The anticipation is building. The moment is almost here.

It’s about time for the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning to play Game 1 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final.

History in this series has been kind to the Avs, as they’re 2-0 all-time in the Final. Their first trip was during their first year in Denver back in 1996. Colorado matched up with the Florida Panthers from the Eastern Conference and took a 3-0 lead heading into Game 4 down in Miami.

The game was an instant classic, going to overtime tied 0-0 as Patrick Roy and John Vanbiesbrouck dueled it out between the pipes. But in the third OT, it was an unlikely hero for the Avs, as defenseman Uwe Krupp fired a puck from the point that found the back of the net.

You can watch the full highlights below, with a warning you might get chills:

The Avalanche returned to the biggest stage in hockey five years later, this time against the New Jersey Devils. The series went to a seventh game, and it was played here in Denver. The Avs were able to deliver the Stanley Cup to Ray Bourque, a man who had waited his entire career for it.

The heroes in this one were Roy, Joe Sakic and Alex Tanguay. Check out the highlights from that night as well:

Will there be a third highlight reel to add in just two short weeks? Let’s hope! The legacies of guys like Nathan Mackinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landsekog may depend on it.
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