Milestone No. 20: The Avalanche hoist third Stanley Cup in franchise history
Mar 17, 2025, 5:42 AM
The Fan is turning 30! For three decades, the station has been covering Denver sports, serving as a media outlet of record for the biggest events over the past 30 years.
There have been a lot of them. From championships to MVPs, from historic seasons to improbable victories, The Fan has been there for all of them.
What were the best of the best? During a six week span, Denver Sports will chronicle the moments that stood out the most. It’s a countdown from No. 30 to No. 1, in a series called “Mile High Milestones.”
Enjoy the trip down memory lane!
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Could they ever get over the hump? That was the question heading into the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. And for good reason.
In each of the previous three postseasons, the Avalanche had entered the playoffs as one of – if not the – favorites to win the championship. Each time, Colorado came up woefully short.
In 2019, the lost in the second round to the Sharks, which included a memorable Game 7 gaffe by Gabriel Landeskog when he didn’t get off the ice fast enough and a pivotal goal was taken off the scoreboard. The next season they lost in seven games again, this time falling in round two to the Stars. And in ’21, the blew a 2-0 series lead against Vegas, losing four straight games – including an overtime loss at home in the all-important Game 5 – to once again get bounced in the second round.
Not only had the uber-talented, heavily favored Avs not won a Cup, they hadn’t even gotten particularly close. They were yet to reach the Western Conference Final, let alone a Stanley Cup Final.
But that all changed in 2022. Finally, after three-straight years of frustration, Colorado was able to break through.
Things started off relatively easily, as the Avalanche swept the Predators in round one. In the series, Colorado simply dominated, outscoring Nashville by a 21-9 count in four games. But the victory didn’t come without cost; in the series, goaltender Darcy Kuemper was forced to leave Game 3 when Ryan Johansen’s stick went through his mask and gouged his eye.
The next series also featured plenty of drama. For starters, the Avs were gripping a bit, wondering if they could finally end the second-round curse. When the Blues stole Game 2 at Ball Arena, plenty of people were wondering the same thing.
Colorado responded by winning Game 3, a 5-2 victory that is best remembered for Nazem Kadri running into Jordan Binnington in the first period and knocking the St. Louis goaltender out of the game. Blues fans spent the next two days harassing the Avs center, including death threats and racial slurs, which provided plenty of added juice to Game 4.
Kadri got that last laugh that night, however. In front of 18,096 rabid fans at Enterprise Center, the center put on a show. He recorded his first career postseason hat trick, lighting the lamp three times in a dominant 6-3 win for the Avs.
It appeared that the series was over, but that was far from the case. The Blues pulled off a Game 5 thriller in overtime, sending the series back to St. Louis.
Game 6 was down to the wire, setting up a potential winner-take-all finale that would’ve had everyone associated with the Avalanche gripping in panic. But with 5.6 to play in the third period, Darren Helm snuck a shot past Ville Husso to send Colorado to the Western Conference Finals.
With the weight of the world off their shoulders, the Avs were flying high once again. They won Game 1 by an 8-6 mark, kicking off a series sweep in which they’d outscore the Oilers by a 22-14 margin across the four games. Edmonton was frustrated throughout, highlighted by Evander Kane earning a one-game suspension for boarding Kadri in Game 3; it was just another example of Colorado’s pesky center getting under the skin of an opponent.
In the Stanley Cup Final, the Avalanche had a tough draw, facing the back-to-back defending champs. But Colorado was up to the task, jumping to a 2-0 series lead against Tampa Bay, including a 7-0 shellacking in Game 2. The Lightning won the next game, but the Avalanche took control of the series when Kadri scored an overtime goal to steal Game 4 on the road.
The only thing left was the coronation, but it would have to wait. Showing the heart of champion, Tampa Bay rolled into Denver, spoiled the party with a 3-2 win and forced a Game 6 in Florida.
Colorado would avoid a Game 7, however, earning a hard-fought 2-1 victory to win the Cup on the road. It marked the third time in franchise history that the Avalanche had won the title, their first championship in 21 years.
The Avs road their young stars – Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Conn Smythe winner Cale Makar – as well as a host of role players picked up at the deadline – Andrew Cogliano, Arturri Lehkonen, Josh Manson and Nico Sturm – to the championship. It was a thrilling ride, one in which Colorado went 16-4 during the playoffs to win the title.
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THE COUNTDOWN
30: Ubaldo Jimenez has a magical season
29: Todd Helton get enshrined in Cooperstown
28: Valeri Nichushkin goes missing in the postseason – twice!
27: The Avalanche win their second Stanley Cup
26: The Nuggets come back from two 3-1 deficits in the bubble
25: The seemingly never-ending Broncos ownership saga
24: Hurricane Josh hits the Mile High City
23: The Rockies trade Nolan Arenado to the Cardinals
22: The Nuggets reach the Western Conference Finals in 2009
21: John Elway gets enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
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Wanna hear more about this Mile High Milestone? Tune into “The Rundown” at noon or check out the show on YouTube to hear Richie Carni and a special guest take a walk down memory lane.
