The Avalanche have had a lot of success since moving from Quebec, but their present doesn't look to shabby either, says Ken Campbell.
In the first season after they moved from Quebec, the Colorado Avalanche acquired a Hall of Fame goalie and won their first Stanley Cup. Take that, Vegas.
They did it largely with an NHL team that was assembled in Quebec, but when Patrick Roy demanded a trade from the Montreal Canadiens, there's no way the Habs would have dealt him to their provincial rival if the Nordiques were still there. The Avs got him, and that was the final piece of the championship puzzle.
Roy had some help to be sure, and two of the heavy lifters are on their Mount Rushmore, for now. Because Colorado has a couple of guys there now who are also bound for the Hall of Fame and can include themselves in the very small group of true superstars in the NHL.
Here's the Avalanche's Mount Rushmore:
And here's how the NHL Mount Rushmore rankings have gone so far:
32. Seattle Kraken
31. Columbus Blue Jackets
30. Arizona Coyotes/Utah HC
29. Minnesota Wild
28. Ottawa Senators
27. Winnipeg Jets
26. Vegas Golden Knights
25. Nashville Predators
24. Carolina Hurricanes
23. Anaheim Ducks
22. San Jose Sharks
21. Calgary Flames
20. Vancouver Canucks
19. Buffalo Sabres
18. Florida Panthers
17. Dallas Stars
16. Washington Capitals
15. St. Louis Blues
14. New York Rangers
13. Toronto Maple Leafs
12. Los Angeles Kings
11. Philadelphia Flyers
10. New Jersey Devils
9. Chicago Blackhawks
8. Tampa Bay Lightning
What should be your favorite team's Mount Rushmore? Let us know at our forum.
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