Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The team plays its home games at Ball Arena, which it shares with the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Denver Nuggets and Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League (NLL).
| Colorado Avalanche | |
|---|---|
| 2023–24 Colorado Avalanche season | |
| Conference | Western |
| Division | Central |
| Founded | 1972 |
| History | Quebec Nordiques 1972–1979 (WHA) 1979–1995 (NHL) Colorado Avalanche 1995–present |
| Home arena | Ball Arena |
| City | Denver, Colorado |
| Team colors | Burgundy, blue, silver, black |
| Media | Altitude Sports and Entertainment Altitude 950 Altitude Sports 92.5 |
| Owner(s) | Kroenke Sports & Entertainment |
| General manager | Chris MacFarland |
| Head coach | Jared Bednar |
| Captain | Gabriel Landeskog |
| Minor league affiliates | Colorado Eagles (AHL) Utah Grizzlies (ECHL) |
| Stanley Cups | 3 (1995–96, 2000–01, 2021–22) |
| Conference championships | 3 (1995–96, 2000–01, 2021–22) |
| Presidents' Trophy | 3 (1996–97, 2000–01, 2020–21) |
| Division championships | 12 (1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2013–14, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23) |
| Official website | www |
Founded in 1972 as the Quebec Nordiques, the team was one of the charter franchises of the World Hockey Association (WHA). The franchise joined the NHL in 1979 as a result of the NHL–WHA merger. Following the 1994–95 season, they were sold to the COMSAT Entertainment Group and moved to Denver.
During their first season in Denver, the Avalanche won the Pacific Division and went on to sweep the Florida Panthers in the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals. The 1996 Avalanche became 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 National Football League (NFL)'s 1937 Washington Redskins. In the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals, the Avalanche defeated the New Jersey Devils in seven games to win their second championship. In the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals, the Avalanche defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games to win their third championship. As a result, they remain the only active NHL team that has won all of its appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Avalanche have won twelve division titles since moving to Denver (and set the league record for most consecutive division titles at nine in a row from 1995 to 2003; one in Quebec, the rest in Colorado), and qualified for the playoffs in each of their first ten seasons after the move; this streak ended in 2007.