The Colorado Avalanche, originally founded in 1972, are a professional ice hockey team that are current members of the Western Conference, Northwest Division of the NHL. Located in Denver proper, the team plays their home games at Pepsi Center. Originally the Avalanche were located in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, and played as the Quebec Nordiques. In 1979, when the WHA merged with the NHL, the team fell to the fate of many teams after league mergers and started on a downward spiral. After finishing last in their division several years in a row, the Nordiques were able to secure several trades and picks that saw the team’s on-ice performance rise back to success. Regardless of an uptick in the Nordiques’ play the team was still in financial straits and was subsequently sold in 1995 and moved to the States. Later that year the Colorado Avalanche won their first game against the Detroit Red Wings 3–2.
The Avalanche completed their initial season with a record of 47–25–10 and won the Pacific Division. After defeating the Vancouver Canucks and the Chicago Blackhawks in the playoffs, the Avalanche progressed to take down the Florida Panthers and bring home the Stanley Cup Finals triumph. The heightened level of play and on-ice success earned the hearts of hometown fans and saw Colorado Avalanche tickets become a must have item. Aside from their rivalry with the Detroit Red Wings, the Avalanche has racked up divisional contentions with Minnesota Wild, Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames through their coarse style of play. With a slew of conference and division championships under their helmets, as well as several Presidents' Trophies, the Colorado Avalanche continue to heat up the ice as they blaze the trail for their next Stanley Cup win. |
