The Colorado Avalanche moved to Denver in 1995 from Quebec City and thrilled their fans in that inaugural season with a Stanley Cup Championship. That would start a half-decade of dominance that would culminate in a second championship following the 2000-2001 season.

The Avalanche won both of their championships behind, arguably, two of the greatest to have ever played at their positions, goalie Patrick Roy, acquired in a trade with the Montreal Canadians and defenseman Ray Bourque from the Boston Bruins. While those two were winning championships, they were not alone. Center Joe Sakic, would become a HOF candidate with his brilliant two-way play and prolific scoring, forward Peter Forsberg added speed and skill, and they had plenty of grit with defenseman Adam Foote.http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nhl/colavs/avalanche.html

In the latter half of the decade, especially after the retirement of Roy and the release of several key players while newer players such as Paul Stastny and Milan Hejduk arrived, the Avalanche would struggle to find their playoff magic, getting upset by the Minnesota Wild in 2002-2003, and losing in the first round to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.

The Avalanche's most recent playoff run was in 2007-2008. That season, they faced off against the Minnesota Wild in the first round. The Wild were the champs of the Northwest Division that year. An overtime goal by Joe Sakic provided the difference in a 3-2 road victory. Overtime was the theme in the next two games, with the Wild winning both. Five different players scored in Game 4 to even the series, and the Avalanche took control of the series with a 3-2 win that featured 2 goals in little over a minute in the third period. The Avs closed out the series behind the stellar goaltending of little Jose Theodore in a 2-1 victory.

Next up was a familiar foe in the Detroit Red Wings. Those teams battled in 1995-1996, 1996-1997, and 2001-2002, but this time Colorado could not put up a fight, getting swept in four games while being outscored by 12 goals. The Red Wings would go on to win the Stanley Cup that year, while the Avalanche started a rebuilding process.http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nhl/colavs/avalanche.html

• 2007-2008: Lost to the Detroit Red Wings in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs
• 2005-2006: Defeated the Dallas Stars in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs
• 2005-2006: Lost to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs
• 2003-2004: Defeated the Dallas Stars in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs
• 2003-2004: Lost to the San Jose Sharks in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs
• 2002-2003: Lost to the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs
• 2001-2002: Defeated the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs
• 2001-2002: Defeated the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs
• 2001-2002: Lost to the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference Finals