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Colorado Avalanche

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Colorado Avalanche
File:Colorado Avalanche.gif
ConferenceWestern
DivisionNorthwest
Founded1972
HistoryQuebec Nordiques
1972 - 1995
Colorado Avalanche
1995 - present
Home arenaPepsi Center
CityDenver, Colorado
Team colorsBurgundy, Steel Blue, Black, Silver, and White
MediaAltitude
KKFN (950 AM)
Owner(s)United States Stan Kroenke
General managerCanada Francois Giguere
Head coachCanada Joel Quenneville
CaptainCanada Joe Sakic
Minor league affiliatesAlbany River Rats (AHL)
Arizona Sundogs (CHL)
Stanley Cups1995-96, 2000-01
Conference championships1995-96, 2000-01
Division championships1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-00, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03

The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup two times, in 1996 and 2001. The franchise was founded in Quebec and were the Quebec Nordiques until moving to Denver, Colorado in 1995. The Avalanche have won 8 division titles and had gone to playoffs in each of their first 10 seasons in the NHL, with the streak ending in 2007.[1] The Avalanche is also notable for being the only team in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup their first season after a re-location.

From the time of their move to Denver in 1995 until the end of the 1998-99 season, the Avalanche played their home games at McNichols Arena. Since then, the Avalanche have called the Pepsi Center home. The Avalanche has a notable rivalry with the Detroit Red Wings due to both teams having met each other five times in seven years in the Western Conference playoffs between 1996 and 2002.[2]

Franchise history

Quebec Nordiques (1972-1995)

See also: Quebec Nordiques

The Quebec Nordiques were one of the World Hockey Association's original teams when the league began play in 1972. Though first awarded to a group in San Francisco, the team quickly moved to Quebec City when the California deal soured due to financial and arena problems.[3] During their seven WHA seasons, the Nordiques won the Avco World Trophy once, in 1977 and lost the finals once, in 1975.[4] Two years later, in 1979, they entered the NHL, along with the WHA's Edmonton Oilers, Hartford Whalers, and Winnipeg Jets.[5]

After making the postseason for seven consecutive years, 1981 to 1987, the Nordiques fell into the league's basement.[6] In 1991, for the third straight draft, Quebec had the first overall selection.[7][8] Although Eric Lindros, the draft's top-ranked player, had made it clear he did not wish to play for the Nordiques, they drafted him anyway.[9] Lindros did not even wear the jersey for the press photographs, only holding it when it was presented to him.[10] On advice from his mother, Lindros refused to sign a contract and began a holdout that would last over a year. On June 30, 1992, he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for five players, the rights to Swedish prospect Peter Forsberg, two first-round draft picks, and $15 million (USD).[11] The Lindros trade is seen (at least in hindsight) as one of the most one-sided deals in NHL history, and was also seen as the foundation for the Nordiques/Avalanche franchise success over the next decade[12] and turned the Nordiques from an also-ran to a Stanley Cup contender almost overnight. In the first season after the trade, the 1992-93 NHL season, the Nordiques reached the playoffs for the first time in six years and would do so two seasons later.

While the team experienced on-ice success, the team was far less successful off the ice. Quebec City was by far the smallest market in the league, and many players (including Lindros) were skittish about playing in a virtually unilingual francophone city. Finally, in 1995, team owner Marcel Aubut asked for a bailout from Quebec's provincial government.[13] The bailout fell through and Aubut subsequently sold the team to a group of investors in Denver.[14] The franchise moved to Denver following the 1995 season, where they were renamed the Colorado Avalanche.

Colorado Avalanche (1995-Present)

Goaltender Patrick Roy, the winningest net minder in the NHL, played for the Avalanche from 1995-2003.

The beginning

Led by captain Joe Sakic, forward Peter Forsberg, and defenseman Adam Foote, Colorado entered their first season in Denver with a strong lineup and an intrigued fan base.

