The 2008-2009 season was by far the worst in Colorado Avalanche history.
The team missed the playoffs for the second time in it's history, finishing dead last in the Western Conference and 28th overall in the league with a 32-45-5 record.
The poster boy of that season was Avalanche goaltender Peter Budaj, who was given the starting job in the 2008 off-season when goaltender Jose Theodore was lost to free agency.
Budaj's play that season was a mix of good, bad, and ugly. He'd give the occasional stand out performance, as well as the occasional stinker; but mostly his play was lackluster, failing to make key saves to keep the Avalanche in games.
By no surprise, he finished with more losses (29) than wins (20), while posting a career low save percentage (0.899).
The season can't be completely pinned on Budaj, as he played with a complete joke of a team in front of him for most of the season, but his mediocre play all but cemented him as an NHL back-up.
Jump ahead two years, and the revived Avalanche are riding Budaj's play between the pipes. Only this time, they're finding success doing it.
Budaj didn' ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by James Crider
Peter Budaj Thriving in Second Chance as Colorado Avalanche Starter
November 9th, 2010 by James Crider Leave a reply »
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