DENVER — Colorado Avalanche goalie Scott Wedgewood brought his favorite book series to life at Ball Arena, inspiring a "Dungeon Crawler Carl" theme night that connected fans, teammates, and a local animal rescue.
The event celebrated author Matt Dinniman’s apocalyptic book series, which Dinniman describes as being about a man and his ex-girlfriend’s cat stuck on an alien game show. Fans at the game saw unusual sights, including the mascot Bernie in heart-themed boxer shorts and a cat riding a dinosaur.
Wedgewood, who has read the entire series multiple times, requested the theme night.
"I love it. I switched from self-help books during the COVID bubble to reading for fun, I’ve crushed a lot of series and a lot of books but this one stuck out. It’s been a lot of fun," Wedgewood said.
Wedgewood expressed amazement at the complex story, noting he does not know how the author keeps track of everything.
"There’s crazy people like me who just kind make it up as we go along, we have no idea where it’s going to go," Dinniman said. "For me, personally, that’s the most fun part of writing. When you just make it up as you go along. I’m in it for the journey."
The series has become a way for Wedgewood to bond with Avalanche fans and his teammates.
"I’ve been getting messages from people over the last few weeks saying I haven’t been to an Avs game in years but I love this book so I’m going," Wedgewood said. "It’s just different ways to connect, we all have our little niches."
He said a lot of guys read on the team and some of them have read a couple of the series he's recommended.
"We talk about them, guys read on the plane, you’ve got so much free time, right? It’s a way to connect that’s kind of cool," Wedgewood said.
In honor of the book's feline character, Princess Donut, the team raised money during the event to support Denver’s Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue.
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