Former Montreal Canadiens goalie Patrick Roy, joined the Avalanche after the infamous December 2, 1995 game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Detroit Red Wings. During the December 2nd match-up, Roy was left in the net after having let in 9 goals in 26 shots. By the time Roy was finally benched, he felt humiliated and told team president Ronald Corey it was his last game for the Canadiens. Four days later, Roy joined the Avalanche with ex-Montreal captain Mike Keane in exchange for Jocelyn Thibault, Martin Rucinsky and Andrei Kovalenko.[15]. Roy would prove a pivotal addition for Colorado in the years to come.

In the 1996 playoffs, after beating the Detroit Red Wings in a six-game series in the Western Conference Final, the Avalanche would roll into the Stanley Cup Finals to meet the Florida Panthers. In Game Four, during the third overtime and after more than 100 minutes of play with no goals, defenseman Uwe Krupp scored to claim the franchise's first Cup.[16]

The Quest for a second Cup

In 1996-97, Colorado lost in the Western Conference Finals in a rematch against the Red Wings, despite having won the Presidents' Trophy for best regular-season record. After losing in the Conference Quarterfinals in 1997-98 against the Edmonton Oilers, the Avalanche lost two more Western Conference Finals the following two years, both times against the Dallas Stars.

In the years 2000 and 2001, the Avalanche strengthened their defense for runs towards the Stanley Cup. On March 6, 2000, the Boston Bruins traded future Hockey Hall of Famer defenseman Ray Bourque and forward Dave Andreychuk to Colorado for Brian Rolston, Martin Grenier, Samuel Pahlsson, and a first-round draft pick. Bourque, who had been a Bruin since 1979-80, requested a trade to a contender for one last shot at a Stanley Cup.[17] In 2001, after failing to win the Stanley Cup the previous year, the Avalanche acquired star defenseman Rob Blake and center Steven Reinprecht from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Adam Deadmarsh, Aaron Miller and their first-round 2001 Draft pick.[18]

Colorado won the Presidents' Trophy again in the 2000-01 NHL season, with a 52-16-10-4 record, while collecting 118 points.[19] After their second-round series against the Kings, Peter Forsberg had emergency spleen surgery, and missed the rest of the playoffs, as the Avalanche went onto play against the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup Finals. Even though the New Jersey Devils had taken a 3-2 advantage in the series going back to the Meadowlands for Game Six, Colorado won the game in a decisive decision 4-0. In Game Seven back in Denver, the Avs beat the Devils 3-1 to claim the Cup. After being handed the Cup from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, the captain Joe Sakic immediately gave it to Ray Bourque, capping off Bourque's 22-year career with his only championship.[20]This series also ended with Martin Brodeur losing the Stanley Cup to his boyhood idol and Avalanche goalie, Patrick Roy.

2001 and beyond

The Avalanche have failed to reach the Stanley Cup Finals since 2001. In 2002, they lost to the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference Finals in a 7-game series. In 2003, the Avalanche thrillingly came back in the standings to beat the Vancouver Canucks by a single point to claim the NHL record for most consecutive division titles with nine, which was previously held by the Montreal Canadiens. The second last game of the season was particularly exciting as the Avalanche needed to win the game to stay in the race, and Milan Hejduk scored with 10 seconds left in overtime to beat Anaheim.[21] The elation of getting the record was short lived however, as the Avalanche blew a 3-1 series lead over the Minnesota Wild and lost in overtime of Game 7 to be eliminated from the first round of the playoffs.[22]

After that season, Patrick Roy retired and the Avalanche signed star wingers Paul Kariya and Teemu Selänne from the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.[23] Both failed to live up to the expectations and for the first time in Denver and first since the 1993-94 season, the franchise failed to win their division, ending an NHL-record nine consecutive division titles.[24]

After the 2004-05 NHL lockout and the implementation of a salary cap, the Avalanche had to let go some of their top players. Peter Forsberg and Adam Foote were lost to free agency in order to save some room in the cap for Joe Sakic and Rob Blake.[25] Although the salary cap was a blow to one of the biggest spenders of the league,[26] the Avalanche made it to the Conference semifinals, where they lost to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in a 4-0 series. The day after the loss, Pierre Lacroix, who had been the General Manager of the franchise since 1994, resigned and François Giguère was hired.[27][28] Lacroix remains to this day as President of the franchise.[29]

