Without leading scorer Val Nichushkin, will the Avs be able to take the Stanley Cup again? This week the team’s forward was suspended for six months, continuing his path in an NHL player support program to address undisclosed issues. Then Regina English, a democratic representative from Colorado Springs, voted against gay marriage in a state where it has been legal for a decade. Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are joined by politics and green chile correspondent Justine Sandoval to dig into these stories, plus Red Lobster’s abrupt exit from the metro area, the town of Vail canceling an artist’s residency over politics, and more wins and fails of the week.

Paul recommended David Foster Wallace’s classic article, “Consider the Lobster.” You heard “This Time is Forever” from Dave Devine’s band Delby L’s Steve Albini-engineered record, Nine Skies.

Pauls thread on r/ColoradoSprings.

Paul referenced this CBS story about Val Nichushkin’s playoff absence last year.

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#188: How Practice Analytics Are Changing the Game