The Colorado Avalanche was originally founded as the Quebec Nordiques in 1972, but they moved to Denver, Colorado in 1995 and became the Avalanche.

The Avalanche's first head coach was Marc Crawford, who led the team to their first Stanley Cup championship in 1996

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The Avalanche won their second Stanley Cup in 2001 under head coach Bob Hartley

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Peter Forsberg, who played for the Avalanche from 1995-2004 and again from 2007-2008, is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in team history

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Joe Sakic, who played for the Avalanche from 1995-2009, is the team's all-time leading scorer with 1,641 points

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Patrick Roy, who played for the Avalanche from 1995-2003 and also coached the team from 2013-2016, is considered one of the greatest goaltenders of all time

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The Avalanche have a heated rivalry with the Detroit Red Wings, which reached its peak in the late 1990s and early 2000s

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The Avalanche have retired six numbers: #19 (Joe Sakic), #21 (Peter Forsberg), #33 (Patrick Roy), #52 (Adam Foote), #77 (Ray Bourque), and #88 (Eric Lindros)

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The Avalanche have won nine division titles and two Presidents' Trophies (awarded to the team with the best regular season record) in their history

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The Avalanche have won a total of two Stanley Cup championships and have made it to the Stanley Cup Finals three times in their history

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