Grading The Week: Avalanche great Cale Makar on pace to break more of Cale Makar’s records

You know what the Grading The Week puckheads love most about when Cale Makar sets an Avalanche franchise record?

It never lasts long. Usually because some guy named Makar eventually winds up toppling it.

Because No. 8 is only 26, the greatest defenseman to wear an Avs sweater is at it again. With two goals and six points recorded over this past week, the Avalanche D man pushed his season totals to 26 goals and 81 points through Friday night. And those are two numbers to keep an eye on down the stretch, because …

Makar chasing down Makar records — A

Fun fact: The single-season record for an Avs defenseman for goals is 28 and for points is 90. Makar holds both marks, reaching the former in ’21-22 and the latter last season.

GTW did the math — always a dangerous prospect — and figured out that with 12 games left in the regular season, starting with Saturday evening’s trip to Montreal, Makar is scoring at a clip of 0.371 goals per game and 1.157 points per contest.

This means that if No. 8 doesn’t miss a tilt through April 13, he’d finish the regular season with 30 goals and 95 points — wiping both of his old marks in both categories off the books.

It would also be the first 30-goal season by a defenseman since Washington’s Mike Green netted 31 in 2008-09. Only eight D-men in NHL history have ever scored 30 or more goals in a season, and they’re the usual suspects: Bobby Orr (five times), Paul Coffey (four), Denis Potvin (three), Doug Wilson, Kevin Hatcher, Ray Bourque, Phil Housley and Green.

Referee Kelly Sutherland — F

Just. Get. Out. Of. The. Bleeping. Way.

DU hockey — A

The Pios knocked off rival Colorado College in the NCHC quarterfinals, then took care of Arizona State in the semis of the Frozen Faceoff, having won five of their last six going into Saturday’s Faceoff title game against Western Michigan. In other words, more of the same.

DU men’s hoops — D-plus

Jeff Wulbrun is on leave. “We are not seeking a new head coach,” AD Josh Berlo then tells … well, everyone. A few weeks later, Wulbrun is out. Pioneers men’s basketball remains the Thomas the Tank Engine of Division I men’s hoops, a bastion of confusion and delay. In other words, more of the same.

Travis Hunter, Lauren Betts’ March Madness star turns — A-minus

Like Super Bowl Sunday, the first weekend of March Madness means slogging through a wave of buzz-driven commercials. For most of them, the jokes get old after about the 290th time they’ve been cycled through during an under-4 timeout. That said, GTW’s couch potatoes got a kick out of seeing ex-CU great Travis Hunter share the stage with Tom Brady, Kevin Durant and Suni Lee while shilling for Dick’s Sporting Goods. And an even bigger one anytime the new AT&T spot featuring former Grandview girls hoops great Lauren Betts popped up. To paraphrase noted philosopher Buddy The Elf: Lauren … here? We know her! We know her!