By the beginning of the 2006-07 season Joe Sakic and Milan Hejduk were the only two remaining members since the 2001 Stanley Cup winning team. Joe Sakic is the only player left from the team's days in Quebec (though Hejduk was drafted by the Nordiques), but Paul Stastny, son of Nordiques legend Peter Stastny, also provides a link to the past.

Despite missing the 2006-2007 playoffs, the Avalanche had a 15-2-2 run at the end of the season in attempt to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Avs were still in the hunt, chasing the Calgary Flames to within three points with two games left, until the second to last game of the regular season on April 7, 2007 against the Nashville Predators. During the game, Peter Forsberg, now in a Predators' uniform, was honored with a video highlight of his career with the Avalanche, and he received a standing ovation from the fans at the Pepsi Center. Ironically, it would be Forsberg and his two assists who would shut down Colorado's 10-season playoff streak.

The final game of the 2006-2007 regular season was against the Calgary Flames, who, because of the Avs' loss, clinched the eighth seed in the playoffs with 96 points, beating the Avs by a single point. The Avs recorded a decisive 6-3 win in which Joe Sakic earned his 100th point of the season. At 37, Sakic became the second-oldest player in NHL history to reach 100 points, joining Gordie Howe, who had 103 points at age 40 in the 1968-69 season. For the second night in a row, the fans at the Pepsi Center would dole out a standing ovation, this time to Joe Sakic and the entire Avalanche team for their efforts during the 15-2-2 run. The Avs returned the ovation by raising their sticks in acknowledgment, thus thanking the fans and marking the end of an emotional roller coaster of a season.

Until the Avs' 2006-2007 season, no team in the history of the NHL had ever made it to 95 points without earning a spot in the playoffs. In the Eastern Conference, three teams made it to the playoffs with less than 95 points: the New York Rangers (94), the Tampa Bay Lightning (93), and the New York Islanders (92).

Rivalry with the Detroit Red Wings

In 1996, the Colorado Avalanche met the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference Finals and won the series 4-2. During Game 6 on May 29, 1996 of the 1996 Conference Finals, as Red Wings player Kris Draper was skating backwards towards near the bench, he was checked into the boards by Avalanche player Claude Lemieux.[30] Draper lost a lot of blood but did not lose consciousness until being taken off the ice. His nose, jaw, and cheekbone had been broken. There was also concern Draper's right eye socket had been shattered. Additionally, five teeth were bent inward toward his throat and a total of 40 stitches were needed to close wounds around his eye and inside his mouth.[30] Draper underwent facial reconstructive surgery and had to have his jaw wired shut for five weeks while Lemieux was only suspended for two games of the Stanley Cup Finals.[31] After the incident, Lemieux received many threats from Red Wings players and fans, with goalie Chris Osgood being the first to issue one saying, "Our players aren't going to forget it. When [Lemieux] comes back to play the Wings next year, he'd better be ready. We'll be waiting for him."[30]

In the following season, in the last regular season meeting between the Avalanche and Red Wings on March 26, 1997, a brawl known as Brawl in Hockeytown occurred. The game ended with 9 fights, 11 goals, 39 penalties, 148 penalty minutes, one hat-trick (by Valeri Kamensky) and a goalie fight between Stanley Cup champion goalies Patrick Roy and Mike Vernon.[31] After two fights in the first period, the brawl errupted. At 18:22 of the first period, Peter Forsberg and Igor Larionov started fighting when the two became entangled near the Detroit bench.[31] Moments later, McCarty found his way to Lemieux and threw a right hand punch that landed on Lemieux's head. Lemieux attempted to get to his feet after the initial punch but was pushed down by McCarty and punched over and over in the head and back. Noticing Claude Lemieux was all alone, Patrick Roy stormed out of his net. Seeing this, Brendan Shanahan attempted to intercept Roy and the two collided mid-ice, causing Mike Vernon to leave his net as well. Famously, Roy and Vernon squared off at center ice, a fight in which Roy would land more punches and Vernon would win the wrestling match.

