2001 Stanley Cup Final Game 5 vs New Jersey Devils
Colorado Avalanche win the 2001 Stanley Cup in Game 7, with home-ice advantage secured by their 118-point regular season.
The 2001 Stanley Cup playoffs began on April 11, 2001, and ended on June 9, 2001, when the Western Conference champion Colorado Avalanche defeated the defending champion New Jersey Devils to win their second Stanley Cup.
- event
- 2001 Stanley Cup Final - Game 5
- location
- Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
- date
- June 9, 2001
- opponent
- New Jersey Devils
- final_score
- Colorado 3, New Jersey 2 (OT)
- series_status_after
- Colorado leads 3-2
- key_figure
- Joe Sakic
Lore & Background
The Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in Game 7 of the Final, not Game 5. The Avalanche's previous Cup win was in 1996, not back-to-back. Colorado held home-ice advantage as the Western Conference regular season champions with 118 points, hosting Games 1, 2, 5, and 7.
In Their Own Story
The ice at Continental Airlines Arena seemed to vibrate with tension as the clock wound down in overtime. The crowd roared, a deafening wall of sound that threatened to drown out the slap of skates on ice. Joe Sakic skated forward, his eyes locked on the puck, feeling the weight of the entire franchise on his shoulders. He deked past a defender, the arena holding its breath for a split second before he unleashed a wrist shot that curved perfectly through traffic.
Reader's Guide
The Avalanche entered the playoffs as the Presidents' Trophy winners with 118 points. They defeated the Vancouver Canucks in the Western Conference quarterfinals, then advanced through the bracket to face the New Jersey Devils in the Final, winning the series in seven games.
Did You Know?
- Defenceman Ray Bourque won his first Stanley Cup in his final professional year after a 21-year tenure in Boston.
- Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Rob Blake, and Patrick Roy claimed the Stanley Cup for the final time in their careers.
- Patrick Roy was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy, his third, the most by any player.
- No hat tricks were scored in the 2001 playoffs, and goaltenders combined for a record 19 shutouts.
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