The Colorado Avalanche are one of just 13 teams in the history of the NHL to lift lord Stanley at least three times. The second time they did it, in 2001, happened on this day 24 years ago at the conclusion of a thrilling, back-and-forth series against the New Jersey Devils, thanks to a gritty, 3-1 victory at home.
The Avalanche are one of just 13 teams that have won at least three Stanley Cups, and are the only active team that has won at least three while never losing one (The St. Louis Eagles, now the Ottawa Senators, went 4-0 in the early 20th century). Along with the victory over New Jersey in the seven-game thriller in 2001, they swept the Florida Panthers in 1996, the Avalanche’s first year in Denver after relocating to Quebec, and defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games in 2022.
The 2001 series against New Jersey saw the Avalanche fall behind three games to two, with their backs against the wall late in the series. After a 4-0 blowout win on the road in Game 6 to force a deciding seventh game, Colorado kept the momentum flowing, jumped out to a lead, and never looked back.
A sold out Pepsi Center was as loud as can be to cheer on an Avalanche squad filled with legends such as Joe Sakic, Ray Borque, Adam Foote and Patrick Roy. The burgundy and blue made sure to not let their home crowd down like they did in Game 5, and jumped ahead just eight minutes into the game with a goal from Alex Tanguay.
Tanguay scored again just five minutes into the second period, which ended up being the game-winning goal, before Sakic ripped one into the net on the power play later in the period to give Colorado a 3-0 lead. The Devils were able to get one back in the second period, but a rock-solid third in the defensive zone sealed the victory for the Avalanche and brought home the franchise’s second Stanley Cup in just its sixth season playing in the Mile High City.
While Tanguay’s three points and Sakic’s two were the most valuable performances for Colorado in the offensive zone, it was Roy’s stifling defense between the pipes that made victory possible for the Avs. Roy saved 25 of the 26 shots he faced, and the only goal he allowed past him came on the power play. That was one of 13 different performances throughout that run in which Roy allowed one or zero goals, a perfect performance to cap off a dominant postseason. He was named the winner of the Conn Smythe Award after Game 7 as the best player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs that season.
What’s it going to take for the Avalanche to get back to that point? They have the roster to get it done, but a blown lead in Game 7 of the first round this season showed that they don’t have the mentality and the guts to get it done. Is a coaching change at the top necessary? Or are the moves that they’ve made in the past month sufficient enough to compete for a Cup?
