Celebrating diversity by looking back on Avalanche history
In honor of Black History Month, The Hockey News highlighted the Colorado Avalanche's Black players throughout the franchise's existence since moving to Denver.
Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports - Celebrating diversity by looking back on Avalanche historyThe Colorado Avalanche have had a diversity of players throughout its history but in honor of Black History Month, there are a few who stand out for their time in burgundy and blue.
Shawn Belle
The Barbadian-Canadian defenseman was drafted 30th overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He only appeared in four games for the Avalanche after the Edmonton Oilers traded him in exchange for defenceman Kevin Montgomery. The 6-foot-3 defender played the majority of his career in the American Hockey League with 362 total games. Belle averaged 18:02 of time on ice during his four games, logged one shot on goal and two penalty minutes.
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare
A late start to his career in the NHL, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare first appeared in the NHL at 29 years old with the Philadelphia Flyers. After playing three seasons with the Flyers and two with the Vegas Golden Knights, he signed a two-year, $3.6 million contract with the Avalanche on July 1, 2019.
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With a role as the club's fourth-line center, Bellemare contributed his fair share of offense compiling 18 goals and 33 points through 122 regular season games. The bi-racial, Martiniquais forward was a force to be reckoned with on the faceoff dot winning 53% of his draws in his first season with the team, and 60.7% in his second.
Jarome Iginla
One of the most dominant and influential forwards of his time, Jarome Iginla appeared in 1,554 regular season games scoring 625 goals and 1300 points over 20 seasons. After spending 16 seasons with the Calgary Flames, was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The forward appeared in a combined 91 games in his time with the Penguins and the Boston Bruins the following season.
After his one-year contract with the Bruins ended, Iginla hit free agency once more and was signed to a three-year, $16 million contract with the Avalanche. Over 225 regular season games, he combined for 59 goals and 124 points.
The 2020 NHL Hall of Famer is a bi-racial forward of Nigerian descent. He is a partial owner of his former team, the Kamloops Blazers, and a special advisor to the general manager of the Calgary Flames.
Caleb Jones
The 6-foot-1 defender was drafted 117th overall by the Edmonton Oilers during the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. After bouncing between the Oilers and the Bakersfield Condors in the AHL, he and a 2022 third-round draft pick were traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for veteran defender Duncan Keith and Tim Söderlund.
After spending time with the Blackhawks and signing a one-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes, he was acquired by the Avalanche in exchange for Callahan Burke. The 26-year-old, two-way defender has split time during the 2023-24 season in the NHL and AHL with the Colorado Eagles.
Greg Mauldin
Drafted 199th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, Mauldin was not a member of the Avalanche until the 2010-11 season after spending the majority of his playing career in the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch and a brief stint in Sweden playing for IK Oskarshamn and Huddinge IK.
As a free agent, he signed a one-year contract with the Avalanche on July 2, 2010, where he appeared in 29 games scoring five goals and 10 points while serving primarily on the team's fourth line. Today, he continues his playing career overseas with the Stavanger Oilers in Norway.
Chris Stewart
A dynamic point-producing forward for the Avalanche, Chris Stewart played three seasons in Colorado totaling 52 goals and 113 points in 166 regular season games. In 2006, he was drafted 18th overall by the Avalanche and made his debut during the 2008-09 season scoring 11 goals and 19 points through 53 games.
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Stewart finished his 11-year NHL career playing in 668 games with the St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild, Buffalo Sabres, Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Philadelphia Flyers, and the Avalanche. On June 8, 2020, Stewart was announced as an inaugural executive board member of the Hockey Diversity Alliance working to eradicate systematic racism and intolerance in hockey.
Peter Worrell
Worrell was drafted 166th overall in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft by the Florida Panthers. After spending six years with the organization, he and a 2004 second-round pick were traded to the Avalanche for Eric Messier and Vaclav Nedorost. The Barbadian forward missed the first 27 games of the season with a knee injury but appeared in 49 games scoring three goals and four points, his lowest single-season point production.