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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The first one was a blur. Less than a year after moving from Quebec to Colorado, the Nordiques, now known as the Avalanche, were hoisting the Stanley Cup. Fans in the Mile High City had barely figured out what the heck icing meant and they were lining the streets of downtown Denver for a championship parade.
Not that it wasn’t great; it certainly was. After all, it was the first title won by any major professional sports team in Colorado history. But it was hard to appreciate.
Five years later, that sentiment had changed. Everyone in the Rocky Mountain region was acutely aware of how difficult it was to win a Cup.
In the years since the magical title run, the Avalanche had suffered nothing but heartbreak. They lost three times in the Western Conference Finals, twice to the Stars and once to the Red Wings. They also suffered a humiliating first-round exit at the hands of the Oilers.
Winning 16 playoff games is difficult. It’s arguably the toughest thing in pro sports for a team to accomplish. And after getting a false sense of security in year one, Colorado fans got a dose of reality during the following half decade.
But that wasn’t all that was on the line during the 2000-01 season. Legacies were also at stake.
One championship is cool, but it doesn’t make a term one for the ages. It takes multiple Cups to elevate into that stratosphere. And for the key members of the Avs, getting a second title was the difference between really good and great.
Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberge would be Hall of Fame players with only one ring. They’re at another level because they won two. Locally, the same can be said for Patrick Roy; arguably the greatest goaltender in NHL history, his status as a Colorado sports legend was cemented with another Cup with the Avs.
But those storylines paled in comparison to the main narrative that season. It was all about Ray Bourque.
The season before, the Avalanche had traded for the defenseman, bringing him to Denver after 20-plus seasons in Boston. The future Hall of Famer was chasing Lord Stanley.
During his two decades with the Bruins, Bourque had established himself as one of the best players in NHL history. He had won five Norris Trophies, while also finishing second in the voting six times. He was selected to 19 end-of-the-season All-Star teams. And he holds the record for goals, assists and points by a defenseman.
Bourque was a legend. But one thing was missing from his resume.
It didn’t happen during that first season in Colorado. The Avalanche lost in seven games to the Stars, ending the dream conclusion for Bourque.
At 40 years old, it was painfully obvious that the defenseman was running out of chances. The 2000-01 campaign was likely it.
The Avalanche were dominant from start to finish. During the regular season, the amassed a staggering 118 points, winning the Presidents’ Trophy. And it only continued in the playoffs.
A march that would be known as “Mission 16W” saw the Avs sweep the Canucks, beat the Kings in seven and knock off the Blues in five. That catapulted them to the Stanley Cup Final, where they’d face the defending champion Devils.
New Jersey would make Colorado work for the hardware. After splitting the first two games in Denver, the clubs would do the same on the Devils home ice. That set up a pivotal game five at Pepsi Center, which the road team won 4-1.
Facing elimination, the Avalanche would have to win on the road to stay alive. And they did just that, riding Roy to a 4-0 victory in the Meadowlands.
That set up a winner-take-all showdown in Game 7, at Colorado. And the Avs weren’t about to let it slip away.
Behind two goals from Alex Tanguay and another by Sakic, the Avalanche jumped to a 3-0 lead. With Roy between the pipes, that was more than enough, as they cruised to a 3-1 victory in front of the home fans.
The moment provided the first-ever championship won on Colorado soil. It was the only such feat until the Nuggets would win the NBA title in the same building more than two decades later.
Sakic, Forsberg and Roy became legends with that victory. But Bourque stole the show. No Colorado sports fan will ever forget the moment when the captain handed the veteran the Cup, a moment 20-plus years in the making.
JUNE 9TH, 2001: Ray Bourque lifts the Stanley Cup after 22 years in the league as the Avalanche beat the Devils in Game 7 of the 2001 Stanley Cup Final.
(🎥: HockeyWebcast/YT) pic.twitter.com/6gCZOEb4Eh
— BarDown (@BarDown) June 10, 2024
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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!
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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.
