Avalanche Stanley Cup champion Pavel Francouz back in new role

Former Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup champion Pavel Francouz is officially back with the team.

He won’t be playing, but is coaching and helping the next wave of goaltenders for the club.

Francouz was at the team’s development camp on Wednesday and met with the media afterward. He officially retired in April, citing numerous health issues he was dealing with. Still, “Frankie” was an important part of the 2022 championship team, so it’s nice to see him back with the organization.

In the net ➡️ coaching

Always great seeing a familiar face at Dev Camp!#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/0zhqFQO3J2

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) July 3, 2024

“I would never dream about playing with such good players and winning the Stanley Cup, so it was the ultimate dream,” Francouz told reporters on Wednesday.

And he was awesome for the Avalanche in the 2022 playoffs, relieving starter Darcy Kuemper after he suffered a nasty eye injury against Nashville.

In all, Francouz played in seven games during the team’s championship run and accumulated a 6-0 record. He posted a shutout against the Oilers in the Western Conference Final and gave up 2.81 goals per game.

Now, he’ll try to help lead the Avalanche to another title in a different capacity. You can never have enough smart minds work toward a common goal.

And Pavel Francouz knows what it takes to win the whole thing.