Andrew Cogliano's legendary toughness evident amid Avalanche injury wave: 'He's a warrior'

Feb. 14—Andrew Cogliano crumbled to the ice and feared the worst.

The Colorado Avalanche winger writhed in pain before getting up Thursday night in Tampa Bay, unable to put weight on his right leg, and hobbling into the visitor's dressing room at Amalie Arena. He knocked knees with Lightning defenseman Ian Cole; who was later fined $5,000 for the unnecessary high-speed collision.

"It hurt there for a bit," Cogliano told The Denver Gazette. "I was wondering how bad it was, to be honest."

Coach Jared Bednar added: "It did not look good on video or live."

But it's no real surprise what happened next.

Cogliano returned in the first period and finished the game with 13:04 of ice time. It's more evidence of the legendary toughness that has defined his NHL journey. Cogliano appeared in 830 consecutive games — the fourth-longest streak in league history — to begin his career playing in Edmonton and Anaheim.

Good luck keeping him off the ice.

"Things tightened up on me a little bit. It ended up being okay," Cogliano said after that knee-on-knee collision. "I feel pretty lucky because (Cole) is a big guy. Colliding like that could not be a good thing. ... Sometimes, 'pop' isn't what you want to hear in those moments. But I didn't hear much. My leg just kind of tightened up. I just went back and walked it off a bit.

"It felt good and that was it."

Cogliano's extreme stamina is even more appreciated during a serious Avalanche injury wave.

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Bednar said there is no timeline for the healthy return of defenseman Cale Makar (concussion), goalie Pavel Francouz (lower body), captain Gabe Landeskog (knee surgery) or defenseman Erik Johnson (lower body). Meanwhile, Cogliano has played in 49 of 51 games this season. He's recorded eight goals and five assists.

How does the 35-year-old NHL veteran, somehow, manage to always stay healthy?

"He's a warrior," forward Evan Rodrigues said. "He prepares himself very well and does a lot of things off the ice that have helped him play so long and in so many games. His preparation off the ice is some of the best I've ever seen."

The evidence is viewed at the start of any Avalanche morning skate or practice. The first player on the ice, without fail, is Cogliano. He's warming up with extreme attention to detail. It's part of a routine that he's perfected over 16 NHL seasons.

"It definitely a process and something that you learn as you get older and your career extends on," Cogliano said. "The game is played at such a high level and so fast that I think taking care of yourself away from the rink and doing what's necessary to remain healthy is imperative.

"I've always taken a liking in it, to be honest."

Bednar noted: "You look at how many games he's played the longevity of his career. Most guys who are able to accomplish that, it's because they have exceptional off-the-ice habits, training and diet."

Cogliano said he was "a little bit sore" in Tampa Bay after coming back into the game. But no admission of pain.

The Avalanche's iron man keeps on skating.

"I've kind of become immune to that as I've gotten older throughout my career," Cogliano said. "The biggest thing is making sure you're fine and you're not at risk of re-injuring yourself. If you're healthy enough to get back in — you get back in."

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