Long-time Colorado Avalanche president and general manager Pierre Lacroix will be posthumously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2023.

The man behind two Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cups has finally made it to the Hockey Hall of Fame. The HHOF Class of 2023 was announced Wednesday and long-time general manager and president Pierre Lacroix was named to hockey's shrine in the builder category.

Lacroix joined the franchise when it was the Quebec Nordiques in 1994 after two decades of being a player agent. He was known to be a top-notch negotiator, which superseded the fact he had never played or coached in the NHL.

His clients prior to taking the GM position included Patrick Roy, Alexander Daigle and Jocelyn Thibault. So his keenness for hockey talent was apparent.

The team was bought in 1995 and moved to Colorado, and Lacroix followed with it. He had a solid roster that included Adam Foote, Peter Forsberg, Valeri Kamensky, Joe Sakic and Chris Simon. He beefed it up with a blockbuster trade that brought Patrick Roy and Mike Keane to the new team in Denver.

The 1995-96 team swept the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Finals to win the franchise’s first-ever championship the first year it was in the Centennial State. And according to the HHOF, Lacroix was named Executive of the Year by The Hockey News.

Lacroix’s son Eric played for the Avalanche for two full seasons from 1996-98.

Lacroix made more big moves that put Ray Bourque, Dave Andreychuk, Rob Blake and Steve Reinprecht in burgundy and blue in 2000 and 2001, respectively. The Avs went on to win their second Stanley Cup defeating the New Jersey Devils in 2001.

The Avalanche made the Stanley Cup playoffs all 11 years Lacroix was at the helm. His passion and dedication to the sport helped it grow immensely in Colorado.

Lacroix relinquished his position as GM in 2006 but remained the team’s president until resigning in 2013.

He was named to the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in April of 2008.

E. Stanley Kroenke bought the Avalanche in 2000 and has enjoyed two Stanley Cups, his first with Lacroix, since purchasing the team. He released a statement after the announcement:

My family and I would like to congratulate the Lacroix family for this incredible honor. We are elated for Pierre’s wife Coco, his sons Martin and Eric, and his three grandchildren. As I’ve said many times Pierre truly was a legend and one of the greatest executives in sports history. His many contributions to the game of hockey as well as the city of Denver goes without saying, highlighted by constructing Colorado’s first major professional championship with the 1996 Stanley Cup title. We miss Pierre greatly, not only for the many things he did for the organization, but for the wonderful man he was. I know he would’ve been very proud of today’s announcement, as is his family and the entire Avalanche family as well. 

Lacroix died at the age of 72 on Dec. 13, 2020, due to complications from COVID-19. He will be posthumously inducted into the Builder Category of the Hockey Hall of Fame. The official ceremony is on Nov. 13 in Toronto.