A shrine for Sakic

The Colorado Avalanche certainly did it up big Thursday night for former captain Joe Sakic, whose No. 19 jersey was officially retired at the Pepsi Center before the season-opening 5-2 win over the San Jose Sharks.

A banner with the digits was raised to the arena's rafters to conclude the 45-minute tribute, joining those of Patrick Roy (No. 33) and Ray Bourque (No. 77).

"To see it up there with Patrick and Ray, it's a tremendous honor," said Sakic, who was accompanied by his parents, his wife Debbie and their three children.

Not only that, the Avalanche surprised Sakic by creating a shrine at his old corner locker.

Here's a picture I snapped -- not bad for a fairly no-frills cell phone -- after the game. Sakic's jersey, helmet, skates, stick and other equipment have been encased in plexi-glass, to be viewed by present and former Avalanche players as inspiration.

"They didn't even give me a heads-up on that," Sakic said. "When I walked in the room and saw that, I did a double-take. Honestly, when I saw that, I almost broke down. I got a chance to really look at it (after the ceremony). Never in my life or in my dreams could I imagine that. That's something I really appreciate."

During his tribute, Sakic teased the sellout crowd during his speech that he was "kind of getting that itch" to play again. The fans roared with approval.

But Sakic, who retired on July 9, later told reporters he wasn't really serious about pulling a Brett Favre.

"It was in the moment," he said. "You do look forward to opening night, especially at home. When I played and trained, you couldn't wait for the game to start. I know I'll be up in the stands watching and there are going to be parts of me saying, 'I wish I was out there.' But, no, there's actually no itch to come back."

Sakic, 40, began his NHL career in 1988 with the Quebec Nordiques, who moved to Denver in 1995 and were renamed the Avalanche. He leaves as the owner of practically every significant offensive record in franchise history, including 625 goals, 1,641 points, 84 playoff goals and 188 playoff points.

Sakic won two Stanley Cups with the Avalanche and an Olympic gold medal for Canada in 2002. He captured the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP in 1996 when the Avalanche won its first Cup, along with the Hart and Lady Byng trophies in 2001 when Colorado collected its second league championship.

Hejduk seals new deal

I spoke with Colorado Avalanche right wing Milan Hejduk today about his decision to sign a one-year contract extension that will take him through the 2010-11 season.

Hejduk, 33, is about to embark on his 11th NHL season, all with the Avalanche, and is one of two remaining links to the team's 2001 Stanley Cup championship team, the other being defenseman and new captain Adam Foote.

"The team has changed big time since then," said Hejduk, who is coming off a 27-goal, 59-point campaign. He led the Avalanche in goals and tied Ryan Smyth, who was traded to Los Angeles over the summer, for the team lead in points.

Hejduk wasn't certain during last season if he wanted to play beyond this year, but he still feels he can play at a high level and believes the Avalanche is on the right track with its rebuilding program after last season's last-place finish in the Western Conference.

"I decided to go one more year and we started negotiating," said Hejduk, who will make $3.9 million this season and $3 million in 2010-11. His deal includes a no-movement clause.

"I wanted to get it done before the start of the year so I wouldn't have to deal with it during the year," he said. "With February and March and the (league trading) deadline coming, there's always tons of rumors and I didn't want to have to go through that. Definitely me and my family, we don't want to go anywhere else. I didn't want to do that five or six years ago and I don't want to do it now."

Eleven of the 23 players who will begin the season with the Avalanche are 25 or younger. The roster includes two 18-year-olds, first-round draft pick Matt Duchene and Ryan O'Reilly, the first of the team's two second-round picks.

"We've got some really good looking kids," Hejduk said. "It looks like we've got some really good young players in the organization, more depth than I saw at last year's camp."

One familiar name is missing.

The roster doesn't include longtime captain Joe Sakic, who retired in July. As of today, his corner locker remained empty as a tribute to the future Hockey Hall of Famer. His No. 19 jersey will be retired during ceremonies before the Avalanche meets San Jose on Thursday in the season opener at the Pepsi Center.

"Joe was the face of the franchise for such a long time," Hejduk said. "We'll be a younger team. Obviously everyone will miss Joe -- the fans, us -- in the locker room and off the ice. But what can you do? If it's time, it's time. We all have to retire at some point.

"It is a different feeling. The main guy, the key guy, is gone. But after a while, you'll get used to it. It'll be pretty exciting when Joe is honored. He's definitely earned it."