Goalie Semyon Varlamov practiced with the Avalanche for the first time Monday since arriving in Colorado after playing for Russia in the Sochi Olympic Games.
Despite the team's failure to advance to the medal round, Varlamov appeared to be in good spirits and said he has already put Russia's disappointing performance behind him.
"I had a great time back in Russia," he said. "It was a good experience for me to play in the Olympics. I played three games and I really enjoyed that time to play in front of my family and in front of the fans. It was so much fun. Those games give me huge confidence for the rest of the season for sure. It was so much fun to play against the best players in the world and I really enjoyed that time."
Varlamov won his first two starts and was pulled in the second period last Wednesday in a 3-1 loss to Finland after allowing three goals on 15 shots.
"Olympics is over and I'm leaving behind the result," he said. "I'm not going to think about the Olympics right now. I have so many things to do here. Right now the NHL season is coming soon, so I'm excited about it and I can tell you I'm looking forward to playing in the playoffs this year.
"I can't wait to play here, on the small ice, especially. It was different ice in Sochi; it was bigger ice for the goalies especially. It's pretty tough to get that feeling, to play on that bigger ice for the goalie."
Varlamov said his biggest adjustment now is getting re-accustomed to the mile-high altitude after spending the past 3 1-2 weeks at sea level, which included the Avalanche's four-game road trip on the East Coast before the Olympics break.
"Right now the altitude is killing me," he said. "It was my first practice today and it was a pretty tough practice, I think because of the altitude. But I'm in good shape. I just need a couple more practices. I'll be ready for the first game. It's all about the hard work, like we did before with my goalie coach (Francois Allaire). Everything's going to be fine."
The Avalanche's other three Olympians -- Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog and Paul Stastny -- won't practice until Tuesday or at the morning skate Wednesday before the Avalanche plays Los Angeles that night at the Pepsi Center.
*****
We knew this day was coming, but it was still sad to see former Avalanche forward Milan Hejduk officially retire Monday. An exceptional player, Hejduk is one of the good guys and always exuded class.
Hejduk, 38, played all 14 NHL seasons with the Avalanche and ranks fourth in franchise history for goals (375) and points (805), and fifth in assists (430) while playing in 1,020 games. He was the first player to reach 1,000 games while exclusively wearing an Avalanche uniform. Only Joe Sakic scored more goals (391) with the Avalanche after the franchise moved from Quebec.
Hejduk is a native of Usti-nad Labem in the Czech Republic, and only two Czech-born players -- Jaromir Jagr (1,737) and Patrik Elias (963) -- have collected more points in NHL history.
"It feels like I've been retired for a while," said Hejduk, who had four goals and seven assists in 29 games last season. "If I go over my career -- a fairly long career -- I played six seasons in Europe and 14 NHL seasons and I was lucky enough to play for one organization. I had a blast, it was awesome. I had a great time.
"Last year was a lockout season and I didn't play that much. I was hurt and a few times I was a healthy scratch. It was almost preparation for retirement. I actually wanted to retire after the (2011-12) season, but I was nine games away from reaching 1,000 games so it was a big motivation for me to come back."
Hejduk tied Sakic's franchise record for the most consecutive seasons with 20 or more goals (11), and he has a franchise-record nine regular-season overtime goals. He scored 59 game-winning goals, second to Sakic's 86, and his 140 power-play goals are third in franchise history.
Hejduk is third in playoff goals (34), fourth in points (76) , and fifth in assists (42) and games played (112). He is the Pepsi Center's all-time leader with 188 goals and 397 points in 466 games.
“Milan was one of the most humble players I ever had the privilege of competing with,… said Sakic, now the Avalanche's executive vice president of hockey operations. "On the ice, he had one of the quickest and smoothest hands of any teammate I ever played with. His release, along with his hockey sense and vision, made him one of the premier goal scorers in the NHL during his prime.
"Milan was a true winner and would do anything he could to help our team win. He was a quiet leader who led by example and always represented this organization and himself with class. Great hands, elusive skater. You talk about the old, classic toe drag, he was a guy that could get away with it. He did it really close to his body, really quick, and never lost a beat. We knew right away that he was going to be a special player."
Hejduk scored the very last goal at McNichols Sports Arena in a preseason game and the first goal at the Pepsi Center. A three-time Olympian, he won a gold medal with the Czech Republic in 1998 and a bronze medal in 2006.
A fourth-round pick of the Quebec Nordiques (87th overall) in the 1994 NHL draft, Hejduk was a Calder Trophy finalist and a member of the NHL All-Rookie team in 1998-99; won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the league's top goal scorer with 50 in 2002-03 and was a second team All-Star that season. He played in three All-Star Games and was an integral member of the Avalanche's 2001 Stanley Cup championship team.
Hejduk succeeded Adam Foote as team captain and spent the 2011-12 season in that role.
"Really, my expectations were I would probably start in the minors, an older guy coming from Europe," Hejduk said. "I made the team right away and never left. I really enjoyed these 14 years. It went beyond my expectations."
Hejduk and his wife Zlatuse have twin 10-year-old boys, Marek and David, and they plan to remain in the Denver area while making occasional visits to Europe.
"I'm spending more time with the kids," he said. "I feel they're at the age where they need me more now than ever. Other than that I'm enjoying life, playing lots of golf and skiing more, things I couldn't do before. I'm coaching youth hockey and having a blast. We have a small rink next to our house and we're on the ice almost every day."