The Avalanche could be the best sports team in Colorado history
May 27, 2021, 6:34 AM
The list of potential candidates is pretty limited. They can pretty much be counted on one hand. Maybe two.
The six championship-winning teams are definitely in the conversation. That’s one for the Buffs, two for the Avalanche and three for the Broncos.
The University of Colorado’s title team wasn’t even the best of the era, however. The year before, when the rolled through a magical regular season undefeated before losing to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl, they were better. A loss, a tie and a controversial win at Missouri take a little luster off of the 1990 team.
The first Avs team to hoist a Stanley Cup, just months after the franchise relocated from Quebec to Denver, was really good, but other squads during Colorado’s run of eight-straight division titles were better. Heck, the next season the won more regular season games and tallied more points, before losing to the Red Wings in the conference finals.
The first Broncos team to win the Lombardi Trophy was also a special group. They’ll forever hold a place in the hearts of Denver sports fans, given that they broke the franchise’s long and tortuous drought without a Super Bowl win. But the year before and the year after, Mike Shanahan’s teams were probably even better.
And the latest local team to win a championship was also memorable. The group that won Super Bowl 50 was full of characters, from Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning to Super Bowl MVP Von Miller to “The No Fly Zone,” the 2015 Broncos were a fun bunch to watch, one that took Denver fans on a roller-coaster ride.
There were also some non-title teams along the way that were great. The 1977 Broncos put the city and the franchise on the map. The 2009 Nuggets got to Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals. The 2007 Rockies had once-in-a-lifetime run to the World Series. And the 1994 Buffs might have been the best to ever play in Boulder.
But two teams in the history of Colorado sports stand above the rest – the 1998 Broncos and the 2000-01 Avalanche.
After winning Super Bowl XXXII, Denver defended their title in grand fashion. They started the season 13-0, finished 14-2 and cruised through the playoffs, crushing the Falcons in XXXIII. Terrell Davis rushed for 2,000 yards, despite sitting out multiple fourth quarters because the Broncos were so far ahead of their opponents. The roster boasted Hall of Famers like John Elway, Davis, Shannon Sharpe and Steve Atwater. They were an unstoppable machine that season.
The same can be said for the second Stanley Cup-winning team in Colorado. After losing in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals to the Stars the year before, the Avs entered the 2000-01 season on a mission. They jumped out of the gates with 9-0-2-0 record and never looked back, rolling to 118 points and the Presidents’ Trophy. In the postseason, which became known as “Mission 16W,” they went 16-7, capped with a Game 7 win over the Devils in the Finals. Their roster boasted Hall of Famers like Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Patrick Roy, Ray Bourque and Rob Blake. They were an unstoppable machine that season.
This year’s Avalanche might be better than either of those two powerhouses.
Despite battling through multiple injuries, as well as two shutdowns due to COVID-19, Colorado posted the best record in the NHL. They scored 197 goals, while surrendering just 133. They come at teams in waves, with line after line of young talent that is relentless.
It all started to click in March. During a month-long period, Colorado posted a record of 19-1-2, including a 15-game streak without a loss. They seemed to win every night, dismissing opponents with ease.
And that has continued in the postseason. During the first round, the Avalanche dispatched the Blues in four games, outscoring St. Louis 20-7 en route to the sweep. It was never even a series. Other than the five minutes after Nazem Kadri’s major penalty, Colorado never was pushed.
In the next round, it’ll get tougher for sure, with either Minnesota or Vegas on tap. But the Avs will be favored, as they should be.
Colorado has a roster of talent unlike anything the franchise has ever seen, including the two Cup winners. The top line of Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen can score at any moment. And that’s just the start. When they leave the ice, head coach Jared Bednar releases wave after wave of scorers, all of whom keep constant pressure on the opponent.
It all adds up to a team that appears unstoppable. The Avs don’t appear to have a weakness, save for perhaps youth, if that can be called one.
Their biggest hurdle is perhaps a mental one. After losing in Game 7 of the second round the past two seasons, advancing to the Western Conference Finals is the next goal; getting there is the next leap.
If they do that, whether it’s beating the Golden Knights or the Wild, there should be no stopping Colorado. And if that happens, they’ll enter into the three-team conversation about the best team in the history of the state.
A great regular season. A long winning streak. A talented roster. Dominance in the playoffs. Hoisting a trophy at the end of the season.
That’s the formula for greatness. And the 2020-21 Avalanche are on the path to putting it all together.
