Colorado Avalanche
Only active NHL team undefeated in Stanley Cup Final appearances.
The Colorado Avalanche, often called the Avs, are a professional ice hockey team from Denver. They play in the National Hockey League’s Western Conference as part of the Central Division, and their home games are at Ball Arena, which they share with the NBA’s Denver Nuggets and the NLL’s Colorado Mammoth. The franchise began in 1972 as the Quebec Nordiques, one of the original World Hockey Association teams. It joined the NHL in 1979 through the NHL–WHA merger, and after the 1994–95 season, it was bought by the COMSAT Entertainment Group and relocated to Denver.
In their very first season in Colorado, the Avalanche won the Pacific Division and then swept the Florida Panthers in the 1996 Stanley Cup Final. That made them the first Denver-based team from any of the four major North American pro sports leagues to win a league championship, and only the second major North American sports team to win a title a year after moving (the first was the NFL’s 1937 Washington Redskins). They won their second championship in 2001, beating the New Jersey Devils in seven games, and their third in 2022, defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games. As a result, the Avalanche are the only active NHL team to have won every Stanley Cup Final they’ve played in.
Since moving to Denver, the Avalanche have won thirteen division titles. They set a league record with nine consecutive division titles from 1995 to 2003 (one came while the team was still in Quebec, the rest in Colorado). They made the playoffs in each of their first ten seasons after the move, a streak that ended in 2007.
- Stanley cup championships
- 3 (1996, 2001, 2022)
- Division titles since moving to denver
- 13
- Consecutive division titles (1995–2003)
- 9 (NHL record)
- First season in denver
- 1995–96
- Home arena
- Ball Arena
- First goal as avalanche
- Valeri Kamensky
- First captain in denver
- Joe Sakic
Lore & Background
The franchise originated as the Quebec Nordiques, one of the WHA's original teams in 1972. After seven WHA seasons, the Nordiques won the Avco World Trophy once, in 1977. In 1979, the franchise entered the NHL along with the Edmonton Oilers, Hartford Whalers, and Winnipeg Jets. The Nordiques struggled financially in Quebec City, the NHL's smallest market, and after a bailout fell through, owner Marcel Aubut began talks with COMSAT Entertainment Group in Denver. The sale was finalized on July 1, 1995, and 12,000 season tickets were sold in the 37 days after the move was announced. COMSAT considered names including "Extreme," "Blizzards," and "Black Bears," and initially filed for copyright protection for "Black Bears" but reportedly decided on Rocky Mountain Extreme. After The Denver Post leaked that name, fan reaction was so negative that COMSAT chose Colorado Avalanche instead, revealing the name on August 10, 1995. The team played its first game at McNichols Sports Arena on October 6, 1995, winning 3–2 against the Detroit Red Wings. Valeri Kamensky scored the first goal as the Avalanche and the game-winner. Led by captain Joe Sakic, forward Peter Forsberg, defenseman Adam Foote, general manager Pierre Lacroix, and head coach Marc Crawford, the team strengthened when All-Star goaltender Patrick Roy joined on December 6, 1995, in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens.
Reader's Guide
The Colorado Avalanche's significance stems from their immediate success after relocating from Quebec City. In their first season in Denver, they won the Pacific Division and swept the Florida Panthers in the 1996 Stanley Cup Final, becoming the first Denver-based team in the four major North American professional sports leagues to win a league championship. They were also the second major North American sports team to win a championship a year after moving, joining the NFL's 1937 Washington Redskins. The Avalanche won their second championship in 2001, defeating the New Jersey Devils in seven games, and their third in 2022, defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games. As a result, they remain the only active NHL team that has won all of its appearances in the Stanley Cup Final. The team set an NHL record for most consecutive division titles at nine in a row from 1995 to 2003. The Eric Lindros trade, which brought Peter Forsberg and other assets to the franchise, is seen in hindsight as one of the most one-sided deals in sports history, turning the moribund Nordiques into a Stanley Cup contender almost overnight. The 1996 Cup win also made Russians Alexei Gusarov and Valeri Kamensky, and Swede Peter Forsberg members of the Triple Gold Club.
Did You Know?
- The Avalanche are the only team in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup their first season after a move.
- The franchise's worst season was a 12-win campaign in 1989–90 as the Quebec Nordiques.
- The team's name was changed from the intended 'Rocky Mountain Extreme' after negative fan reaction.
More in NHL Teams 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced