It was an optional practice day for the Colorado Avalanche, and most players opted not to get on the ice. But those who did — made the most of it.
It was a family skating affair at Family Sports on Monday. Gabriel Landeskog’s son was on the ice with him, and his dad was on the bench. Devon Toews had his little ones with him, while his wife observed from the sideline.
Bring your kid to work day 🥰#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/0osvNYmusG
— Colleen Flynn (@FerPucksSake) November 17, 2025
Mackenzie Blackwood worked with goaltending coach Jussi Parkkila and took shots from Joel Kiviranta. Sam Girard did some light skating and practiced his shots.
When Blackwood finished up, he “worked” with the Landeskogs to improve their game.
Mackenzie Blackwood getting some reps in against mini Landeskog 🤣#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/emKWkcxMwl
— Colleen Flynn (@FerPucksSake) November 17, 2025
It was a light day at the office for the Avs and the media that cover them. Only a handful of reporters were in attendance, which allowed for personal interactions. It was a relationship-building workday, rather than a story-focused frenzy.
After a Q & A with head coach Jared Bednar, the lightness in the locker room was fun. I jokingly told Blackwood I was going to ask Bednar if he was worried about his game after a 4-year-old scored on him. He laughed, and we had a funny discussion about it and the tiny net he was defending.
We did not bother with interviews or hockey-related questions on a laid-back sort of day off. However, Landeskog did elaborate on his children interrupting his live NHL Network interview last week. He gets an A+ for how he handled that situation.
Serious highlights of the practice included Valeri Nichushkin on the ice, albeit in sneakers and shorts, shooting the puck around and Kiviranta in a white, not red non-contact, jersey.
Val Nichushkin getting some shots in … in one way or another #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/TUexis4ijx
— Colleen Flynn (@FerPucksSake) November 17, 2025
Not reading much into the jersey color since it was an optional and there was no possibility of contact, unless one of the kids ran into him.