Colorado Avalanche History.
Colorado Avalanche,
professional ice hockey team and one of five teams in the Northwest
Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL).
The Avalanche play at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado, and wear
uniforms of burgundy, blue, black, white, and silver. Originally the
Québec Nordiques, the team was purchased by the Denver-based COMSAT
Entertainment Group, Inc., in 1995 and moved to Denver. Its name was
decided through a poll taken by COMSAT.
Under the direction of
head coach Marc Crawford and led by centers Peter Forsberg and Joe Sakic,
the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup championship in 1996, their first
season after moving to Denver from Québec City, Québec, Canada. During
the 1980s Québec had assembled several strong teams. The
Czechoslovakian-born Stastny brothers—Anton, Marian, and Peter—played
side by side for several seasons as Nordiques.
The Québec Nordiques were founding members of the 12-team World Hockey
Association (WHA) in 1972. They earned division titles and reached the
league finals in 1975 and 1977, coming away with the WHA championship in
their second attempt. Centers Serge Bernier and Christian Bordeleau and
wings Real “Buddy” Cloutier and Marc Tardif all ranked among the
league’s top ten scorers in the 1976-77 season.
In 1979 Québec joined the NHL after the WHA disbanded. They finished in
last position in their division in 1980 but then made seven consecutive
playoff appearances under head coach Michel Bergeron, a former NHL wing.
Bergeron’s lineup was led by left wing Michel Goulet and center Peter
Stastny. In 1981 Stastny was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL
rookie of the year, and his total of 109 points in the 1980-81 season
was a record for a first-year player. From 1981 to 1985 Stastny played
alongside his brothers Anton and Marian, who were both wings. In the
1981-82 season the trio led the Nordiques to the Eastern Conference
Finals. There the team lost to the New York Islanders, who went on to
win the Stanley Cup. In 1985 goalies Dan Bouchard, Mario Gosselin, and
Clint Malarchuk anchored one of the league’s finest defenses, and Québec
again reached the Eastern Conference Finals, this time losing to the
Philadelphia Flyers.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s the team’s performance declined, and
not until the 1992-93 season did Quebec return to the playoffs. Under
the direction of head coach Pierre Page, the Nordiques compiled a
team-record 47 victories in the regular season. The lineup revolved
around Joe Sakic, goalie Stephane Fiset, and right wing Owen Nolan.
During the 1994-95 season the Nordiques won their division, this time
under head coach Marc Crawford, a former Vancouver Canucks left wing.
Crawford won the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year and Peter
Forsberg was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL rookie of the
year. The team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Before
the 1995-96 season the Nordiques moved to Denver, switched to the NHL’s
Western Conference, and were renamed the Colorado Avalanche.
Under the direction of general manager Pierre Lacroix, the Avalanche
assembled a well-balanced attack in their inaugural season. Goalie
Patrick Roy, who was acquired from the Montréal Canadiens, led the
defense. Offensively, Sakic and Forsberg ranked third and fifth in the
league in scoring, respectively. Right wing Claude Lemieux, who had come
to the Avalanche after helping the New Jersey Devils win the Stanley Cup
in 1995, scored ten game-winning goals. In the playoffs the Avalanche
advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they defeated the Florida
Panthers in four straight games, becoming the first NHL team to win the
Stanley Cup upon moving to a new city. Sakic received the Conn Smythe
Trophy as the most valuable player (MVP) of the playoffs. The Avalanche
reached the Stanley Cup playoffs in each of the next four seasons, going
as far as the conference finals in 1999. Colorado returned to the
Stanley Cup Finals in 2001, where they defeated the New Jersey Devils
for the franchise's second championship.
|
Aebischer |
David
|
Goal |
Colorado
Avalanche |
$2,500,000.00 |
|
Blake |
Robert
|
Defence |
Colorado
Avalanche |
$8,349,375.00 |
|
Boughner |
Bob
|
Defence |
Colorado
Avalanche |
$1,250,000.00 |
|
Brigley |
Travis
|
Left
Wing |
Colorado
Avalanche |
Unsigned
|
|
Clark |
Brett
|
Defence |
Colorado
Avalanche |
$500,000.00 |
|
Cummins |
Jim
|
Right
Wing |
Colorado
Avalanche |
Unsigned
|
|
Damphousse |
Vincent
|
Centre |
Colorado
Avalanche |
$2,000,000.00 |
|
Foote |
Adam
|
Defence |
Colorado
Avalanche |
$4,400,000.00 |
|
Forsberg |
Peter
|
Centre |
Colorado
Avalanche |
Unsigned
|
|
Gratton |
Chris
|
Centre |
Colorado
Avalanche |
$1,500,000.00 |
|
Hahl |
Riku
|
Centre |
Colorado
Avalanche |
$423,500.00 |
|
Hejduk |
Milan
|
Right
Wing |
Colorado
Avalanche |
$5,700,000.00 |
|
Hendrickson |
Darby
|
Centre |
Colorado
Avalanche |
$500,000.00 |
|
Hinote |
Dan
|
Right
Wing |
Colorado
Avalanche |
$770,000.00 |
|
Kariya |
Paul
|
Left
Wing |
Colorado
Avalanche |
Unsigned
|
|
Konowalchuk |
Steve
|
Left
Wing |
Colorado
Avalanche |
$2,500,000.00 |
|
Laaksonen |
Antti
|
Left
Wing |
Colorado
Avalanche |
$850,000.00 |
|
Laperriere |
Ian
|
Right
Wing |
Colorado
Avalanche |
$1,300,000.00 |
|
Liles |
John-Michael
|
Defence |
Colorado
Avalanche |
$600,000.00 |
|
McLean |
Brett
|
Centre |
Colorado
Avalanche |
$550,000.00 |
|
Moore |
Steve
|
Centre |
Colorado
Avalanche |
Unsigned
|
|
Nikolishin |
Andrei
|
Centre |
Colorado
Avalanche |
Unsigned
|
|
Sakic |
Joe
|
Centre |
Colorado
Avalanche |
$8,740,939.00 |
|
Salo |
Tommy
|
Goal |
Colorado
Avalanche |
Unsigned
|
|
Sauer |
Kurt
|
Defence |
Colorado
Avalanche |
$1,102,000.00 |
|
Selanne |
Teemu
|
Right
Wing |
Colorado
Avalanche |
Unsigned
|
|
Skrastins |
Karlis
|
Defence |
Colorado
Avalanche |
$1,875,000.00 |
|
Tanguay |
Alex
|
Left
Wing |
Colorado
Avalanche |
$4,250,000.00 |
|
Vaananen |
Ossi
|
Defence |
Colorado
Avalanche |
$1,000,000.00 |
|
Worrell |
Peter
|
Left
Wing |
Colorado
Avalanche |
$880,000.00 |
|
