Colorado Avalanche Tickets

The Colorado Avalanche franchise began in Quebec City. The team was originally the Quebec Nordiques, and they joined the NHL in 1979 after the league merged with the WHA. The Nordiques had won a WHA championship and had some successful seasons in the NHL, but the team struggled near the end of its time in Quebec.

In 1991, the Nordiques drafted Eric Lindros with the first overall pick even though Lindros had stated publicly that he would not play for them. True to his word, Lindros refused to sign a contract and sat out what would have been his rookie season. Finally, the Nordiques traded Lindros to the Philadelphia Flyers. In exchange for Lindros, the Flyers sent the Nordiques a bundle of players, cash, and draft picks. The players the Nordiques received in the trade included Peter Forsberg, Mike Ricci, and Ron Hextall.

Quebec City was the smallest market in the league, and the team left for Colorado before the 1995-96 season. The Avalanche were contenders as soon as they arrived in Colorado. Joe Sakic, who the Nordiques had drafted with the 15th overall pick in 1987, had developed into a star player and into the team’s leader. The pieces the team had acquired from the Lindros trade also made an impact. Forsberg was one of the league’s best playmakers, and Ricci added depth and was a reliable defensive forward. In the middle of the season, the Avs acquired goalie Patrick Roy from the Montreal Canadiens. Roy’s goaltending helped the Avalanche become truly elite and made them one of the top teams in the NHL for years to come.

The Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in their first season in Colorado. In 2001, the Avs returned to the Stanley Cup Final. Future hall of famer Ray Bourque had joined the Avalanche (up to that point, he played his entire career in Boston) seeking his first Stanley Cup at the end of a long career. The Avalanche defeated the New Jersey Devils in the Final. As the team’s captain, Joe Sakic accepted the trophy on the ice and, in one of the most famous moments in NHL history, immediately handed the Stanley Cup to Bourque. Bourque retired after the ceremony.