The Colorado Avalanche Quarter-Century Team: Forgotten Avalanche Players Edition

In honor of the NHL announcing the Colorado Avalanche's Quarter-Century First and Second teams, here's a full lineup dedicated to a specific kind of Avalanche player from the last 25 years: those who are mostly associated with other teams and whose stints in Colorado were short.

A few notes and stipulations before proceeding:
- 1. No one currently on the team (e.g.: No Mackenzie Blackwood, etc.)
- 2. No one from the last few seasons, as they are still recent enough to be easily remembered (e.g.: No Zach Parise)
- 3. First and Second Teams often ignore a player's position, choosing to focus solely on "forward" "defenseman" and "goalie," but this lineup aims to correctly list players for each position who primarily played said position
- 4. This list is not just about the player's contributions to the Avs; rather, it is a look at the most notable players one may forget ever even played on the team

Forwards

First Line: Dave Andreychuk, Pierre Turgeon, Teemu Selänne

Dave Andreychuk
Avalanche: 1999-00 | 14GP, 1G, 2A, 3P
NHL Career: 1982-83 - 2005-06 | 1,639GP, 640G, 698A, 1,338P, 1,125PIM

Andreychuk played less than 0.85% of his Hall-of-Fame career as a member of the Colorado Avalanche. In his 22nd and penultimate season in the NHL, he captained the Tampa Bay Lightning to their first Stanley Cup victory in 2003-04.

Pierre Turgeon
Avalanche: 2005-06 - 2006-07 | 79GP, 20G, 33A, 53P
NHL Career: 1987-88 - 2006-07 | 1,294GP, 515G, 812A, 1,327P

After 13 years of eligibility, Turgeon was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2023. Known for his gifted playmaking and vision, he is 35th on the all-time points list for NHLers.

Teemu Selänne
Avalanche: 2003-04 | 78GP, 16G, 16A, 32P
NHL Career: 1992-93 - 2013-14 | 1,451GP, 684G, 773A, 1,457P

Selänne set the NHL rookie scoring record with 132 points in 84 games for the 1992-93 Winnipeg Jets. He — and fellow Avs alumni Jari Kurri and Mikko Rantanen — ranks amongst the best Finnish players of all-time.

Second Line: Brian Rolston, Danièl Briere, Paul Kariya

Brian Rolston
Avalanche: 1999-00 | 50GP, 8G, 10A, 18P
NHL Career: 1994-95 - 2011-12 | 1,256GP, 342G, 419A, 761P

Rolston, most known for his two stints as a New Jersey Devil, had a brief stop in the Mile High City. He was ultimately packaged as part of the deal that brought Ray Bourque to Colorado. Famously, the following season, Bourque was then brought the Cup (via Joe Sakic) after 22 years.

Daniel Brière
Avalanche: 2014-15 | 57GP, 8G, 4A, 12P
NHL Career: 1997-98 - 2014-15 | 973GP, 307G, 389A, 696P

After establishing himself as a reliable, top-line center for both the Philadelphia Flyers and Buffalo Sabres (after breaking into the league with the Phoenix Coyotes), and after a layover in Montréal, Brière ended his respectable career as a member of the Colorado Avalanche. He is now the General Manager of the Flyers.

Paul Kariya
Avalanche: 2003-04 | 51GP, 11G, 25A, 36P
NHL Career: 1994-95 - 2009-10 | 989GP, 402G, 587A, 989P

Kariya, who came over to the Avs to rejoin his former Anaheim teammate Teemu Selänne in the summer of 2003, is one of just two players to have exactly as many points as games played in their career; the only other person to do this is Bill Cowley, who had 549 points and games played from 1934-35 to 1946-47.

Third Line: Brad May, Derrick Brassard, Matthew Barnaby

Brad May
Avalanche: 2005-06 - 2006-07 | 64GP, 3G, 6A, 9P, 90PIM
NHL Career: 1991-92 - 2009-10 | 1,041GP, 127G, 161A, 288P, 2,248PIM

Perhaps most known for his Rick-Jeanneret-called overtime goal in 1993, Brad May spent parts of two season with the Avalanche from 2005-2007, filling a depth role during the early post-Cup years.

Derrick Brassard
Avalanche: 2018-19 | 20GP, 4G, 0A, 4P
NHL Career: 2007-08 - 2022-23 | 1,013GP, 215G, 330A, 545P

Brassard, an archetypal 'rental,' played on the Avs after being traded for the second time during the 2018-12018-19 season. In the last 6 seasons of his career, he played for eight teams.

Matthew Barnaby
Avalanche: 2003-04 | 13GP, 4G, 5A, 9P, 37PIM
NHL Career: 1992-93 - 2006-07 | 834GP, 113G, 187A, 300P, 2,562PIM

Barnaby is perhaps more infamous for his post-playing career than anything else, having worked for ESPN before his legal troubles, but his limited tenure with the Avs was largely productive and uneventful.

Fourth Line: Dean McAmmond, Chris Gratton, Jim Cummins

Dean McAmmond
Avalanche: 2002-03 | 41GP, 10G, 8A, 18P
NHL Career: 1991-92 - 2009-10 | 996GP, 186G, 262A, 448P

McAmmond was a journeyman winger whose points per game average of nearly 0.5 was also encapsulated during his stint in Colorado.

Chris Gratton
Avalanche: 2003-04 | 13GP, 2G, 1A, 3P
NHL Career: 1993-94 - 2008-09 | 1,092GP, 214G, 354A, 568P

In between his second and third stints in Tampa Bay, Gratton spent the last few months of the 2003-04 season as a deadline, rental acquisition for Colorado. The former third-overall pick had a serviceable career.

Jim Cummins
Avalanche: 1999-00 | 55GP, 1G, 2A, 3P, 147PIM
NHL Career: 1991-92 - 2003-04 | 511GP, 24G, 36A, 60P, 1,538PIM

Although his name is similar to Jim Cummings, the voice actor for Winnie the Pooh, Cummins was anything but soft and cuddly in his NHL career. In 511 games, the last 55 of which were played for Colorado, Cummins registered 1,538 penalty minutes and 135 fighting majors.

Scratches: George Parros, Tomáš Fleischmann

George Parros
Avalanche: 2006-07 | 2GP, 0G, 0A, 0P, 0PIM
NHL Career: 2005-06 - 2012-13 | 474GP, 18G, 18A, 36P, 1,092PIM

While he is most remembered for his role as an enforcer, Parros is the current head of the Department of Player Safety for the NHL and is a Princeton graduate.

Tomáš Fleischmann
Avalanche: 2010-11 | 22GP, 8G, 13A, 21P
NHL Career: 2005-06 - 2015-16 | 657GP, 137G, 198A, 335P

Fleischmann's tenure with the Avs was, in retrospect, rather strong — even though it wasn't particularly memorable. With 21 points in 22 games, the sturdy Czech winger had his career-high points-per-game ratio of his career as a member of the Avalanche.