Renck: Has it really been 30 years? Avs players reflect on city’s first championship at reunion

The Avalanche put hockey on the map in Colorado It just took Peter Forsberg awhile to find Denver on the map He is telling a story from the summer of a story that illustrates how unlikely it was that magic happened He smiles and shows he can still provide a zinger like so multiple of his slap shots that first season I got traded from Philadelphia to Quebec And it was not a big city and I was worried that we would never be able to win there Then I am sitting at home in Sweden and I had to figure out where the heck Denver was I had never been It was big Woof I was worried Forsberg communicated The Post And then we get here and it all came together in every way History repeated itself Wednesday night at the Paramount Theatre Carrie Fiore wears a Peter Forsberg Colorado Avalanche jersey as she waits beneath the marquee at the Paramount Theater in Denver on Wednesday Photo by AAron Ontiveroz The Denver Post Rock music reverberated from the loud speakers buttressing the stage Alan Roach whose voice makes anything big introduced the players Shrill screams pierced the ceiling It s been years so the memory is fuzzy but it was impossible not to recognize these sounds these songs these men The Colorado Avalanche nearly a year after COMSAT Video Enterprises purchased the Quebec Nordiques for million and relocated the franchise to Denver won the city s first championship That honor was invariably supposed to belong to the Broncos But they were still finding their footing under coach Mike Shanahan needing a limited more pieces to help John Elway realize his professional dream nearly two decades in the making We snuck past them announced former star and rabble-rouser Claude Lemieux with a grin The Avs held a reunion to celebrate the inaugural unit Joe Sakic Sandis Ozolinsh Mike Ricci Valeri Kamensky Forsberg and Lemieux were among the headliners that made millions in our Centennial state embrace hockey after the Colorado Rockies bolted to New Jersey in Related Articles Renck vs Keeler Is Broncos underdog status at home vs Packers ultimate sign of disrespect Renck A Father s Sonshine Dakota Ridge climbs final mountain with coach quarterback leading way to title Renck File Have Broncos opponents hacked their defense That is a big fat no Renck Cherry Creek star Jayden Fox is fast explosive and in this day s sports uncommonly unselfish Renck Rockies nail it with hiring of GM Josh Byrnes but it doesn t mean anything yet He must prove it It was a night for goosebumps cheers and laughs the theatre turning into McNichols Sports Arena The clock was set to fall of And then the summer of Even as things were souring in Quebec it seemed like Denver existed only as leverage to force the Canadian administration to pony up money for a new arena When the city authorities refused to blink Quebec was gone in a flash COMSAT owned the Nuggets so the infrastructure was in place for a relatively seamless transition And the owners did the right thing by letting former agent-turned-general manager Pierre Lacroix continue making the hockey decisions The Avs arrived in a hurry refusing to pursue greatness in secret Everything happened fast from the scoring the acquisitions to the affection By the ninth home challenge fans packed the place starting one of the longest sellout streaks in hockey history If we are being honest as various of the players were on the stage the Avs wandered into our city as a curiosity They walked around ate at restaurants Sakic recalled without being recognized Brianna Mays poses with members of the Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup championship unit from left to right Sandis Ozolinsh Peter Forsberg Joe Sakic and Claude Lemieux at the Paramount Theater in Denver on Wednesday Photo by AAron Ontiveroz The Denver Post I think half the fans thought we were an expansion organization So they were like Wow These guys are really good for a new club They didn t realize how well established we were Lemieux revealed As it grew and got into the latter part of the season everybody realized this is no expansion squad They knew we were really good That we could win it all Armed with young talent from a club that the New York Rangers knocked out of the playoffs the year before the Avs needed seasoning Lemieux fresh off winning the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy with the Devils joined a limited days before the opener But something still missing A championship would not have happened without embarrassment Montreal goalie Patrick Roy lost a meeting - and his marbles He did not like Mario Tremblay as a teammate and did not respect him as a coach He questioned out and Lacroix his former agent was happy to acquire the veteran star along with winger Mike Keane This deal would have never happened had the Avs remained in Quebec I hated these guys All of them Keane stated Wednesday as his teammates joked that the feeling was mutual And I thought Ricci was a bleep As the crowd laughed Lemieux no stranger to starting and defusing controversies reminded Keane of how he fell in love with long-haired crooked-nosed Ricci just as the entire state did He was voted the sexiest man in Denver Lemieux disclosed But he didn t get any votes from our locker room It was a room full of personalities and nationalities with humor sometimes lost in translation Rene Corbet was stated by a teammate to play Crazy and after a insufficient goals one night the nickname stuck I think I have been called it times since I got here this day Corbet commented I played every shift like that maybe with crazy legs It fit given the postseason motto was Crazy for the Cup The thing about this band and why it is so revered is that the Avs did not just win a championship They grabbed it with chest out both arms extended and put the cup above their head for the entire world to see They beat all comers They started a rivalry with the Detroit Red Wings that remains the standard for modern excellence and resentment And they finished off the Florida Panthers with a four-game sweep when defenseman Uwe Krupp scored the iconic clincher in triple overtime Just mentioning that goal drew cheers from the crowd of roughly On this joyous evening downtown it brought a reminder that the Avs have the juice from the past and good vibes in the present The current Avs club is threatening to break a record for points in a season and is a lock for the franchise s nd postseason berth since taking up residence in Colorado To be part of anything that starts is special Lemieux commented You see what they have done here and it makes me think back to how it all came together For me watching guys win for the first time was really something I will never forget For Forsberg it all goes back to the place he had to find on the map Forsberg is the father of three kids now He has lived a full life But he will dependably remember returning to his new home in Denver with the Stanley Cup Seeing that sea of people in the parade that sticks in the mind forever When you play the meeting you are in the moment just trying to win And when you are absolutely sober for a day after winning it hits you Forsberg reported We were notified we were getting a parade Nothing could have prepared me for that moment for what I saw from those fans that day Want more Avalanche news Sign up for the Avalanche Insider to get all our NHL analysis