Colorado’s First Stanley Cup was won 18-Year Ago Today

It was just 18-years ago today that the Colorado Avalanche won their first Stanley Cup in team history. It was the very first world title in a pro-sports that the city of Denver had won. The Broncos had been to the Super Bowl but came up a little short; the Nuggets have yet to play in the NBA finals and the Rockies didn’t make the World Series until 2007.

In 1995 the Quebec Nordics moved from the great white north to the mile high city and in their first full season they found themselves in the Stanley Cup Finals. Only two other team have made the finals faster, the St. Louis Blues in their debut season and the New York Rangers in 1928.

The Avalanche took on the Florida Panthers, who were in their third season in the NHL. It marked the first time since 1917 that the two teams in the finals were making their debut. Many thought it would be a good series and a battle between the two goalies but that never played out as Colorado swept Florida.

Colorado won game one 3-1 then blew Florida off the ice with an 8-1 rout in game two. The series moved to Florida and Colorado continued to roll with a tight 3-2 win to take a 3-0 lead in the best of seven series. Then came game four.

Monday June 10th 1996 the two teams took to the ice for what would become a marathon. The first period saw no score, as did the second and third periods. Going into the first overtime with no score everyone waited to see who the hero would be. The game moved into a second over time with still no score. Then with only 4:31 gone in the third OT Uwe Krupp got the puck and found the back of the net to win Lord Stanley’s Cup for the Colorado Avalanche.