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For nine years, I was an ESPN.com hockey columnist on a contract basis while I worked at The Denver Post. For most of the period, I was part of a pool of newspaper-employed freelancers providing most of ESPN.com's hockey writing. I enjoyed it immensely. Below are links to a few of the available samples of those perhaps 300 columns. ESPN's remaining archives for that period are limited. From what I was able to find, I've included few game- or event-oriented columns. These are mostly issue-oriented commentaries. I also have a lot of hockey material on my Post page here. -- TF

 

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November 11, 2000: Here's what we gotta do to make the game better.

 

December 31, 2000: Ray Bourque skates past 40 

 

January 9, 2001: Could others in sports do what Lemieux is doing? 

 

January 15, 2001: The Expansion Cup: Blue Jackets vs. Wild.

 

February 2, 2001: Denver does have a hockey tradition. Seriously.

 

February 22, 2001: How the Rob Blake trade to Colorado changed the landscape  

 

March 5, 2001: If the coach is such an idiot, what's that make the GM who hired him?

 

March 12, 2001: On "Chemistry" 

 

March 24, 2001: Bruins fans endorse Bourque Cup quest 

 

May 9, 2001:Avalanche get past the Kings ... and it wasn't easy  

 

May 22, 2001: Avalanche back in Stanley Cup Finals 

 

June 14, 2001: Joe Sakic picks up the hardware

 

June 26, 2001: Fulfilled, Ray Bouque hangs 'em up

 

July 3, 2001: Mario Lemieux on the financial game

 

July 25, 2001: Did Fedorov marry Anna? Did Hasek have viral infection? World wants to know!

 

September 10, 2001: Avs in Sweden ... as it turns out, on the day before 9/11   

 

September 17, 2001: Taking stock after 9/11

 

September 25, 2001: They have stats, but ...   

 

October 1, 2002: Categorizing the D-men? Everbody has to have a bit of the hybrid in them 

 

October 8, 2001: Safety measures should be more than suggestions

 

 

October 24, 2001: Lecavalier intriguing mix of talent and potential 

 

November 5, 2001: Get ties out of the NHL ... and not the kind the coach wears  

 

November 12, 2001: A Finn, a Russian, an American -- an historic Hall of Fame class  

 

November 28, 2001: Only negative of OT. Takes away the last-minute test  

 

January 30, 2002: It's STILL a Miracle on Ice

 

February 1, 2002: NHL turned the Olymic preliminary round into a fiasco  

 

February 14, 2002: Germans, Belorussians seek respect, fun 

 

February 19, 2002: He's the Great One, but Gretzky's Olympic compaints hollow   

 

February 24, 2002: Setting up USA-Canada gold-medal game

 

February 28, 2002: Good for Golden Mario, bad for business 

 

March 12, 2002: What a stupid system ... the late trading deadline

 

April 11, 2002: Sens show class in getting Neilson to 1,000 games coached 

 

April 14, 2002: Dollar valued measured by distance from Lord Stanley

 

May 22, 2002: Drury has that "it" ... in hockey, too

 

May 28, 2002: Forsberg made all the right moves

 

May 31, 2002: Rivalry redux -- Red Wings blast Avalanche to move on

 

June 20, 2002: The Hart choice here is Iginla   

 

June 25, 2002: Now, Hasek has it all

 

September 1, 2002: Can Roy re-establish his image as "money" goalie? 

 

September 4, 2002: For at least this season, Rangers can be America's Team 

 

September 24, 2002NHL taking the crunch out of numbers ... at least on the sheet

 

October 7, 2002: Captaincy -- A suit that doesn't always fit 

 

October 9, 2002: Measuring Gretzky's impact as his number retired in L.A.

 

November 11, 2002: Drury-Morris trade shouldn't be the sole scapegoat

 

December 2, 2002: With Joe Sakic, what you see isn't what you get

 

December 9, 2002: The lunacy of the coaching carousel

 

December 18, 2002: An actual surprise firing! Bob Hartley is out, Tony Granato in

 

January 6, 2003: Dollars and sense case studies: Ranger$ vs. Senators 

 

January 16, 2003: Is the Blood Feud cooling off?

 

January 19, 2003: Assessing Brett Hull's legacy on the verge of 700 goals  

 

March 4, 2003: GM accountability 

 

March 18, 2003: "Playoff goalies," step up 

 

April 23, 2003: Avs complete collapse. It was Roy's last game 

 

May 28, 2003: Roy's greatess goes beyond hockey  

 

August 6, 2003: Looking ahead to the salary cap fight

 

August 11, 2003: On the death of Herb Brooks 

 

October 16, 2003: Hurry up!

