The Colorado Avalanche have been fortunate to have some all-time great players over the years. Only one, who played the majority of his career with the Avs, however, has been a blue liner.
One of my first articles for this site last summer was about who the second best goaltender in Colorado Avalanche history was/is. Today, I delve into the concept of who would comprise the top six defensemen in the history of the Colorado Avalanche. This was not easy!
First of all, a few self-imposed rules. I am only looking at a player’s contributions to the Colorado Avalanche. I am not taking into consideration any games played for the Quebec Nordiques, before the move. I am also trying not to consider Hall of Fame careers that featured brief cameos with the Avs. Only Avalanche accomplishments will be discussed.
Finally, after the first name listed below, these players are not ranked in any sort of order. They are just the defensemen who had the best Colorado Avalanche careers, in my opinion.
# 52 Adam Foote
Adam Foote is the only obvious no brainer in this sextet of players, as far as I am concerned. Foote should be in the Hockey Hall of Fame, in my humble, and totally not biased (wink) opinion.
He holds almost every team record imaginable. He played 760 regular season games, and another, absurd 158 in the playoffs, both records for d-men. His 13 seasons in an Avalanche uniform is only behind Milan Hejduk (14), and tied with Joe Sakic. He is also the only Avs blue liner to play a key role in both Stanley Cups. Apologies to Jon Klemm, who also won both Cups.
Beyond pure numbers, Foote brought a style of play to the Avalanche that they would have lacked otherwise. No one could ever call the Avs soft with Adam Foote in the lineup. He also had the knack for scoring key goals, the game winner from Game 6 of the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals sticks out. Also, he is the only d-man to wear the ‘C’ for Colorado in over 20 seasons.
# 8 Sandis Ozolinsh
When the Colorado Avalanche acquired Sandis Ozolinsh from the San Jose Sharks in 1995, he was the first of two missing pieces that played a key role in the Avs winning the 1996 Stanley Cup. That Colorado team had a plethora of good-great two-way, and defensive defensemen. They lacked a true gamebreaker on the back end. Ozolinsh was that player.
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Ozo was one of the fastest blue liners in Avalanche history. He was also one of the most fearless defensemen to ever wear the burgundy and blue. He always wanted to join the offense, and no matter how out of position that put him, his speed usually allowed him to get back in position in his own end, as if by magic.
Ozolinsh is still the all-time leader in goals among Avs d-men with 72. He ranks second in points with 271, and third in playoff games, with 82. He made the All Star team in 1997, 1998, and 2000. The Avalanche also made the postseason in all five of his seasons, winning the 1996 Stanley Cup.
# 77 Raymond Bourque
This was the toughest decision among the six players I chose to put on this list. Raymond Bourque is the greatest defensemen to ever wear an Avalanche sweater. However, he only played in 94 regular season games over the course of one full, and one partial season. However, he was such a key component of the 2001 Stanley Cup team that I felt obliged to include him here.
Ray Bourque’s journey for the elusive Stanley Cup was THE story of the 2000-01 Colorado Avalanche. When the team completed Mission 16W, Raymond Bourque getting the Cup from Joe Sakic is THE image from that championship. However, one can forget how good a hockey player Bourque still was in his brief stay in Colorado.
Bourque amassed 73 points in 94 regular season games, then tallied 19 more in 34 playoff games. He also averaged about 29 minutes of ice time per game. This was at ages 39 and 40! Bourque made the 2001 All Star team, the only time he was eligible as an Av. Bourque then became the first member of the Colorado Avalanche to have his number retired.
# 4 Rob Blake
Rob Blake was the missing piece on the 2001 Stanley Cup Champion, Colorado Avalanche. When he was acquired at the trade deadline, he transformed a good top four, to an elite top four on the back end. Blake had 19 points in 23 playoff games on Colorado’s run to the Cup. Beyond offensive contributions, his size and physicality added an extra dynamic to the Avalanche.
Blake ultimately played five seasons with the Avalanche. The team made the playoffs every year he was on the team. He ranks in the top five among defensemen in goals, points, and playoff games played. He was also arguably the best defenseman on each of the five Avs teams that he played on. To that end, he was an All Star all three times the game was held while he was an Avalanche player, from 2002-2004.
# 26/4 John-Michael Liles
John Michael Liles is the all time leader among Avalanche defensemen with 275 points. He also ranks second among the group with 523 regular season games played and 68 goals. He was a good defenseman on a number of Avalanche teams that were also good. However, both he and the Avs, when he was a part of the team, were rarely great.
JML’s longevity and durability are truly impressive, especially at the rather diminutive size of 5’10”. Liles played over 70 games in six of seven seasons, and over 75 in five of them. He also posted double digit goals four times and over 30 points in each of his seven years. If he had just one deep playoff run, I think his place in Avs history would be even greater than it is.
# 6 Erik Johnson
The only current player to make this list (at the moment) is Erik Johnson. It’s a little hard to fathom that when Erik Johnson skates in his first game this year, he will become only the second Avalanche defenseman to play a game for the team in nine different seasons. EJ is already third all time with 434 regular season games played, and fourth all time with 50 goals.
Unfortunately, injuries have held Johnson under 50 games twice, and they cost him last year’s postseason. He has also been the best all around defenseman on teams that have not won a lot of games. However, if the team continues to improve, and he can stay healthy, EJ figures to be able to play in the postseason soon, where he can add to his Avalanche resume.
Honorable Mentions
Jon Klemm played six seasons for the Colorado Avalanche, playing both defense and wing during that span. He was a part of both Stanley Cup teams, contributing as a bottom pair d-man to the 2001 team. He played 94 playoff games with Colorado, though not all of them on the blue line.
Greg de Vries spent five years with Colorado and was a member of the 2001 Stanley Cup Champions. He is seventh all time with 379 games played, with another 75 playoff games. He was a solid two-way d-man, who helped add depth to the teams he was a part of.
Martin Skoula was the other member of the 2001 Stanley Cup Champion defense core. He also played well for the team in their 2002 playoff run. Skoula ranks sixth with 383 regular season games in five seasons for Colorado.
Finally, I come to Tyson Barrie. If I compose this list again next summer, he will probably be on it. If Barrie has a good 2018-19 season, he may end the year as the all time leader in goals and points among Avalanche defensemen. He currently has 61 goals, and 248 points, 11 and 27 shy of the team records, respectively. He is polarizing among Avalanche fans, but it will be hard to argue against his sheer numbers, if he keeps playing for Colorado much longer.