1995–96 Colorado Avalanche season

Regular season

The Avalanche played their first game in the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver on October 6, 1995, winning 3–2 against the Detroit Red Wings. With the team led by captain Joe Sakic, forward Peter Forsberg and defenseman Adam Foote on the ice, Pierre Lacroix as the general manager, and Marc Crawford as the head coach.

The season was marked by the trade of Mike Keane and Patrick Roy from the Montreal Canadiens on December 6 for Jocelyn Thibault, Martin Rucinsky, and Andrei Kovalenko. Keane was the former captain of the Canadiens, and Roy was a 6-time NHL All-Star, 4-time William M. Jennings Trophy winner, 3-time Vezina Trophy winner, and two-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner (1986 Stanley Cup Final and 1993 Stanley Cup Final). Roy demanded a trade from the Canadiens after he felt humiliated for being left in a game after surrendering 9 goals during an 11–1 loss against the eventual President Trophy-winning Red Wings on December 9. Roy's acquisition would prove pivotal for the Avalanche: he started 38 games, going 22-15-1 with a .909 save percentage and 2.68 goals against average (GAA); in the playoffs, he started all 22 games, going 16–6 with a .921 save percentage, 2.10 GAA, and three shutouts, including the Stanley Cup-deciding triple overtime Game 4.

Playoffs

Quarter-Finals

Colorado won their first-round series against the Vancouver Canucks 4 games to 2.

Semi-Finals

The team advanced to their second-round series against the Chicago Blackhawks. The series was notable for a mini-feud that developed between the Blackhawks' Jeremy Roenick and Roy. During Game 4, which the Blackhawks lost 2–3 in triple overtime, Roenick was tripped during a breakaway. In a media interview after the game, Roecnick said he should have received a penalty shot for being tripped and that Roy would not have been able to stop him, citing Roy's performance in Game 3 (.840 save percentage). Upon hearing this, Roy replied:

The Avalanche would go on to win games 5 and 6, eliminating the Blackhawks and advancing to the Western Conference Finals, where they would face the Presidents' Trophy-winning Detroit Red Wings.

Western Conference Finals

Colorado jumped out to an early series lead, winning the first two games on the road before dropping Game 3 at home. The two teams then alternated wins and losses, with the Red Wings avoiding elimination by winning Game 5 at home.

During the first period of Game 6, with the game tied 1-1, the Avalanche's Claude Lemieux boarded Detroit's Kris Draper; Draper hit his head on the boards, breaking multiple bones in his face. Despite Lemieux receiving a 5-minute major penalty and a 10-minute game misconduct, the Avalanche went on to win the game 4-1 and the series four games to two, advancing to the franchise's first Stanley Cup Final. Lemieux's hit on Draper would serve as the inciting incident of the rivalry between the two teams which would last over ten years.

Stanely Cup Final

In the Stanley Cup Final, the Avalanche met the Florida Panthers, who were also in their first Stanley Cup Final. The Avalanche swept the series 4–0. In Game Four, during the third overtime and after more than 100 minutes of play with no goals, defenseman Uwe Krupp scored to claim the franchise's first Cup. Joe Sakic was the playoff's scoring leader with 34 points (18 goals and 16 assists) and won the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player to his team during the playoffs. The 1996 Stanley Cup was the first major professional championship won by a Denver team. With the Stanley Cup win, Russians Alexei Gusarov and Valeri Kamensky and Swede Peter Forsberg became members of the "Triple Gold Club", the exclusive group of ice hockey players who have won Olympic gold, World Championship gold and the Stanley Cup. The Avalanche were the first NHL team to win a Stanley Cup in their first year after relocating, and the first team to do so since the 1937 Redskins relocated from Boston to Washington, D.C.

Milestones

• December 11, 1995: Patrick Roy earned his first victory in net as a member of the Colorado Avalanche. It was a 5–1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
• February 5, 1996: Patrick Roy played the Canadiens for the first time since he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche. Roy stopped 37 of 39 shots in a 4–2 win. After the game, Roy took the game puck and flipped it to Canadiens head coach Mario Tremblay.

Season standings

Schedule and results

Regular season

|- | 1 || October 6 || Detroit || 2 – 3 || Colorado || || Fiset || 1–0–0 || 2 || |- | 2 || October 7 || Colorado || 2 – 4 || Los Angeles || || Fiset || 1–1–0 || 2 || |- | 3 || October 9 || Pittsburgh || 6 – 6 || Colorado || OT || Fiset || 1–1–1 || 3 || |- | 4 || October 11 || Boston || 1 – 3 || Colorado || || Fiset || 2–1–1 || 5 || |- | 5 || October 13 || Colorado || 1 – 3 || Washington || || Fiset || 2–2–1 || 5 || |- | 6 || October 14 || Colorado || 1 – 4 || St. Louis || || Thibault || 2–3–1 || 5 || |- | 7 || October 18 || Washington || 2 – 4 || Colorado || || Fiset || 3–3–1 || 7 || |- | 8 || October 23 || Anaheim || 1 – 3 || Colorado || || Fiset || 4–3–1 || 9 || |- | 9 || October 25 || Colorado || 3 – 2 || Calgary || || Fiset || 5–3–1 || 11 || |- | 10 || October 27 || Buffalo || 4 – 5 || Colorado || || Fiset || 6–3–1 || 13 || |- | 11 || October 30 || Colorado || 6 – 1 || Dallas || || Thibault || 7–3–1 || 15 ||

| Legend:

