We know who will make up one half of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final and it's the crew that was the preseason favorite to be champion.
The Avalanche punched their ticket to the final series in the NHL playoffs with a win on Monday night, completing the sweep of the Oilers in the Western Conference Final.
After five consecutive seasons of second-round exits, Colorado finally got over that hump this season, but the job is not done yet. The Avs have their eyes on what would be the third Stanley Cup in franchise history.
It's been quite some time since we've seen the Avalanche in the finals, more than 20 years in fact. General manager Joe Sakic was still captain while defenseman Bowen Byram wasn't even born yet.
Here's a look at the last time the club won the Cup, as well as its other Cup victory.
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When was the last time the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup?
It has been more than 15 years since the Avalanche have lifted the Stanley Cup.
The franchise's last win came in 2001 when the Avs defeated the Devils in a thrilling seven-games series pitting Patrick Roy against Martin Brodeur in a goalie battle of the ages.
It capped off a season in which the Avs finished with the best record in the regular season. The Avs had defeated the Canucks, Kings and Blues en route to the franchise's second championship in history.
Ray Bourque was able to finally win his Cup that had eluded him for more than 20 years. It was the first and only time in NHL history that a captain was not the first player to lift the Cup, as Joe Sakic elected to forego that honor and have Bourque hoist it first out of respect for the veteran defenseman.
Roy won the Conn Smythe for his outstanding efforts in net for Colorado. The 2001 win marked not only his third Stanley Cup victory, but his third Conn Smythe.
How many times have the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup?
Colorado is a perfect 2-0 in finals appearance in the NHL.
In addition to the team's win in 2001, the Avs also lifted the Cup in 1996. It was the first time the franchise had made it to the Final.
After finishing second in the Western Conference, Colorado took down the Canucks and Blackhawks to make it to the conference finals. There, they faced the Presidents' Trophy-winning Red Wings, the series known for sparking the Red Wings-Avalanche rivalry thanks to Claude Lemieux's infamous hit on Kris Draper.
The Avalanche went on to defeat the Red Wings in six games,
In the Stanley Cup Final, it was a matchup between the Avalanche and the Panthers, both in their first time competing for the Cup. Despite the efforts of Florida goalie John Vanbiesbrouck, the Avs swept the Panthers to win their first championship, with Uwe Krupp sealing the series with his OT goal in Game 4.
With 34 points in 22 games, Sakic was named the Conn Smythe winner as MVP of the playoffs.
