2005 Colorado Avalanche

Since their arrival in Denver in 1995, the Colorado Avalanche have had great success, including Stanley Cup wins in 1996 and 2001. A second-round playoff loss to San Jose in 2004 was a shock, but the team is ready to prove their dominance in 2005-06. With Joe Sakic and Milan Hejduk leading the offense, new head coach Joel Quenneville is looking to bring the Cup back to Colorado. Teams this successful have a huge fan base, so you should get on with buying your tickets soon.

The Avalanche started life as the Quebec Nordiques in the World Hockey Association in 1972. The Nordiques were one of four teams allowed to join the NHL when the WHA folded, and the team was very successful. The 1994 lockout caused financial problems for owner Marcel Aubut, and when a provincial bailout failed, he sold the team to a Denver group for the 1995-96 season, in which the Avalanche won their first Stanley Cup.

The Nordiques contributed to NHL lore over the years by adding three significant players to the NHL Hall of Fame: Michel Goulet, Guy Lafleur and Peter Stastny. Ray Bourque, who spent most of his career with the Boston Bruins, ended his Hall-of-Fame career with the Avalanche and contributed to the 2001 Stanley Cup run.

Now that the Avalanche have settled into Denver, you can be sure that the fan base is large enough to make tickets to Avalanche games scarce. Get yours today!