 

October 28, 2003: As his number is about to be retired, Roy revels in retirement    

 

February 21, 2004: Canada, we're jealous

 

May 26, 2004: Avalanche need 2002-like return from Forsberg  

 

July 15, 2004: A new CBA shouldn't be that hard

 

August 6, 2004: As John Elway is about to enter Hall of Fame ...  

 

September 30, 2004: Will Bettman ever be allowed to be "a hockey man?"

 

October 22, 2004: The Stastny Saga 

 

February 21, 2005: Don't lock out Lord Stanley, too

 

April 25, 2005: No rush to re-instate Bertuzzi

 

June 13, 2005: After the dark season and settlement, Goodenow and Bettman should resign 

 

June 28, 2005: The NHL needs more speaking their minds

 

September 5, 2005: Parity, schmarity. NHL doesn't need it.

 

September 15, 2005: Hey, Avs. Remember Steve Moore? 

 

September 20, 2005: Obstruction crackdown? Everybody has to buy in 

 

July 15, 2005: Don't give up on selling hockey to all parts of the country

 

October 6, 2005: The NHL-is-back ad campaign should have been locked out  

 

November 17, 2005: Blasphemy! Scrub the morning skate 

 

November24, 2005: Give that diver an 8.2  

 

December 15, 2005: The NHL needs to get on schedule 

 

January 19, 2006: PEDs won't ever be as much of a problem in hockey   

 

May 18, 2006: Belittling the small markets is silly

 

June 7, 2006: From the Oilers-Hurricanes Stanley Cup Finals on 62nd anniversary of D-Day. Saluting U.S. and Canadian service.

 

June 13, 2006: Why can't the Finals be more of a party?

 

June 16, 200: Tender Mercies from a Fathers Day Tragedy 

 

July 27, 2006: All things Penguins ... make up your minds

 

August 3, 2006: NHL should be more transparent about salaries

 

August 17, 2006: The good and bad of the game's old guard  

 

August 25, 2006: How to make the most out of the NHL's divisions

 

October 9, 2006: Ultimate hockey experiences in North America

 

October 12, 2006: Hobey vs. Heisman  

 

October 18, 2006: Avalanche waiting to be rewarded for faith in Theodore

 

November 2, 2006: The never-ending shootout debate

 

December 28, 2006: NHL New Year's Resolutions 

 

January 11, 2007: Weighing Penguins' options

 

February 6, 2007: Karlis Skrastins closes in on ironman record

 

March 1, 2007: Twenty questions

 

April 19, 2007: After marathon playoff OT ... what are the options? 

 

June 15, 2007: A new era for the 35-and-over player

 

July 26, 2007: Can NBA's Donaghy debacle be repeated in NHL? 

 

September 7, 2007: American players have more options

 

October 11, 2007: Stastny family effect 

 

October 25, 2007: Imitate baseball, put on a bow tie and wax poetic

 

November 29, 2007: Ode to "Slap Shot," the best sports movie ever made 

 

December 13, 2007: Suggestions for Gary Bettman's radio show

 

January 10, 2008: Spinning the tongue-in-cheek narrative for rest of season

 

January 24, 2008: Some polite suggestions for the All-Star Game 

 

March 6, 2008: Forsberg about to play again for Avs ... what now?  

 

April 3, 2008: O Canada, can I win the 50-50 just once? 

 

July 4, 2008:Joe Sakic and others ponder 

 

July 24, 2008: On buying out veterans 

 

September 4, 2008: Wasn't moderating ticket prices the whole point of the lockout? 

 

September 27, 2008: On the death of Paul Newman 

 

October 23, 2008: Measuring the No. 1 overall picks

 

November 3, 2008: Blue Jackets' Nash gives center a shot 

 

December 5, 2008: On Broadway in Nashville -- Preds' resilience

 

December 11, 2008: Dustin Brown has grown into the "C"

 

December 23, 2008: Sound familiar? Will Forsberg play ... or not? 

 

January 29, 2009: About those ticket prices ... again

 

February 13, 2009: Yes, Minnesota is the State of Hockey 

 

March 13, 2009: The best goalies from each NHL decade  

 

April 1, 2009How far have the Avalanche fallen? 

 

April 15, 2009: Excerpt from Columbine's Boy in the Window, by Patrick Ireland with Terry Frei.  

 

May 18, 2009: Now they're looking for flaws in John Tavares  

 

June 2, 2009: Rating the highlights of the 2008-09 season. 

 

July 9, 2009: Top Ten Sakic moments 

 

November 19, 2014: "Save by Roy" excerpt, Roy's notorious first game as Avalanche coach. With co-author Adrian Dater.