Meanwhile, McCarty dragged Lemieux near the Red Wings bench, where Kris Draper was seated, and was continuing to pummel him, ending the beating with a knee to Lemieux's head. Lemieux required 10 to 15 stitches to close the wounds on his head and McCarty was only dealt a double minor penalty for roughing.

It took about 10 minutes for the referees to gain control but four more fights occurred throughout the rest of the game.

The Red Wings ended up winning the game in overtime 6-5.[31] Both teams met again in the Conference Finals that season and Red Wings went on to win the Stanley Cup. In the following five years, the Avalanche and the Red Wings met three times in the playoffs, with Colorado winning the first two and losing the last.

This rivalry is considered one of the top rivalries in the NHL by the press and fans.[32]

The sell-out streak

After a record 487 consecutive games, the NHL's longest consecutive attendance sellout ended with the Avalanche on October 16, 2006 after a reported attendance of 17,681 which was 326 under capacity at the Pepsi Center before an Avalanche-Chicago Blackhawks game, which the Hawks ultimately won 5-3 (Empty Net). The streak began on November 9, 1995, the Avalanche's eighth regular season home game during the 1995-96 NHL season, before a sellout of 16,061 at the McNichols Sports Arena versus the Dallas Stars.[33] The Avalanche recorded their 500th home sellout in their 515th game in Denver on January 20 2007, against the Detroit Red Wings.[34]

Team colors and jersey

File:Colorado-alternate.gif
Avalanche's alternate logo: the foot of Bigfoot

Template:H3 The Colorado Avalanche logo is composed by a burgundy letter A with snow wrapped around, similar to an Avalanche. There is a hockey puck in the lower-right end of the snow wrapping around the logo. Around the whole logo, there's a blue oval.

The team's alternate logo is the foot of Howler, and can be seen on the shoulders of the Avalanche's home and away jerseys.

Template:H3

File:Avalanche200607jerseys.GIF
Avalanche jerseys for the 2006-07 season: Home and away (top) and 3rd jersey (bottom)

The Avalanche jerseys have not changed since their first season in 1995. The team colors are burgundy, blue and white. The home jersey, which was the team's road jersey until 2003 when the NHL decided to switch home and road jerseys,[35] is dominantly burgundy and dark blue in color. There are two black and white zigzag lines along the jersey, one in the shoulders, the other near the belly. Between them, the jersey is burgundy, outside those lines it is dark blue. Similar lines exist around the neck. The Avalanche logo is in the center of the jersey. On top of the shoulders, there is the alternate logo, one on each side. The away jersey is similar, just with different colors. The burgundy part on the home jersey is white on the away jersey, the light blue part is burgundy and the black and white lines became white and dark blue.

The Avalanche have introduced a third jersey during the 2001-02 season.[36] It is dominantly burgundy. "Colorado" is spelled in a diagonal across the jersey where the logo is on the other jerseys. From the belly down, three large horizontal stripes, the first and the last being black and the middle one being white. In the middle of the arms, there are 5 stripes, black, white and burgundy from the outside inside in both sides.

Seasons and records

Season-by-season record

This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Avalanche. For the full season-by-season history, see Colorado Avalanche seasons

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes

Records as of April 9, 2007.[37]

Season GP W L T OTL Pts GF GA PIM Finish Playoffs
2001-02 82 45 28 8 1 99 212 169 1007 1st, Northwest Lost in Conference Finals, 3-4 (Red Wings)
2002-03 82 42 19 13 8 105 251 194 1084 1st, Northwest Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 3-4 (Wild)
2003-04 82 40 22 13 7 100 236 198 1293 2nd, Northwest Lost in Conference Semifinals, 2-4 (Sharks)
2004-05 Season cancelled due to 2004-05 NHL Lockout
2005-061 82 43 30 — 9 95 283 257 1130 2nd, Northwest Lost in Conference Semifinals, 0-4 (Mighty Ducks)
2006-07 82 44 31 - 7 95 272 251 864 4th, Northwest Did not qualify
Totals 902 487 277 101 37 1167 2830 2317 13053 —
1 As of the 2005-06 NHL season, all games tied after regulation will be decided in a shootout; SOL (Shootout losses) will be recorded as OTL in the standings.

