: How far have the Avalanche fallen?
April 15, 2009: Excerpt from Columbine's Boy in the Window, by Patrick Ireland with Terry Frei.
May 18, 2009: Now they're looking for flaws in John Tavares
June 2, 2009: Rating the highlights of the 2008-09 season.
July 9, 2009: Top Ten Sakic moments
November 19, 2014: "Save by Roy" excerpt, Roy's notorious first game as Avalanche coach. With co-author Adrian Dater.