Adrian Dater
Denver Post Sports Writer

Nice to hear Bedford, N.H., checking in with a fellow Granite Stater. Now to answer your question: I have no idea.

My best advice would be to look for back-to-back home games, but there are none for the rest of the season. Aebischer may not get more than one or two starts the rest of the season, with the Avs closing in on Vancouver for the division title. So, really, it's a crapshoot. You're right, though, the Swiss fans are a raucous group, and they definitely liven up the building.

Adrian, I'm glad you are able to provide fans with what happens "behind the scenes." Do you fly with the team's charter flights on road trips? If so, what are some things players do to kill time on flights?
-- Ryota, Anchorage, Alaska

Nice to see Anchorage checking in, too. This really is a global outreach Mailbag! No, I don't fly with the team, but I have in the past. The last time I flew with the team was on the way back from Sweden, right after the Sept. 11 attacks.

I can tell you this is the No. 1 thing that happens on team flights: card games. Many players are engaged in a yearlong card game, with point totals kept the whole year and money passing back and forth between the players. The funniest thing I ever saw on a plane ride was former assistant coach Joel Quenneville flipping his cards angrily in the air after his "hearts" teammate, Marc Crawford, made a bad play and cost them money. The two had angry words, but all was forgotten by the next winning hand. The players who aren't playing cards usually are reading magazines, sleeping or watching DVDs. There is food catered on the flights, and the seating is posh with lots of legroom. It's definitely the only way to fly.

Adrian - The first two lines are our high-production scoring lines. I am curious about the roles and responsibilities of the third and fourth lines. Is one of those lines supposed to physically take on the opposing team's high-scoring line? Do the lines pretty much dump it in and grind it out? To make Tony Granato happy, what do the third and fourth lines need to accomplish each game? Thanks.
-- Basil Stetson, Denver

The answer to the first of your two questions about the third and fourth lines is yes. The biggest thing you want out of your third and fourth lines is, No. 1, good defensive play. You don't want your first and second lines to have to come in and make up for the bad defensive play of your third and fourth. Third and fourth lines need to dump the puck in deep, forecheck hard and bottle up the neutral zone. If they can do that, and chip in with the occasional goal, you have yourself an ideal depth line.

No, they are definitely not couch potatoes. Usually, players take about two or three weeks off when a season ends, where they take vacations with families or just chill out at home. After that, they usually start an offseason workout program that requires a daily workout, usually with weights and some kind of aerobic activity. Not many players do a lot of skating in the summer, but they do about two or three weeks before training camp resumes.

Why was Brad Larsen put on waivers, then sent to Hershey? Why not just assign him to Hershey for the rest of the season? How does being in Hershey affect his house payments with Dan Hinote?
-- Matt Bovenzi, Denver

Good question. The Avs had to put Larsen on waivers because he had played too long in the NHL to just assign him to Hershey. Under NHL rules, any player who has played part of three seasons since signing his first NHL contract, or played 180 games, must clear waivers before being assigned to a minor league affiliate. Larsen had played parts of three seasons, so he had to have a chance to be picked up by another NHL team before going to Hershey.

As far as his house payments with Hinote, Larsen had a one-way contract, meaning he will be paid his normal Avalanche salary, so he should be able to make the payments.

Why does Patrick Roy wear the clear plastic shield on the bottom of his mask? Did he have some injury in the past that convinced him that he needed more protection, or is it just precautionary?
-- Jessica, Chantilly, Va.

No, those plastic shields came into vogue in the late '70s and early '80s, when goalie masks started to become radically altered. Most goalies started wearing those throat shields, as there had been goalies who were injured with shots to the throat. Clearly, the most protection to a goalie's face, the better, and the throat protector was a good innovation.

Hey, Adrian. I think the Avs Mailbag is awesome! During a recent New Jersey game, I heard the broadcasters mention that the Devils have an "appearance code" (I guess you could call it that), and that they can't have any facial hair. Now obviously the Avs don't have that rule, but what other rules do they have? Do they have a hairline rule or rules about wearing suits before going to the games. Thanks and keep up the good work!
-- Nichole Mendoza, San Francisco

No, there is no "appearance code" for the Avs regarding facial hair. Hockey tradition is that players usually grow a playoff beard, in fact. The one appearance rule that is hard and fast with the Avs, however, is they must wear nice slacks and a sport coat on road trips, except on off days. When they get on the airplane, they must be well dressed - no jeans or shorts. Also, for home games, they are expected to dress in slacks and sport coats when they enter and exit the arena.

This is standard for all NHL teams, as far as I know. Most players dress in Hugo Boss-style slacks and sport coats, usually with a dark undershirt. You can always spot a hockey player in the team hotels on the road - they all seem to look alike.