First, it was the bellowing, almost cartoonish laughter reverberating off the walls inside the room. Then, it was multiple balls of tape hurled in the direction of unsuspecting victims.
It was just a random weekday in the middle of a long, grinding season for the Avalanche. It was also a day this past week at Family Sports Center that felt steeped in symbolism.
The Avalanche locker room was suddenly a pretty fun place to be. Sure, the hockey team that inhabits that room has played a lot better over the past five weeks. Winning makes people happy.