Never seen anything like Cale Makar? You’re not alone. Neither has Claire Elston, who sat on her mother’s lap in the last row of the Pepsi Center on a Monday night that felt as fresh and exciting as a new golden age for Avalanche hockey.
Yes, the 20-year-old Makar was way too young to be the first defenseman in NHL history to celebrate his professional debut in a playoff game by scoring a goal. But don’t even try telling little Miss Elston — all of 10 months old and sitting happily in Section 334 while wearing noise-canceling headphones over her ears and Avalanche colors across her tiny chest — that she should’ve been at home in her crib, fast asleep.