KUSA – Is it hockey season yet?
The Colorado Avalanche will kick off its 20th anniversary season on Thursday, and the organization has several events planned to celebrate.
That got us thinking… over the past 20 years, what have been our favorite moments since the Avs moved to Denver? Was it one of our Stanley Cup wins? Or maybe it was the bad blood we developed with the Detroit Red Wings? Gosh, this is going to be tough.
Here are our top 9 moments from Colorado Avalanche history in chronological order:
1. The Quebec Nordiques move to Colorado
Sooooo… this one had to happen in order for us to even have this list, right? When the Colorado Rockies left east for New Jersey to become the Devils (c'mon sports fans, you know the baseball team wasn't the first Colorado Rockies franchise in the state), hockey fans were left with a gaping hole in their hearts. Enter the Quebec Nordiques. From 1979 to 1994, the team became one of the largest sports draws in Quebec City. Still, it had its share of struggles, specifically with finances. The team was sold to Denver-based COMSAT Entertainment Group, and in 1995, the Nordiques were relocated to Colorado and renamed the Avalanche. They brought a boatload of talent including Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Mike Ricci, Adam Deadmarsh, Adam Foote, Sylvain Lefebvre… if I keep going, I'm just going to name the whole team.
2. Patrick Roy is traded to Colorado
When the Nordiques moved to Colorado, there was no shortage in talent. While the Avalanche greats like Super Joe, Foppa and Footie provided a strong foundation, one piece of the puzzle was still missing: a goaltender. At the time, Patrick Roy was a standout goalie for the Montreal Canadiens. He had won two Stanley Cup championships with the Habs in 1986 and 1993, the first during his rookie season. Roy parted ways with the team on bad terms, forcing a trade during the 1995-96 season after he was left in goal during a blowout loss to the Detroit Red Wings. The Avs acquired him four days later on December 6, 1995, and, well, let's just say the rest is history. One of the all-time greats, Roy is the only goalie in the history of the NHL to win over 200 games with two different teams.
3. Roy takes it to Jeremy Roenick
So we just mentioned Roy had already won two Stanley Cups – prior to coming to the Avs. Apparently, no one told that to Chicago Blackhawk, Jeremy Roenick. During a 1996 Western Conference semifinal game, Roenick was pulled down by Avs defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh during a breakaway. A penalty shot wasn't called.
After the game, Roenick quipped to the media, "Yeah, should've been a penalty shot, no doubt about it. I like Patrick [Roy]'s quote that he would've stopped me. I just want to know where he was in Game 3."
In one of his most famous retorts, Roy responded: "I can't really hear what Jeremy says because I got my two Stanley cup rings plugged in my ears."
We all know who won that series. And that argument.
4. Avs win the 1996 Stanley Cup Championship
Could this have been a more perfect Cinderella story? Its first year in Colorado, the Avalanche became the 1996 Stanley Cup Champions. The Avs finished the regular season 47-25-10, which was good enough for first in the Pacific Division. Colorado defeated the Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. There, they took on the Florida Panthers, where they swept them four games to none. Game 4 went to triple overtime and defenseman Uwe Krupp scored the game-winning goal. Boo-yah. Victory is sweet.
5. A rivalry is born
It's an unwritten rule in Colorado. You don't cheer for the Detroit Red Wings, and there's plenty of reason why. Technically, you could argue this rivalry started during the 1996 Stanley Cup playoffs when Avs winger Claude Lemieux checked Detroit's Kris Draper from behind. Draper suffered a broken cheekbone and fractured his nose and jaw. The Avalanche went on to clinch the series. We all moved on from the event… sorta. The bitter feelings continued over the next couple of meetings, but really came to a boiling point on March 26, 1997. The game featured a handful of fights (really too many to count), including Roy versus Detroit goaltender, Mike Vernon. Punches were thrown, blood was on the ice, even the coaches exchanged words.
Since this fight, there have been several other tussles between the two clubs. Don't expect tensions to calm down during next year's Stadium Series at Coors Field. Not only will the Avs get to renew its rivalry with Detroit, the alums from the glory days will also face off in a game at their own.
6. Ray Bourque traded to the Avalanche
The ultimate hockey dream is to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup. No one knew that feeling more than defenseman, Raymond Bourque. Bourque played over 20 seasons for the Boston Bruins hockey club. While he claimed many awards over his career, he never accomplished the game's biggest prize. In March of 2000, the Bruins traded Bourque to the Colorado Avalanche who, at the time, was considered a large contender for the Stanley Cup. It could be Bourque's best shot at winning a cup before he retired from the game.
7. Colorado hoists Lord Stanley's Cup for a second time
Ray Bourque's dream is fulfilled. At the end of the 2000-2001 season, the Avalanche won the franchise's second Stanley Cup by defeating the New Jersey Devils in seven games. In one of the most memorable post-game celebrations in NHL history, Avalanche captain Joe Sakic accepted the Stanley Cup but rather than take it for a victory lap himself, handed it directly to Bourque. Bourque raised the cup for the first – and only – time in his career. Players cheered. Fans cried tears of happiness. Boy, was that sweet.
Watch the video and try not to cry all of the tears. Seriously. We dare you.
8. Duchene is drafted, rebuilding begins
The new era of Colorado Avalanche hockey began when the team drafted Ontario-native Matt Duchene with the third overall pick in the 2009 draft. In his first season, Duchene was a finalist for the Calder Trophy and led all rookies in the league with 55 points. He went on to become the youngest player in franchise history to lead the team in scoring during the 2010-11 season, and the youngest Av to participate in an NHL All-Star game at age 20. Complete side note – despite growing up in Ontario, Duchene grew up an Avalanche fan. He even had Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy jerseys as a youth.
In 2011, Colorado drafted Gabriel Landeskog with the second overall pick. Nathan MacKinnon was taken first overall in the 2013 draft.
9. Sakic, Roy return to Colorado Avalanche front office
Super Joe returned to the Colorado Avalanche on May 10, 2013, when he was named Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations. He added General Manager to his title the following year. His first move at his new position was hiring a new head coach. He didn't have to look very far. That same month, Patrick Roy was named the Head Coach/Vice President of Hockey Operations. In 2014, Roy was awarded the Jack Adams Award. He led the Avs to a 52-22-8 record his rookie season, and the Central Division title.
Avs fans, believe me. I know we missed some goodies. Of course, there was Joe Sakic's fight against Doug Gilmour ("How do you like them apples, Gilmour?"), Peter Forsberg claiming the 2003 scoring title in epic fashion, defenseman Rob Blake coming to Colorado, Nathan MacKinnon's RIDICULOUS playoff goal against the Minnesota Wild and Patrick Roy's glass-shoving match after his first game as head coach against Anaheim. WE KNOW. We've just been very fortunate as Avs fans to witness so many great moments, and we can only hope they'll continue.
Now that we've ranked our top 9 memorable moments in Avalanche history, it's your turn. Tell us, which event made the top of your list (or was it something we missed?). Vote in our poll below:
Can't see the poll? Refresh your page! Still can't see the poll? Click here: http://bit.ly/1jdZzQS
The Avalanche want you to pick your favorite players from the past 20 years. You can choose your team by voting here: http://bit.ly/1NoKA39
(© 2015 KUSA)
