After several poor seasons in Quebec, the Nordiques franchise moved to Colorado where it ended up winning a Stanley Cup the first year in the Mile High City.
Joe Sakic was a bit perturbed by reporters asking how he went from being part of the Quebec Nordiques' abysmal 12-win season in 1988-89, to being on the verge of winning a Stanley Cup ahead of Game 4 of the 1996 Finals. But it was a tale to tell of how he ended up there.
Sakic scored 60 points in his rookie season that league-worst record year, and was the foundation of the team that went on to win its first Stanley Cup ever seven years later. The Hockey News' June 28, 1996 issue (titled: Pathetic Past Led To Bright Future) feature story provides eight reasons why the Avalanche were victors in the end.
The issue also highlights the aftermath of the Cup win from Peter Forsberg's impact to how Quebec fans handled it to how Florida Panthers fans dealt with the loss in their first-ever Stanley Cup Finals appearance.
A real throwback to remembering that Stanley Cup run is a piece on the NHL's cybercast experiment where all four games of the Final were available for subscribers to watch on the internet.
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