Aebischer has been big in Switzerland for years, both as a young goalie in his homeland, then as the audacious professional who had the nerve to sign a contract with the Avalanche organization in 1997 and venture to North America to play in the minor leagues.

Aebischer played 27 games with two East Coast Hockey League teams in 1997-98, joined the Avs' top farm club at Hershey for two full seasons, then became Roy's Colorado backup in 1999-2000.

Though the NHL's talent pool had become internationalized over the years, the trend hadn't tapped Switzerland. While winger Michel Riesen and center Reto Von Arx had brief stints in the NHL since 2000, the Swiss representatives in 2003 both are goaltenders - Aebischer and Anaheim's Martin Gerber. And back home in Europe, the Swiss fans follow their progress.

Roger Rensch, an Aebischer fan from their mutual hometown of Fribourg, and a friend set up www.davidaebischer.com as a clearinghouse for information about the goalie, now 25. There, information is available in three of the languages Aebischer speaks - English, French or Schwyzerdeutsch. Once a web surfer arrives at the site, the choice is to click on "Welcome," "Bienvenue," or "Wilkommen," and it almost seems as if Joel Gray, the emcee from "Cabaret," should be singing the greeting.

"Two guys started it, and it picked up pretty fast," Aebischer said. "When they started it, there were 250 hits pretty quick, which was surprising to me."

Aebischer laughed when asked if he checks out the website.

"Not often," he said. "It's more for fans to follow me than for me to follow myself."

The site touts membership in the David Aebischer Fan Club, at $20 per year, and reports membership has reached more than 300. Among other benefits, members get an invitation to a meeting with Aebischer in Switzerland in the offseason, information on the club's annual trip to Denver to watch Aebischer play and access to a members-only news section of the website. Aebischer gear, including Avalanche and Swiss logo jerseys with his name and number, also is sold on the site.

This season's Aebischer Fan Club trip will bring its members to Denver for games against Carolina and Detroit on Feb. 3 and Feb. 5, respectively.

Fribourg is divided into French and German sectors by a river running through town. Most residents learn the "other" language, or at least enough to get by in casual communication. Both sections claim Aebischer as a favorite son, and the French-language newspaper - La Liberte - for three years has been running dispatches from Denver to update its readers on the goaltender's progress.

With Aebischer stepping up to the No. 1 role, La Liberte will have its own reporter following the Avalanche for the first month of the regular season.

"I read a couple of newspapers online, but not about me," Aebischer said. "I read about what's going on in the Swiss hockey league or in the country and the world. Those are the things I look at."

Weight: 192 pounds

Age: 25

Catches: Left

Strengths: Takes full advantage of his size. Unflappable. Strong reflexes and glove hand.

Weaknesses: Occasionally seems to have taken a knockout punch, because he can be slow to get up after flopping. Has a tendency to give up early goals.