DENVER — Whether you're partial to basketball, hockey, baseball, soccer or golf, it's a great time to be a Colorado sports fan.
The Nuggets and the Avalanche are heading to the playoffs, University of Denver men’s hockey is heading to the national championship, Denver Summit FC shattered the NWSL attendance record, the Rockies are starting the season stronger than last year, and Colorado-grown golfer Wyndham Clark is in the Top 10 of the Masters after two rounds. Plus, both the Nuggets and Rockies entered Thursday with the longest active winning streak in the NBA and MLB, respectively, per ESPN.
Denver7's Tyler Melito spent the day talking with folks about what all this success means for Coloradans.
▶️ Watch what fans and businesses had to say
"So awesome. It's so exciting, and I live just a few blocks from all of the action," Denver resident Derek Ramos said.
"Every year we look forward to April," Nikki Clark, operating partner at Tom's Watch Bar in McGregor Square, said.
It is a great time indeed, with the Nuggets making a strong push toward the playoffs.
"How can you, like, not love this guy — Nikola Jokic is a superstar and putting up, you know, video game numbers this year," Nuggets fan Charles Lasater, who was visiting Denver from Wichita, Kan., to watch his favorite team said ahead of the Nuggets game Friday.
It's not just humans who are in on Jokic and the crew.
"This is the best fan you can have, because she'll always love you no matter how you're performing," Ramos said of their dog Cwei who was sporting her own Nuggets jersey.
The Rockies are exceeding expectations early on, too. Denver resident Charlie Mitelhaus was excited about Friday's announcement that owner and CEO of the Denver Broncos, Greg Penner, and his wife Carrie Penner will become minority owners of the Colorado Rockies
"Hopefully we can get that tide turning," Mitelhaus said.
Colorado Rockies
Broncos owners become minority owners of Colorado Rockies
The Masters Tournament features some of the best golfers in the world, including Valor Christian High School alum Wyndham Clark, who finds himself in a tie for seventh after two rounds.
"He's a great role model in terms of dealing with adversity, certainly having gone through a difficult time with his mom a handful of years ago," Clark's high school basketball coach and current golf coach at Valor, Justen Byler, said. "Shortly after he got out of high school, but ever since then, he continued to grow as a young man. But he's never lost sight of where he comes from. Stays attached to the program. Still gives back to the program itself, to the school."
Byler said despite it having been nearly 20 years since he first met Clark, it's still amazing to see how Clark never forgets where he came from.
"It's a huge blessing to see that he still sees Denver, Colorado, Highlands Ranch, Colorado, is his home," Byler said. "He treats us that way relationally... We're able to pass that on too and no matter how big you may become, no matter what your circumstances, you have an opportunity to stay connected to community."
Plus, the Avalanche clinched the Presidents' Trophy Thursday night and are the favorites to hoist the Stanley Cup.
Local businesses and fans love being part of the action.
"If you spend enough time in Denver, you really get a sense for what people really love, and you have to have that spectrum of items, for women, for kids, for the super passionate fan, even for the casual fan, because this time of year, that's when they're really jumping on," explained owner for SportsFan Derek Friedman.
"Everyone cares so much to come out and support them and give them their energy and effort and I think it's great for the players, they get to hear their fans cheering for them, it motivates them in a game," Tom's Watch Bar's Clark said.
But it is not just the professional athletes and teams dominating the attention. After a thrilling double-overtime win in the NCAA semifinals Thursday, Denver men’s hockey is getting ready for a championship showdown against Wisconsin Saturday.
Carrie Odette, general manager of Pioneer Bar near the DU's campus, said they are expecting big things.
"It'd be cool for some of them, like the ones that are graduating, they'll get to see maybe, hopefully, more than one national championship," Odette said. "Not a lot of people can say that."
For those local businesses, whatever event may be on the TV this weekend, the goal is simple: catering to the people who pour their hearts and souls into their favorite teams and athletes.
"There's honestly nothing like Denver sports," Clark said. "I've traveled to several different towns, and none of those fans compare to Colorado fans."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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