It’s hard to believe that it was already 14 years ago to the day that the Avs won their second Stanley Cup. June 9, 2001 will forever be a dated that is etched in my brain as one of the best days of my life. After watching the Avs be defeated in back to back seasons by the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Finals, we were destined for the Finals in 2001. It was a spirited season hosting the All-Star Game, Roy breaking the record for most wins by a goaltender, and then winning the President’s Trophy. All things had aligned to the ultimate moment when Sakic passed the Cup to Ray Bourque to hoist the Stanley Cup.
My mom, my 14 year old self, and my boozy brother celebrating our Game 7 win. Yes, our hair is dyed for the game, and no, we won't do that again.
I can also vividly recount the game that my mom, brother, aunt and I were all fortunate enough to attend. Alex Tanguay scored what would be the game winning goal and Sakic gave us a 3-0 lead. Meanwhile my brother (Aka Gordy the Stick) was continually refilling his soda with his own “Stanley cup water”. A water bottle full of rum later, 60 minutes of hockey, and the Avs had won the ultimate hockey prize in a 3-1 victory against the New Jersey Devils.
I by no means want to belittle the first Stanley Cup that was won on June 11, 1996, but the Cup in 2001 will always hold a special place in my heart. With players like Hinote, Drury, and one of my personal favorites, Shjon Podein who wore his skates for a full 24 hours after winning the Cup, not to mention the obvious Sakic, Roy, Forseberg, Footer, Blake and Bourque, the 2001 team will always be my favorite. My car happens to be a 2001 Honda Passport and thus has been named Stanley, commonly called Stan, and occasionally referred to as Kroenke when it is acting like a cheap piece from Wal-Mart.
One of my side gigs is that I intern with the communications department at a museum in Denver and am responsible for writing a segment titled “This Week in Colorado History” that airs on the Sunday morning news. When we had a gap in stories for this week, I was quick to suggest the Avs winning their first and second Stanley Cup, and it worked. Check out the short story here:
http://www.9news.com/videos/sports/nhl/colorado-avalanche/2015/06/07/28643299/
My only hope is that next year at this time we will be watching the Avs in the Finals again, rather than Tampa and Chicago, a series where my only interest is watching good hockey for the sake of it as we will be without it till October. But until that time comes, I will just look back through my scrapbook of that season, where I collected newspaper clippings throughout the year, and remember the time that my family and I got to be a part of a great team, and in case you up hadn’t guessed it already, yes, I did cry when we won. I may or may not have even teared up watching the video below. I’m sure at least one of you reading this will too. Mom, I’m looking at you.