Franchise individual records

NHL records

  • Most Consecutive Games Played by a Defenseman: Karlis Skrastins, 495 games (2000-2007 with both the Avalanche and the Nashville Predators)
  • Longest Points Streak by a Rookie: Paul Stastny, 20 games (2006-2007)
  • Most Consecutive Division Titles (1995-6 through 2002-3), 8

Current roster

As of April 27th, 2007. [1]

Goaltenders
# Player Catches Acquired Place of Birth
31 Slovakia Peter Budaj L 2001 Banská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia
60 Canada Jose Theodore R 2006 Laval, Quebec
Defensemen
# Player Shoots Acquired Place of Birth
2 United States Ken Klee R 2006 Indianapolis, Indiana
3 Latvia Karlis Skrastins L 2003 Riga, U.S.S.R.
4 United States John-Michael Liles L 2000 Zionsville, Indiana
5 Canada Brett Clark L 2002 Wapella, Saskatchewan
6 United States Jeff Finger R 1999 Houghton, Michigan
27 Finland Ossi Vaananen L 2004 Vantaa, Finland
34 United States Kurt Sauer L 2004 St. Cloud, Minnesota
44 United States Jordan Leopold L 2006 Golden Valley, Minnesota
71 Canada Patrice Brisebois (IR) R 2005 Montreal, Quebec
Forwards
# Player Position Shoots Acquired Place of Birth
8 Canada Wojtek Wolski1 LW L 2004 Zabrze, Poland
12 Canada Brad Richardson C/LW L 2003 Belleville, Ontario
14 Canada Ian Laperriere - A RW/C R 2004 Montreal, Quebec
15 Canada Andrew Brunette - A LW L 2005 Sudbury, Ontario
19 Canada Joe Sakic - C C L 1987 Burnaby, British Columbia
20 Canada Mark Rycroft RW/LW R 2006 Penticton, British Columbia
23 Czech Republic Milan Hejduk RW R 1994 Ústí nad Labem, Czechoslovakia
26 United States Paul Stastny C L 2006 Quebec City, Quebec
28 Canada Ben Guite RW R 2006 Montreal, Quebec
29 United States Scott Parker RW R 2007 Hanford, California
39 United States Tyler Arnason C/LW L 2006 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
40 Slovakia Marek Svatos RW R 2001 Košice, Czechoslovakia
53 Canada Brett McLean C/LW L 2004 Comox, British Columbia
87 Canada Pierre Turgeon (IR) C L 2005 Rouyn, Quebec
  • To see the player roster and bios, click here.

1. Wojtek Wolski plays for Team Canada. He was born in Poland but became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 1990.

Honored members

See also: List of Colorado Avalanche players and Colorado Avalanche notable players and award winners

The Avalanche have retired two numbers: 77 of Ray Bourque and 33 of Patrick Roy.[38] The numbers retired when the franchise was in Quebec were entered back into circulation after the move to Colorado.

Ray Bourque played in the NHL for 22 seasons with the Boston Bruins and was traded, by request, to Colorado in 2000 so he could have a chance of winning the Stanley Cup before retiring.[17] In a feat termed Mission 16W, the Avs were able to win the Stanley Cup, thus allowing Bourque the championship he had been seeking for 22 seasons.

Patrick Roy played from 1995 to 2003 in Colorado and won two Stanley Cups with the Colorado Avalanche. Roy recorded 551 career victories, the most career wins for any goaltender in the NHL.

