Andy Cross / The Denver Post)
Journeyman goalie Andrew Hammond is suddenly the guardian of Colorado's professional hockey scene.
That throw-in from the Nov. 5 three-team trade that sent disgruntled center Matt Duchene to Ottawa is now the Avalanche's most important defensive player — right next to 19-year-old defenseman Sam Girard — heading into Game 6 of its Western Conference first-round series against the Predators at the Pepsi Center on Sunday.
And, yes, it's official: Hammond will start in net Sunday.
They call him "The Hamburgler" — and soon enough, the Duchene trade will be dubbed grand larceny.