Colorado Avalanche, Broncos, and Nuggets Collapses Drain Aspen Fans

“It’s hard being a sports fan.”

That’s the opening salvo from the Aspen Times’ latest column, and it hits closer to home than most folks in the valley want to admit. We’ve all got that one friend who checks the score on their phone during a meeting. We’ve all felt the specific, hollow ache of a late-season collapse.

The short version? Colorado’s pro teams are bleeding us dry.

Tuesday night, the Colorado Avalanche got swept by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference final. Their quest for a fourth Stanley Cup ended in ignominy. That follows the Denver Nuggets’ first-round exit to the Minnesota Timberwolves. And before that? The Broncos lost to the New England Patriots in January, sitting one game away from the Super Bowl.

We won’t even talk about the Rockies. As of this writing, they have the fewest wins in the major leagues.

But here’s the thing worth watching. It’s not just that we lost. It’s how we lost.

Start with the Broncos. They went 14-3. A franchise record. They didn’t just win; they displayed a spirit that had us convinced this was the year. Remember the Giants game? Trailing 19-0 in the fourth quarter. They scored 33 points to win 33-32. That’s the kind of drama that keeps you awake at 2 a.m.

They were the No. 1 seed. They beat the Bills at home in overtime. Then quarterback Bo Nix broke his ankle.

That left backup Jarrett Stidham carrying the weight of a town’s hope. And the Patriots held Denver to a single touchdown. A 10-7 loss. A dashed dream.

The Nuggets were no different. Celebrating their 50th year in the NBA, they had a spotty regular season. Key injuries to Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray made it a grind. Yet they made the playoffs for the eighth straight year. They won the final 12 games of the regular season. A second-longest streak in franchise history.

They entered the postseason with great expectations. They won the first game at Ball Arena against the Timberwolves. Then they went flat. They lost four of the next five. They dribbled out of the playoffs. Sheesh.

Now it’s the Avs’ turn. They led the NHL in wins with 55. They took the President’s Trophy. They had the top seed. Nathan MacKinnon led the league in goals with 53. Cale Makar was an All-Star defenseman, though he missed much of the season.

The pattern is clear. We get teased with spectacular success. Then we get crushed in a way that feels personal.

It’s not just bad luck. It’s a cycle. And it’s exhausting.

Locals know the drill. You buy the jersey. You watch the game. You hope. And then you brace for impact. The Avs’ roster was stellar. The Broncos’ spirit was undeniable. The Nuggets’ late-season surge was real. But the finish was always the same.

We don’t need a crystal ball to predict the next collapse. We just need to remember the last one.

The question isn’t whether we’ll lose. It’s how badly. And whether we’ll still believe in the spring.

Read that again.