Both Bourque and Roy were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The only other Avalanche player to be inducted is Jari Kurri who played the last season of his career with the franchise, yet his jersey does not hang from the rafters at the Pepsi Center, thus only Bourque's #77 and Roy's #33 are the only officially retired numbers.

Joe Sakic is the only captain the Avalanche have ever had. He was on both Avalanche Stanley cup winning teams, has played his entire career in the franchise, has six individual NHL trophies and holds the franchise record for goals, assists and points. Peter Forsberg was also on both Stanley Cup winning teams and won three individual NHL trophies while playing for the Avalanche and one when the franchise was in Quebec.

Leaders

Team captains

Note: This list of team captains does not include captains from the Quebec Nordiques (WHA &NHL).

Head coaches

Note: This list does not include head coaches from the Quebec Nordiques (WHA &NHL).


See also

References

General

  • "Colorado Avalanche season statistics and records". The Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved 2007-03-25.

Footnotes

  1. ^ "Colorado Avalanche History". CBS Sportsline. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  2. ^ Kravitz, Bob (1996-12-18). "Welcome to NHL's nastiest rivalry". Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  3. ^ "Quebec Nordiques". WHA Hockey. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  4. ^ "WHA Yearly Standings". WHA Hockey. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  5. ^ "From the WHA to the NHL". NHL. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  6. ^ "Quebec Nordiques Almanac". Nordiques Preservation. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  7. ^ "NHL Entry Draft First Round Selections 1980-89". NHL. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  8. ^ "NHL Entry Draft First Round Selections 1990-99". NHL. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  9. ^ Roarke,Shawn P. (2006-05-31). "A look back: 1991". NHL. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  10. ^ "As expected, Quebec selects Lindros No.1". Associated Press. 1991-06-23. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  11. ^ "Eric Lindros profile". NHL. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  12. ^ Benton, Jim (1996-06-06). "A Franchise deal. Lindros trade laid foundation for Nordiques/Avalanche drive to berth in Stanley Cup Final". Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  13. ^ "Quebec's Government Plans Bailout to keep Nordiques from moving". Associated Press. 1994-04-09. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  14. ^ "NHL's Nordiques sold, moving west to Denver \ Comsat Entretainment Group bought the team. Quebec had refused to fund a new hockey arena". Philadelphia Inquirer. 1995-05-26. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  15. ^ Sadowski, Rick (2006-06-29). "Roy gets call he's in Hall". Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  16. ^ Ulman, Howard (1996-06-11). "No stopping the Avalanche - Colorado completes Cup sweep of Panthers with 3OT victory". Associated Press. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  17. ^ a b Roarke, Shawn P. (2007-03-22). "For Bourque, at long last Stanley!". NHL. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  18. ^ Sadowski, Rick (2001-03-23). "Kings take Avs' Aulin to complete Blake trade". Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  19. ^ Canfora, Jason La (2001-06-11). "Bourque Is Frozen Out No More". Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  20. ^ Allen, Kevin (2001-06-10). "Avalanche beat Devils to capture Stanley Cup". USA Today. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  21. ^ "Colorado 4, Anaheim 3". CBS Sportsline. Retrieved 2007-05-06. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dateG= ignored (help)
  22. ^ "Minnesota 3, Colorado 2". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2007-03-25. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dateG= ignored (help)
  23. ^ "Avalanche sign Kariya, Selanne to one-year deals". Associated Press. 2003-07-03. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  24. ^ "NHL's winningest goalie retiring after 18 seasons". Associated Press. 2003-05-28. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  25. ^ "Sakic, Blake to stay; Forsberg, Foote up in air". Associated Press. 2005-07-26. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  26. ^ Goldstein, Wes (2005-08-31). "Winners, losers, undecided in wake of free-agent frenzy". CBS Sportsline. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  27. ^ "Lacroix steps down as Colorado GM". Associated Press. 2006-05-12. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  28. ^ "Avs hire Giguere as team's general manager". Associated Press. 2006-05-24. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  29. ^ "Pierre Lacroix Profile". Colorado Avalanche. Retrieved 2007-02-25.
  30. ^ a b c Dater, Adrian (2006). Blood Feud: Detroit Red Wings vs. Colorado Avalanche. Taylor Trade Publishing. ISBN 1589793196.
  31. ^ a b c d Neumann, Thomas (2007-03-26). "Happy anniversary to Red Wings, Avalanche". ESPN. Retrieved 2007-03-27.
  32. ^ "Part II -- Top rivalries". ESPN. 2005-10-29. Retrieved 2007-03-27.
  33. ^ Frei, Terry (2006-10-17). "Avs see sellout streak get away". Denver Post. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  34. ^ "Avalanche Reaches 500th Sellout In Denver". Colorado Avalanche. 2006-01-20. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  35. ^ Karol, Kristofer (January 27, 2003). "NHL 'quacked' up with hockey jersey switch". State News. Retrieved 2006-08-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  36. ^ Dater, Adrian (2001-10-19). "OILERS 4, AVALANCHE 1 "Third jersey' to make debut on Halloween". Denver Post. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
  37. ^ Hockeydb.com, Colorado Avalanche season statistics and records
  38. ^ "Patrick Roy #33 to Be Retired". http://www.sportzdomain.com. 2003-05-29. Retrieved 2007-03-25. {{cite news}}: External link in |publisher= (help)


