As we enter the final week of the season for all 3 leagues, you may notice a common trend in the 'upper' leagues...Both finals match ups include both the NHL & AHL Affiliates from Colorado and North Carolina (the first time in LG history!) NHL FINALS: Colorado Avalanche vs. Carolina Hurricanes AHL FINALS: Colorado Eagles vs. Charlotte Checkers What are the odds of that? Instead of previewing each match-up, here are 50 facts about each state: Colorado, United States The Capital of Colorado is Denver aka. The Mile High City The Population of Colorado is 5,770,545 (2019), the 21st largest state in the US The median household income in Colorado is $69,117 (nice) The highest elevation of Colorado is 14,440 feet. 210 people were murdered in Colorado in 2019 Colorado encompasses most of the Rocky Mountains The state was named for the Colorado River, which early Spanish explorers named the Río Colorado The territory of Colorado was organized in 1861 and was added to the Union in 1876 becoming the 38th state Colorado is a part of the Four Corners where you are able to be in Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico simultaneously The United States federal government owns more than 1/3 of the land in Colorado. The area known as Colorado was inhabited by Native Americans for 13,000 years 44% of people in Colorado are Protestant Coloradans have the lowest obesity rate of any state in the US (Minus @Duncan Queeef ) Many prominent films have been shot in Colorado including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, True Grit and Furious 7 Aspen Mountain skiing is among the most popular in the world, seeing 1.55 million visitors in 2019 Colorado is among the most notable locations for wine and craft brewery Colorado has been a trailblazer in legal marijuana, mary jane, that good kush, that sticky icky...becoming the first state to legalize medical marijuana (2000), industrial (2013) and recreational (2014) Colorado's marijuana industry sold $1.3B worth of weed in 2016 Colorado has 15 professional sports teams including the Avalanche, Eagles, Rockies, Broncos and Nuggets Colorado hosts seven of the Nation's 100 largest natural gas fields, and two of its 100 largest oil fields Colorado is considered a swing state in Federal elections Denver, CO lays claim to the invention of the Cheeseburger Colorado declined to host the Olympics in 1976 The world's first Rodeo was hosted in Colorado in 1869 Colfax Ave. in Denver, CO is the longest continuous street in America Colorado once had 3 Governors at the same time on a single day in March 1905 Rocky Ford, CO is the 'Melon Capital of the World' The United States Air Force Academy is located in Colorado Springs. In Fruita, the town folk celebrate 'Mike the Headless Chicken Day'. Seems that a farmer named L.A. Olsen cut off Mike's head on September 10, 1945 in anticipation of a chicken dinner - and Mike lived for another 4 years without a head. Katherine Lee Bates wrote America the Beautiful after being inspired by the view from Pikes Peak. Colorado has more microbreweries per capita than any other state. Denver records an average of over 300 days of sunshine per year--more than San Diego or Miami Beach. The first license plate was issued in 1908 in Denver, Colorado. Nederland, Colorado is home to a body that has been frozen cryogenically for decades. It’s the namesake behind their annual “Frozen Dead Guy Days” festival. Don’t think about tossing some snowballs around in Aspen, Colorado. It’s illegal to throw them at a person or building. Jolly Ranchers were invented by a Colorado resident by the name of Bill Harmsen in 1949. Herding pigs in public in Boulder is illegal. The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado was the inspiration behind Stephen King’s infamous horror novel, The Shining. Big fan of the burrito-giant Chipotle? The first one opened in Denver in 1993. At 53 square miles, Denver International Airport is twice the size of Manhattan. The Colorado Alligator Farm in the San Luis Valley is the world's only high-altitude alligator colony at 7,664 feet above sea level. In Colorado it is illegal to ride a horse while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Eisenhower Tunnel in Colorado is the highest vehicular tunnel in the world Denver’s first drive-by shooting happened in 1876 when Cort Thompson was shot from another carriage. Trinidad, CO is known as the sex change capital of the world. Doctor Stanley Biber performed thousands of sex change operations there from 1969 through 2003. You can go to jail for picking the state flower. Over the years, the ADX Florence SuperMax prison has housed such notorious inmates as Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (the Boston Marathon bomber), Ted Kaczynski (the Unabomber), and Timothy McVeigh (the Oklahoma City bomber). In parts of Colorado, it is illegal to have dandelions in your yard, set your couch on the porch, or kiss a woman while she is asleep. One of Colorado’s famous delicacies is the Rocky Mountain Oysters. These are not your average oyster and are actually bull’s bollocks. At CO's altitude, air is less dense. With less resistance items can travel faster and further through the air. For this reason, it’s fun playing golf or baseball in Denver, Colorado. There is a scary-looking Blue Horse outside the Denver Airport. Nicknamed "Blucifer" by locals, the rearing horse stands 32-feet tall. And as if a giant blue horse with glowing red eyes wasn't disturbing