‘O’Reilly is respected for his work ethic, which stacks up with that of anyone in the NHL. Fans, media and, most important, the Avalanche “got” that his contributions go far beyond the simply quantifiable. (No, I’m not stooping to citing analytics, but offering conclusions reached by actually watching him play.) Yet the virtually universal reaction to his departure has been: Good riddance. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a player so respected told so universally to not let the door hit him on the way out.’