Helm Yeah: Colorado kills the curse, onto the Conference Final

Sometimes it takes making friends with an enemy to end a curse.

Thirteen years ago to the day, Darren Helm sent the Detroit Red Wings to the Stanley Cup, ending a series in overtime.

“Pretty special day,” Helm said, laughing and commenting that he didn’t remember the anniversary.

On Friday, with five seconds left in Game 6 against the St. Louis Blues, Helm scored the game-winner for the Colorado Avalanche, ending the series.

“I’m watching it happen. I just want us to keep playing, and I don’t even know exactly where the clock is,” Head Coach Jared Bednar said. “I had a good feeling as the time is ticking down. But when I saw the puck pop out to that side of the ice, I glanced over and saw Helm was coming downhill on it.

“I was just saying to myself, ‘just shoot, shoot it, shoot it,’” Bednar said. “I didn’t even know what time was or how much time was left. And after I saw the net bulge, I looked up and saw the time and the bench is already celebrating so I was kind of last in the party there.”

Helm was one of the last Avs to the party, joining this team in the offseason after 14 years playing for the rival Red Wings. He admitted Friday that Colorado was at the top of his list when he became a free agent last summer.

“I was just extremely excited to get this opportunity and very thankful to be here and it’s a great group of guys, a great team and just really happy and lucky to be here.”

General Manager Joe Sakic brought in Helm as a 35-year-old that could spark the club from the bottom six. Helm’s efforts ended a 20-year Stanley Cup Conference Final drought that began when Sakic was still skating.

“He’s a guy who comes to the rink with a smile, gets along with everybody, and leads by example,” captain Gabriel Landeskog said. “He’s been around for a long time. I remember being a teenager back home in Sweden, watching him in those cup runs with the Red Wings. It’s been a pleasure playing with him, and he steps up big tonight.”

J. T. Compher stepped up big too, netting two in the game, the second of which tied the affair at 2-2 with under 10 minutes to play in the third.

While Game 5 saw Colorado blow their chance to end the series, Game 6 saw the Blues blow their chance to extend the series again.

The Avs move on to face Edmonton beginning on Tuesday, but it’s worth stopping and celebrating—at least for a night, getting past Round 2.

“We’ve been through some dark times together and some tough times being way at the bottom of the league. Our team has changed a lot over the last handful of years, and we’ve gotten better as a team,” Landeskog said. “It’s rewarding getting over this hump, but at the same time, we got a big goal in mind, and, I feel like the best is ahead.”
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