Colorado Avalanche has got one of their legends back to coach the team. Patrick Roy is a Hall of Fame goaltender who used to play with a lot of passion and that is the kind of energy he brings on board as a coach as well. That is good news for a team which has failed to make the playoffs for the last three seasons straight. Roy is a bit of a novice in coaching terms but there is a lot of potential in the squad and together the two can do wonders. The team is all fired up to prove its mettle in the upcoming matches. If you are a Colorado hockey fan, then get ready because you are in for a humdinger of a ride.
The team of Colorado Avalanche is in for a very interesting season this time around. This is the team who has historically been very successful. It has won all that is there to be won in the sport multiple times over. The last few years however haven’t really gone according to the script and that has triggered a series of changes that are expected to propel Avalanche to its former glory days. The team’s fans have some very interesting seasons ahead of them and that will more likely increase Colorado Avalanche tickets demand among fans eager to support their favorite team from the bleachers.
The Start as Quebec Nordiques
In 1972, the Quebec Nordiques became one of the first ever teams to join NHL’s rival, the World Hockey Association. After not making it to the playoffs for the first two seasons, they went on to win the division title third time around. The team then went a step further in 1977 as they clinched not only their second division championship but also their first Avco World Trophy. Nordiques made it to the playoffs for the next two years as well before WHA merged with NHL.
Move to NHL
They made it to the playoffs in only their second season in NHL. The Quebec Nordiques then went on to lift a division crown in the year 1986 before winning it again at the end of the 1994-1995 season, their last in Quebec. The team however was on the verge of a financial meltdown and the owners decided to sell the team to a consortium from Denver.
The Birth of Colorado Avalanche
The new management proceeded to move the team to Denver and named it the Colorado Avalanche. The team celebrated the first season in its new city in some style. With their now Head Coach Patrick Roy in goal, Avalanche was in blistering form for the most part of that campaign. It won the division, the conference title and then went all the way to beating Florida Panthers to lift its first Stanley Cup.
The 1996-1997 campaign saw Avalanche clinch another division title and its first Presidents’ Trophy too. The team was on an astonishing run and managed to win all of their eight division titles in consecutive years between 1996 and 2003. Not only that but the team also found the time to reach the top of it all by doing the division, conference, Presidents’ Trophy and the Stanley Cup quadruple in the 2000-2001 season.
It hasn’t been smooth sailing since Avalanche’s 2003 division championship win. In the nine seasons after that, the team has made it to the playoffs four times only. The time had come to give the team a new direction and that is what the arrival of Patrick Roy is expected to do. Things are about to get very fascinating so saddle up for some serious fireworks.