Though the Colorado Avalanche haven’t won the Stanley Cup in a while, they held epic parades the two times they did win.
The Colorado Avalanche haven’t had a Stanley Cup parade in 17 years, and that’s depressing. Not too depressing, mind you, because we have had two, which is two more than teams like the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues have held.
Today is the day that the new Stanley Cup champions, the Washington Capitals, will hold their parade. In case you’d like to know, the parade begins at 9 am MT. Funnily enough, articles about the parade include lists of participants such as the Ballou High School Majestic Knights Marching Band and the Capital One Arena ice crew — but no mention of the actual champs themselves. Presumably they will be in attendance, along with the Stanley Cup itself.
In honor of the Capitals’ parade, let’s re-visit out own Stanley Cup parades. I made it to both, and they were glorious.
The Colorado Avalanche won their second Stanley Cup on June 9th in an epic Game 7 that took place at the Pepsi Center. Their opponents were the New Jersey Devils, who ironically had been the Colorado Rockies hockey team at one time. Here’s the breakdown of the games:
- May 26, 2001: New Jersey at Colorado, W 5-0
- May 29, 2001: New Jersey at Colorado, L 2-1
- May 31, 2001: Colorado at New Jersey, W 3-1
- June 2, 2001: Colorado at New Jersey, L 3-2
- June 4, 2001: New Jersey at Colorado, L 4-1
- June 7, 2001: Colorado at New Jersey, W 4-0
- June 9, 2001: New Jersey at Colorado, W 3-1
Everyone in Colorado was so joyous that our team had won the Stanley Cup again. We lined up in the streets, and even the police officers got involved.
The big story from the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals was that (then) Future Hall of Fame defenseman had finally won the Cup, in his 21st season. Naturally the image of him and captain Joe Sakic hoisting the Stanley Cup together is sure to be dear for Colorado Avalanche fans.
I don’t think I need to mention Patrick Roy on top of a fire engine going along the parade route is my personal favorite Stanley Cup parade image.
Look at those khakis!
At the end of the parade, the team held a rally for all the fans in attendance. Here are all the fans:
Can you see me in the back? 😉
Here’s Sakic making a theatrical entrance:
Embed from Getty Images
Here’s the apex of the rally:
Embed from Getty Images
Here’s Patrick Roy again because… you know:
Embed from Getty Images
Aside from Sakic handing Bourque the Cup, this is probably the most iconic image of that 2001 Stanley Cup, because the captain hoisting the Stanley Cup is always the most iconic image.
Because we want to see it, here’s The Handover, a moment I maintain is one of the greatest in all sports, not just in hockey:
Now, because of that classic moment, the 2001 Stanley Cup tends to be Avs’ fans’ favorite. However, I’m partial to the 1996 victory, which brought the first-ever professional sports championship to Colorado.
Here’s how the series went:
- June 4, 1996: Florida at Colorado, W 3-1
- June 6, 1996: Florida at Colorado, W 8-1
- June 8, 1996: Colorado at Florida, W 3-2
- June 10, 1996: Colorado at Florida, 3OT W 1-0
Unfortunately, the farther back in time you go, the harder it is to find reliable media. As such, I only have one Getty images I can share with you:
However, if you click here, you’ll see my all-time favorite picture from the 1996 Stanley Cup parade — spoiler alert, it does not feature Patrick Roy. Instead, it’s a gorgeous black and white of Sakic hoisting the Cup with the State Capitol in the foreground.
Ok, here’s the Patrick Roy image — one of my all-time favorite pictures of the greatest goalie ever — hoisting the Cup during the parade.
Last year, I also cataloged the best pictures from the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals:
Next: Best Pictures from the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals
We’re extraordinarily lucky here in Avs Nation. We’ve had some of the best players to ever play hockey play right here for the Colorado Avalanche. And we’ve watched our beloved team win two Stanley Cups.
It’s been a while, I know — 17 years. However, it took the Capitals 44 years to win even one. No telling how long it will take the Blues.
That said, I know I’ll see our Colorado Avalanche captain, Gabriel Landeskog, hoisting the most treasured trophy in the sports world. It might be when he’s a grizzled veteran, but I’m confident it will happen.