Preceded by Stanley Cup Champions
1995-96 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Stanley Cup Champions
2000-01 		Succeeded by

Updated November 17, 2024[1][2]

No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
60 Finland Justus Annunen G L 24 2018 Kempele, Finland
20 United States Ross Colton Injured Reserve C L 28 2023 Robbinsville, New Jersey
44 Canada Calvin de Haan D L 33 2024 Carp, Ontario
27 Canada Jonathan Drouin LW L 29 2023 Ste-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec
40 Russia Alexandar Georgiev Injured Reserve G L 28 2022 Ruse, Bulgaria
49 Canada Sam Girard D L 26 2017 Roberval, Quebec
82 Czech Republic Ivan Ivan C L 22 2024 Ostrava, Czech Republic
17 Canada Parker Kelly C L 25 2024 Camrose, Alberta
94 Finland Joel Kiviranta C L 28 2023 Vantaa, Finland
51 Russia Nikolai Kovalenko RW L 25 2018 Raleigh, North Carolina
58 Sweden Oliver Kylington D L 27 2024 Stockholm, Sweden
92 Sweden Gabriel Landeskog (C) Injured Reserve LW L 31 2011 Stockholm, Sweden
62 Finland Artturi Lehkonen LW L 29 2022 Piikkiö, Finland
3 Canada John Ludvig D L 24 2024 Liberec, Czech Republic
29 Canada Nathan MacKinnon (A) C R 29 2013 Halifax, Nova Scotia
8 Canada Cale Makar D R 26 2017 Calgary, Alberta
70 United States Sam Malinski D R 26 2023 Lakeville, Minnesota
31 United States Kevin Mandolese G L 24 2024 Blainville, Quebec
42 United States Josh Manson D R 33 2022 Hinsdale, Illinois
37 United States Casey Mittelstadt C L 25 2024 Eden Prairie, Minnesota
13 Russia Valeri Nichushkin RW L 29 2019 Chelyabinsk, Russia
25 Canada Logan O'Connor RW R 28 2018 Missouri City, Texas
5 United States Tucker Poolman Injured Reserve D R 31 2024 Dubuque, Iowa
96 Finland Mikko Rantanen (A) RW L 28 2015 Nousiainen, Finland
7 Canada Devon Toews D L 30 2020 Abbotsford, British Columbia
9 United States T. J. Tynan C R 32 2024 Orland Park, Illinois
28 United States Miles Wood LW L 29 2023 Buffalo, New York
  1. ^ "Colorado Avalanche Roster". National Hockey League. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  2. ^ "Colorado Avalanche Hockey Transactions". The Sports Network. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
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