About a month ago I made it clear the city of Denver could have three parades by next June.
Some people scoffed at the idea, hungry for only one whether that be the Broncos, Avalanche or Nuggets.
Now do you see where I’m coming from?
This town is on a tear. The Broncos have won nine in a row after an exciting one over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. The Nuggets have won seven of their last eight. And the Avalanche are on a six-game winning streak. That’s 22 games combined for three franchises, with the Nuggets bad loss to the Bulls being the only one in the other column. It’s almost hard to wrap your mind around how good that is overall.
But this officially the golden age of Denver sports. The Broncos defense is full of superstars and QB Bo Nix is developing nicely, even if there’s been a handful of frustrating moments this season.
Nikola Jokic is the best basketball player on Earth and it’s not particularly close. He really should have five MVPs in a row and about to lock up a sixth this season.
And Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar dazzle on a nightly basis. The Avalanche also have found a real treat in Scott Wedgewood, who’s earned the right to be the starting goaltender for the foreseeable future.
It’s so fun to get to watch all three of these teams win over and over again and know that Denver really is the center of the sports universe. Think about it, you share a state (or a region) with some of the top athletes on Earth at their jobs. That really is a remarkable time to be alive and living somewhere in Colorado or hopefully close by.
And even if you follow from afar, that’s great too, I just hope you get see the Broncos, Avalanche or Nuggets in-person soon. All three are an absolute delight.
So, what could stop them from hoisting trophies after this season?
Well, for the football team, it’s definitely the offense. Even against the Chiefs, they moved the sticks but ended up kicking five field goals and scoring just one touchdown. Come postseason time, they’ll probably need to find the end zone more even with the elite defense.
For the Avalanche, it’s simple. They’ve got to over their own mental blocks about skating in the playoffs. This team has only been out of the second-round once under head coach Jared Bednar. Yes, that was when they won the Stanley Cup in 2022, but Bednar’s seat could get mighty toasty if they exit early again.
In the case of the Nuggets, it all comes down to when they play Oklahoma City. The victor in that series will almost assuredly be the NBA champion. No one else, West or East, is beating Denver four times in seven games. It’s pretty hard to see that happening.
Will we actually get three titles from these years? The odds don’t favor it, but each squad is in the conversation in a massive way. As a sports fan, that’s all you can ask for. There’s an element of luck in all postseasons, so hopefully good fortune is on the side of Denver.
And yes, everyone can make a snarky joke about the Colorado Rockies, but they’re at least finally trying something different and that should be applauded.
Whether you’ve been a Denver sports fan for five years or 50 years, we’ve got it pretty darn good right now. Soak that feeling in, because eventually these players will move on as father time is undefeated.
Whenever that happens, we’ll never see a golden age like this in the Mile High City ever again.