Jared Bednar doesn’t really want to hear the Ball Arena crowd chanting his goaltender’s name as much as it did Thursday night.
Backup goaltenders typically don’t get as many chances to play in front of the home fans, so Scott Wedgewood was savoring it. It was a sluggish night for the rest of the Colorado Avalanche, but Wedgewood had their backs with 32 saves in a 2-1 victory against the Utah Mammoth.
The chant from the crowd was “Wedg-ie, Wedg-ie,” and it grew in volume with each highlight-reel save.
“That’s awesome,” Wedgewood said. “I had it once on Team Canada back in world juniors. They gave me a good roar, but this is the most consistent it’s ever been. It’s obviously fun. They’ve taken to me. I’ve taken to them. It’s been a good fit here.”
Wedgewood was an instant hit with the Avalanche last season after arriving in a Dec. 1 trade. Colorado traded for Mackenzie Blackwood eight days later, and the reshaped goaltending tandem helped save what had been a tumultuous start to the season.
Blackwood wasn’t available to start this season because he’s still rehabbing an offseason injury. This isn’t the first time Wedgewood has started a season opener — he did that last year in place of an injured Juuse Saros for Nashville. But this is the first time he’s started the first two games of a season.
And he’s been stellar — two wins, with 56 saves on 58 shots. He was solid in Los Angeles. He was spectacular when needed against Utah.
“We don’t win without him tonight, that’s for sure,” Bednar said. “He’s a veteran guy. He wants the net. He’s a highly competitive guy and he looks really sharp. … I don’t like leaning on our goalie like that, but it didn’t look like we had a lot of jump tonight. On those nights you need your goalie big time, and we got him tonight.”
Getting to this point has been a winding road for Wedgewood. Nine years after his world juniors moment, Wedgewood had played more games in the ECHL (49) than the NHL (40). He had changed organizations three times.
The following year, 2021-22, there were two more moves, from New Jersey to Arizona to Dallas. But it was also a full season in the NHL, and 37 games played. He became a bona fide NHL backup with the Stars, and his reputation as a great presence in the locker room began to spread as well.
Now he’s found another NHL home, and Wedgewood is getting an early-season chance he hasn’t had in his career.
“I’ll take whatever they want to give me,” Wedgewood said. “In my career, I feel a little bit underused, just at my age and my games played number. But proud of what I’ve done, where I’ve been, and giving myself a chance to keep playing. I’m always ready, but it’s nice that it’s gone my way here to start the first two.
“Playing at home, it’s a little bit easier. You get to spend time with the kid before we come, and your heart’s full when you get here. It’s nice to play in this arena with that fan base behind you.”
They were certainly behind him Thursday night. The Avs didn’t have a shot for more than 14 minutes in the second period.
Colorado yielded three breakaway chances in the third period. Wedgewood turned each of them aside, and the crowd loved it.
“I don’t know if you can call him a backup,” Avs center Jack Drury said. “That was, wow — unbelievable the way he played tonight. That one glove save (in the third) was one of the best saves I’ve ever seen.”
Colorado Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood (41) makes a save as the Avalanche play the Utah Mammoth at Ball Arena in Denver on Oct. 9, 2025. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)
The Avs are 2-0, but Saturday will be a very different vibe at Ball Arena. Mikko Rantanen and the Stars will be back for the first time since stunning the Avalanche in Game 7 last year at American Airlines Center.
That one is going to be personal for Wedgwood, too.
“I loved my time there. A lot of really close friends,” he said. “I think during the preseason warmups, I did more talking than warming up. It will be a little different this time around. Obviously, that’s a good team and a big rivalry here. I feel like it’s built up over the years. My daughter was born there. We had a good time there, really liked it there.
“It’s just one of those ones you really want to beat.”
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