"Is that all there is to it? That was easy!" It would be hard to blame fans of the Colorado Avalanche from being in that frame of mind after the team cruised to its first Stanley Cup in its very first season in Colorado, 1995-96. The date was June 10, 1996, a mere 11 days shy of one year since the franchise had been transferred from its birthplace in Quebec City, Quebec.
Downtown Denver, hardly a stranger to professional and amateur hockey, was awash with Avalanche jerseys and awash with cheers as captain Joe Sakic hoisted the Stanley Cup itself in front of thousands of adoring fans at a celebration following the Cup triumph. It was the first major sports championship for any Colorado team.

For fans of the team in Quebec City, maybe 2,000 miles away, the triumph was a bittersweet one, coming as it did on the heels of the 16 seasons the team spent as the Quebec Nordiques, from 1979-80 to 1994-95. The Nordiques, originally had been part of the old World Hockey Association, and they joined the National Hockey League with three other teams, the New England Whalers, the Winnipeg Jets and the Edmonton Oilers.

Beloved as they were in Quebec, the demise of the Nordiques was somewhat inevitable. The team played in the immense shadow of their provincial neighbors, the mighty Montreal Canadiens, and in a badly outdated building, Le Colisee. Buy Colorado Avalanche Tickets.