Sad day. Not an offshore sportsbook kind of sad, where all the bettors who made money on the Colorado Avalanche over the years cry into their drinks because the Avs are rebuilding.

Sure, Burnaby Joe Sakic helped many of us win those parlays, but the main story of today is how much we’ll miss him as hockey fans. He was a class act — a quiet guy who led by example and was an ambassador for the sport (like Georges St-Pierre on this weekend’s UFC fight card. Hint hint, Canada — you have a gold mine in that kid. Stop ignoring him!). He gave us many memorable clutch moments — playoff overtime winners, winning Gold with Canada in the 2002 Olympics (he was MVP). And of course, there’s the wrist shot — the heaviest, most deceptive, most famous wrister in NHL history.

We’ll miss you, Joe. Let’s hope this ain’t the last of you in hockey. According to my sports predictions, you’ll be back in some capacity. Think of the price per head they’d charge in Denver if you got behind the bench with Pat Roy!

We’re not as murky as the UFC odds heavyweight division, but the NHL Draft certainly gets tougher to pick after the No. 3 slot. Center Matt Duchene seems to be the consensus choice to go third (just as Novak Djokovic is locked in with the third-best Wimbledon odds).

Not the biggest guy out there by any means at 5′11″, Duchene compares favorably to Steve Yzerman and, interestingly enough, Joe Sakic. The latter name deserves mention as Colorado looks like the frontrunner to land Duchene.

Even though he could theoretically pushed around, he has a ton to offer NHL teams. He has great speed and is a natural goal-scoring shooter (great shot from pretty much anywhere). He has playmaking skills and he’s hard-nosed, not afraid to go into high-traffic areas. He also can contribute to many different situations that help influence sports predictions — the penalty kill, the power play….he can even play the point with the man advantage.

I haven’t heard whispers of anyone trading up to third in the draft (unless you count rumors of Brian Burke acquiring every pick), so I’m betting management in Colorado goes with Duchene. He’s considered the most complete, NHL-ready player in the draft, so I can’t fault the pick.