Playoffs

|- | 1 || April 16 || Vancouver || 2 – 5 || Colorado || || 16,061 || Roy || 1 – 0 || |- | 2 || April 18 || Vancouver || 5 – 4 || Colorado || || 16,061 || Roy || 1 – 1 || |- | 3 || April 20 || Colorado || 4 – 0 || Vancouver || || 18,422 || Roy || 2 – 1 || |- | 4 || April 22 || Colorado || 3 – 4 || Vancouver || || 18,422 || Roy || 2 – 2 || |- | 5 || April 25 || Vancouver || 4 – 5 || Colorado || OT || 16,061 || Roy || 3 – 2 || |- | 6 || April 27 || Colorado || 3 – 2 || Vancouver || || 18,422 || Roy || 4 – 2 ||

| Legend:

Player statistics

Scoring

• Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing
• • = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Avalanche only.*
• • = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Avalanche only.*

Goaltending

• • = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Avalanche only.*
• • = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Avalanche only.*

Awards and records

Awards

Milestones

Transactions

Trades

Other transactions

Draft picks

Colorado's picks at the 1995 NHL entry draft in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

;Notes

1. The Avalanche acquired this pick as the result of a trade on February 20, 1994 that sent John Tanner to Anaheim in exchange for this pick.
2. The Avalanche acquired this pick as the result of a trade on July 7, 1995 that sent David Ling and a ninth-round pick in 1995 (233rd overall) to Calgary in exchange for this pick.

• The Avalanche fourth-round pick went to the Ottawa Senators as the result of a trade on April 7, 1995 that sent Bill Huard to Quebec in exchange for the rights to Mika Stromberg and this pick (103rd overall).
• The Avalanche ninth-round pick went to the Calgary Flames as the result of a trade on July 7, 1995 that sent a ninth-round pick in 1995 (228rd overall) to Quebec in exchange for David Ling and this pick (233rd overall).

References

References

1. "October 6, 1995 - Detroit Red Wings vs. Colorado Avalanche gamesheet". Colorado Avalanche Database.
2. Godin, Marc. (December 2, 2020). "Godin: The long-forgotten truth about the Patrick Roy trade".
3. "Patrick Roy".
4. "Detroit Red Wings vs. Montreal Canadiens Box Score: December 2, 1995".
5. "Chicago Blackhawks - Colorado Avalanche - May 8, 1996".
6. Petersen, Will. (May 9, 2020). "On this day in sports: Avs goalie Roy famously trash talks Roenick".
7. "Chicago Blackhawks - Colorado Avalanche - May 6, 1996".
8. "Colorado Avalanche - Detroit Red Wings - May 19, 1996".
9. "Colorado Avalanche - Detroit Red Wings - May 21, 1996".
10. "Colorado Avalanche - Detroit Red Wings - May 23, 1996".
11. "Colorado Avalanche - Detroit Red Wings - May 25, 1996".
12. "Colorado Avalanche - Detroit Red Wings - May 27, 1996".
13. Will Burchfield. (March 15, 2017). "Kris Draper Tried To Return To Game After Claude Lemieux Broke His Face".
14. "Colorado Avalanche - Detroit Red Wings - May 29, 1996".
15. DJ Siddiqi. (April 19, 2025). "Darren McCarty On Red Wings’ Historic Epic Rivalry Against Avalanche And Why The NHL Can’t Replicate That Now".
16. Ulman, Howard. (1996-06-11). "No stopping the Avalanche - Colorado completes Cup sweep of Panthers with 3OT victory". Associated Press.
17. "Miscellaneous/Community/Altitude". Colorado Avalanche.
18. "Triple Gold Club". [[International Ice Hockey Federation]].
19. Matthew J. Buettner. (June 9, 2016). "20 Years Ago: Avs Win 1st Stanley Cup, A Dynasty Begins".
20. Jeff Kerr. (Jun 12, 2020). "Raiders move to Las Vegas: Here's how NFL franchises have fared in their first year in a new city".
21. Patrick Roy, winning, nothing else, p.382, by Michel Roy, translated by Charles Phillips, 2008, John Wiley & Sons, Mississauga, ON, {{ISBN. 978-0-470-15616-2
22. (December 12, 1995). "NHL ROUNDUP : Roy Records First Victory for Avalanche".
23. Patrick Roy, winning, nothing else, p.382, by Michel Roy, translated by Charles Phillips, 2008, John Wiley & Sons, Mississauga, ON, {{ISBN. 978-0-470-15616-2
24. Patrick Roy, winning, nothing else, p.383, by Michel Roy, translated by Charles Phillips, 2008, John Wiley & Sons, Mississauga, ON, {{ISBN. 978-0-470-15616-2
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26. "Conn Smythe Trophy".
27. "1996 NHL All-Star Game Rosters".
28. "1995-96 NHL Debuts".
29. "1995 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com".