The Most Iconic Avalanche Moments from History

Despite losing in the second round, 2021 was still an excellent year for the Avalanche; not only did they tie up their first divisional championship in seven years, they earned their first Presidents Trophy in two decades and they’ve also continued that form into the current campaign.

With all things considered, Jared Bednar’s Avs team is no doubt one of the best teams in the NHL at the moment, proven in the victory over Minnesota Wild recently. It doesn’t matter how the win comes; they are not only able to grind out results scoring critical late goals, they’re proving so hard to beat. The form of Nazem Kadri has seen him voted into the NHL All-Star game roster by fans, and it means the team will likely be amongst the favorites to win the 2022 Stanley Cup, as can be seen by looking at the current hockey odds on Ladbrokes. It’s a great time to be a fan of the team from the Bell Arena right now, but no one is surprised. Things seem to be building nicely for the next few months and beyond, with Yahoo saying the Avs are the team to watch for the next five seasons.

But, before we get lost in the potential of what may be in the near future, let’s take a look at some of the most iconic moments in Avs history.

The first Stanley Cup, 1996

The newly named Colorado Avalanche arrived in Denver in the spring of 1995, moving from Quebec, where they were named the Nordiques. By the end of the following summer in 1996, the Avs were Stanley Cup champions.

The acquisitions of Patrick Roy, Claude Lemieux, Sandis Ozolinsh and others gave the team the depth it needed to win four rounds of the playoffs and lift the Cup over their heads. They would sweep the Florida Panthers in four straight games, with Uwe Krupp’s triple-overtime goal (above) making the winning difference.

Welcoming Matt Duchene

Following the end of one of the most annoying seasons to date in Avs history came one of the most memorable moments, and it was off the ice. Stepping up to choose the third pick in the 2009 draft, the Avalanche brought in Matt Duchene, the self-confessed fan of the franchise who was perfect for a host of reasons. Not only did it give the fans one of their own to connect with, it took just two months for them to see how good the 18-year-old prospect was after he recorded consecutive three-point games and became the first teenager to do so in the NHL in 14 years.

The legend of Ray Bourque

After spending two decades featuring in the playoffs and not managing to lift the Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins, Bourque, who is recognized as one of the best players ever to play in the NHL, moved to Denver to join up with the Avs. In his first season, it looked like the 19-time NHL All-Star would remain forever Cup-less, as the Dallas Stars defeated the Avalanche in the conference finals. However, the ’00-01 season would finally see the legendary defenseman get his wish, and the hockey-loving world couldn’t have been happier.

Sakic’s number retired

The new general manager is arguably THE icon of the franchise and one of the all-time greats seen in the NHL. Sakic was such a classy player; he wrote so many of the Avs records and was the captain from the first season the Avalanche arrived in Denver right up to his retirement. Although the raising of the number into the rooftops in the Pepsi Center in 2009 brought the end of an era, it was the perfect way to celebrate the career of an undoubted superstar to who we will all forever be indebted.