Friday Faceoff: What is your New Year’s resolution for Denver sports in 2026?
Evan Rawal, Avalanche beat reporter
Answer: Capitalize on elite players in their prime
It’s rare for one city to have this many elite players performing in the prime of their careers. What’s taking place in Denver right now is truly remarkable, but the greats want to be remembered by just one thing: championship rings.
The likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Nikola Jokic finishing their respective careers with just one championship ring is certainly not a failure. It’s not easy to win it all in any of the four major sports. But if all of them retire with just one ring on their respective fingers, it’s fair to say that would be disappointing; 2026 is the year for all three to add one more to their resumes.
MacKinnon turned 30 last summer and shows no signs of slowing down. If anything, he’s getting better. Makar is the best defenseman in the world, and it’s clear Jokic is in a class of his own in the NBA. Great players need multiple rings. All three of them are headed to the Hall of Fame when they call it quits, but everyone knows they want at least one more parade in Denver.
And then you have Pat Surtain, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in the NFL, looking to add a single championship to his resume. It’s difficult to find elite players. Next year is the year for these guys to secure their places among the all-time greats with more rings.
Kyle Fredrickson, Broncos beat writer
Answer: Make the Rockies relevant again
What a glorious time to be a Denver sports fan!
Unless you care about the Rockies, of course.
The only thing holding back Colorado these days from total sports nirvana — with the Nuggets, Avalanche and Broncos in their respective championship windows — is that lowly MLB team in LoDo. Will Paul DePodesta, the new team president of baseball operations, play Rudolph and save Christmas for the Rockies?
He’s saying all the right things. DePodesta spoke with The Denver Gazette recently and said: “There are some players who want to be tutored by some of our pitching guys. There are hitters who I think would be excited to come over and be part of what we’re going to try to build here. It’s been good and I think it’s been really positive so far.”
It’s been a long time since “Rocktober” swept over the state in 2007, when a team of underdogs made a magical run to the World Series (to get swept by the Red Sox). We saw flashes of it again in 2017 and 2018 with playoff appearances. But it’s been nothing but disappointment ever since at Coors Field.
It feels sometimes like Rockies owner Dick Monfort is the Grinch stealing joy away from his own fans. But remember how that story ends? A change in perspective changes everything for the villain, and suddenly, the Grinch is a Christmas hero.
Monfort can only dream of a similar story arc to revive the Rockies.