The Colorado Avalanche are a professional
ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They
are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference
of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Avalanche have won the
Stanley Cup twice, in 1996 and 2001. The franchise was founded
in Quebec and were the Quebec Nordiques until moving to Colorado
in 1995. The Avalanche have won eight division titles and went
to the playoffs in each of their first 10 seasons in Denver, with
the streak ending in 2007. The Avalanche are the only team in
NHL history to win the Stanley Cup their first season after a
re-location.
From their first season in Denver in 1995,
until the end of the 199899 season, the Avalanche played
their home games at McNichols Sports Arena. Since then, they have
played at Pepsi Center.
The Avalanche have a notable rivalry with
the Detroit Red Wings, partly due to having met each other five
times in seven years in the Western Conference playoffs between
1996 and 2002.