Modest Liles embraces new challenges with Colorado

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2006

By Lucas Aykroyd

The 2003-04 edition of the Colorado Avalanche was stacked with big NHL stars like Peter Forsberg, Alex Tanguay, Rob Blake, Adam Foote, Teemu Selanne, and Paul Kariya. Yet after the lockout, the league’s new salary cap environment forced the Avs to let go of those aforementioned talents.

Of course, Joe Sakic and Milan Hejduk still remain as snipers from Colorado’s 2001 Stanley Cup team. But the onus now rests on young players to carry the load for this club, and a prime example is John-Michael Liles.

The Indiana native leads Colorado in scoring among defenseman. He notched his sixth goal and 20th point of the season on a dazzling Bobby Orr-like play versus Vancouver on December 2, deking out Vancouver’s Roberto Luongo. At just 177 centimeters and 84 kilograms, the mobile Liles has benefited from the NHL’s obstruction crackdown.

Expectations are high for Liles to compensate for the offense that was lost when Blake signed as a free agent this summer with his original club, the Los Angeles Kings. But the 26-year-old downplays that aspect: “I haven’t focused on that at all. No one guy, including myself, is going to fill Rob Blake’s skates. Everybody’s tried to help by chipping in as much as possible in his absence.”

It’s not an easy battle, though. The Avalanche, who won nine straight division titles from 1994-95 to 2002-03, haven’t been as formidable in the post-lockout era. This year, they failed to achieve three straight wins in either October or November.

One nice boost is Jordan Leopold’s return to the lineup. Acquired in the trade that sent Tanguay to Calgary at the 2006 NHL Draft, the savvy Minnesota-raised blueliner was sidelined until the start of December due to hernia surgery.

“He’s a tremendous player,” said Liles. “I’m pretty happy to be out there with him as my defense partner. He’s going to do nothing but help this team.”

Liles made his own team-first move when he handed over his jersey number (26) to Paul Stastny on October 20. Paul, a promising rookie forward, is the son of Slovakia-born NHL great Peter Stastny, who made 26 famous when he wore it during the Colorado franchise’s previous incarnation as the Quebec Nordiques.

Liles then adopted 4, previously identified with two players he’s idolized: Rob Blake and Bobby Orr.

“If Paul Stastny wasn’t there, I would have stayed with 26,” said Liles. “My number in college was 4, and when Paul came in and worked so hard to make the team and did a great job, it was an easy decision to make because of his family’s history. I checked with Blake before I switched to 4, and he was happy to say yes.”

Another enjoyable experience for Liles was playing with the DEL’s Iserlohn Roosters in 2004-05. He racked up 11 points in 17 games during his stint in Germany. His personal highlight was getting to play with two fellow Americans who attended the same university as him, Michigan State.

“Mike York [the runner-up for the DEL’s 2005 scoring title] and Bryan Adams called me up. I’d been sidelined for the first half of the lockout with a broken foot, and they suggested, ‘Hey, why don’t you come over and play with us?’ They actually attended Michigan State before me, but I’d skated with them in the summer. It was nice to play with them instead of against them in the NHL for a change.”

Liles is making a name for himself on the international scene with Team USA. Recently, this product of the US National Team Development junior program has suited up at the 2004 World Cup, the 2005 IIHF World Championship, and the 2006 Olympics. Each time, he’s taken on greater responsibility.

“Wearing your nation’s jersey is a huge point of pride,” said Liles. “Every time I’ve jumped at the chance. There’s nothing quite like wearing the USA crest for me. Myself being from the state of Indiana, which isn’t a big hockey state, it’s nice to represent my home in some way.”