The Colorado Avalanche Win the Stanley Cup

The Colorado Avalanche have defeated the defending back-to-back Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning in six games to win their third Stanley Cup in franchise history.

They had a historic run en route to their first Stanley Cup in 21 years, losing a total of four games over the duration of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Cale Makar was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy for the top playoff performer, scoring 29 points in 20 games as a defenseman. Makar is the third defenseman ever to win the Norris and the Conn Smythe Trophies in the same season.

However, the Avalanche’s road to the Stanley Cup stretches even further than that. Just five years ago, in the 2016-17 NHL season, the Colorado Avalanche finished dead last with a record of 22-56-4 and 48 points, being a historically bad team. In the next five years, Joe Sakic would rebuild the Avalanche into a juggernaut of a team, keeping the core of Nathan Mackinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen intact while also drafting impactful prospects such as Cale Makar, Alex Newhook and Bowen Byram. With a few trades and signings, the Colorado Avalanche were able to construct their championship-winning team.

The Avalanche took 20 games on their path to the cup. In the first round, they faced the Nashville Predators which they took care of easily in four games. Next, they faced the solid St. Louis Blues and defeated them in six games. In the Western Conference Finals, the Avalanche outmatched the Edmonton Oilers in four games. And finally, in the Stanley Cup Finals, Avalanche defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games.