Watch the last two times the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup

The anticipation is building. The moment is almost here.

It’s about time for the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning to play Game 1 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final.

History in this series has been kind to the Avs, as they’re 2-0 all-time in the Final. Their first trip was during their first year in Denver back in 1996. Colorado matched up with the Florida Panthers from the Eastern Conference and took a 3-0 lead heading into Game 4 down in Miami.

The game was an instant classic, going to overtime tied 0-0 as Patrick Roy and John Vanbiesbrouck dueled it out between the pipes. But in the third OT, it was an unlikely hero for the Avs, as defenseman Uwe Krupp fired a puck from the point that found the back of the net.

You can watch the full highlights below, with a warning you might get chills:

The Avalanche returned to the biggest stage in hockey five years later, this time against the New Jersey Devils. The series went to a seventh game, and it was played here in Denver. The Avs were able to deliver the Stanley Cup to Ray Bourque, a man who had waited his entire career for it.

The heroes in this one were Roy, Joe Sakic and Alex Tanguay. Check out the highlights from that night as well:

Will there be a third highlight reel to add in just two short weeks? Let’s hope! The legacies of guys like Nathan Mackinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landsekog may depend on it.
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