Lucic

The Avalanche trade pickup (and now overtime hero) tried to quit hockey to pursue snowboarding when he was 12.

After scoring against the Blues that night, he joked that his goal had “everything” to do with his fresh haircut. He finished with the second-highest Game Score (4.32) in the league Tuesday night, according to Hockey Stat Cards, trailing only his partner, Girard (4.39). “I remember watching it from the bench and being blown away by the toughness he showed and the willingness to get in there,” says Fowler, at that point a five-year veteran. For the Avalanche, who needed another defenseman and struggled against a physical Vegas team in the 2021 playoffs, Manson emerged as a fit. Off the ice, he was “a very kind individual,” his former teammate says, but if he didn’t like a hit on a teammate, he’d never shy away from a fight. “It hit me a little harder when he was moved. On the ice, Manson brought his team more than just toughness and a 6-foot-3 frame. Though he had yet to play a full season at defense, the switch was already paying dividends. “You’re not going to see many toe-drags, but he always makes the smart play. So as the start of the hockey season approached, Manson approached his mom, Lana, and told her he thought he was done with it. Manson also would pull out his guitar to play, and Gannon says he has a good singing voice. Now when he sees the mountains in Denver, he doesn’t think about his former passion.