enough, the story behind Blucifer is even worse. Artist Luis Jimenez sustained serious injuries while creating the behemoth. The head of the statue fell off and crushed one of his legs. Jimenez ultimately died from blood loss due to his injuries. There are numerous pieces of art in the Denver Airport with Nazi-esque characters and end of the world depictions. Theorists have also pointed out how similar the Denver Airport’s runway layout looks to a swastika when photographed from above. North Carolina, United States The state capital of North Carolina is Raleigh while it's largest city is Charlotte The population of North Carolina is 10,488,084 (2019) The median household income is $52,752 The highest elevation of North Carolina is 6,684 feet. 628 people were murdered in North Carolina in 2019 North Carolina's elevation descends from the Appalachian Mountains North Carolina is south of Virginia, east of Tennessee, north of South Carolina, and west of the Atlantic Ocean. Forests cover nearly 60 percent of North Carolina North Carolina was named in honor of King Charles It was established as a royal colony in 1729 and is one of the thirteen original colonies In 1789, it became the 12th state in the United States In 1861, it became the last of 11 states to join the Confederate. The state was restored to the Union in 1868. There are 41 professional sports teams in North Carolina including the Hurricanes, Panthers and Hornets NASCAR is the official sport of North Carolina 'Cherry Point' is the largest Marine Air Base in the country. The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill is the oldest State University in the United States. In 1903 the Wright Brothers made the first successful powered flight by man at Kill Devil Hill near Kitty Hawk. The Wright Memorial at Kitty Hawks now commemorates their achievement. High Point is known as the Furniture Capital of the World. Whitewater Falls in Transylvania County is the highest waterfall in the eastern United States. Cape Hatteras is the largest lighthouse ever to be moved due to erosion problems. The University of North Carolina's mascot, the Tarheels, is a nickname for North Carolinians that supposedly came from the days when NC produced a lot of tar, and someone saw a set of footprints made by someone who had stepped in the tar. North Carolina is the largest producer of sweet potatoes in the nation. Krispy Kreme Doughnut was founded in Winston-Salem. The Venus Fly-Trap is native to Hampstead. The world's largest operational frying pan is located in Rose Hill, NC The first miniature golf course was built in Fayetteville. Babe Ruth hit his first home run in Fayetteville on March 7, 1914. The first English child born in America was born in Roanoke in 1587. Her name was Virginia Dare. Pepsi was invented and first served in New Bern in 1898. Andrew Jackson, seventh President of the United States, was born in the Waxsaws area on the border of North and South Carolina. James K. Polk, born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, was the eleventh President of the United States. Andrew Johnson started his career as a tailor's apprentice in Raleigh, North Carolina and rose to lead in the reuniting of the nation as the seventeenth President of the United States. Sugar Ray Leonard, James Taylor and Clay Aiken were born in NC. More American Idol finalists are from North Carolina than any other state. North Carolina's coast was a favorite of famous pirate, Blackbeard who died off of the NC coast during a battle with the British Navy. On average, North Carolina is hit by a hurricane every 3.44 years The official state drink of North Carolina is milk. The Graveyard of the Atlantic.” More than 1,000 ships have crashed or disappeared on the NC coast since records were began in 1526 More than 800 featured movies have been filmed in North Carolina. Everything from Dirty Dancing to Forest Gump were on screen. During Prohibition, the citizens of Wilkes County made a name for their home as the “Moonshine Capital of the World” North Carolina is the site of America's first gold rush. The Biltmore Estate, which was built by George Washington Vanderbilt II in the late 19th century, is the largest mansion in America Cheerwine is often referred to as the “nectar of the Tarheels.” Also, despite its name, there’s no wine in Cheerwine. Cheerwine is a cherry-flavored drink that has lesser caffeine than Pepsi and Coco-Cola. In NC, If a man and woman who aren't married go to a hotel and register themselves as married, then according to state law, they are married It is illegal to rollerblade on state highways Visiting the dead after midnight is illegal It’s illegal to hold an organizational meeting while wearing a mask. Suck it, furries. It’s illegal to serve alcohol at a bingo game. You can't use Elephants to plow cotton fields. On Christmas Day in 1929 in Stokes County, NC, well-respected farmer Charlie Lawson inexplicably slew his wife and six of his seven children. In Bladen County, there's a supposed vampire beast who's done some serious damage throughout the decades. Sightings of Normie, the Lake Norman monster, go back generations. It's thought to be at least 10 feet long, and while no one knows exactly what it is or how it got there, there are several theories. And also... Colorado Avalanche in 7 Colorado Eagles in 6 #BlazeIt Kindly, Mike x Scott
Colorado also has @D4D USA & @Dunks who everyone likes. Carolina/Charlotte have @JClaus33 & @FrenchMoron who everyone hates.