Avalanche

TAMPA, Fla. — Ten teams over the last three years have attempted to eliminate the Tampa Bay Lightning in the postseason as they pursued a dynasty.

From training camp, the question for the Avalanche surrounded the team’s ability to overcome past failure and finally win a title. This time, it went to Landeskog first, and then he passed it to Johnson, who has been with Colorado since a midseason trade in 2010-11. Landeskog, one of the longest-tenured members of the team along with defenseman Erik Johnson, praised Sakic, who has proved to be nearly as adept at creating a winner from the front office as he was with skates on his feet and a stick in his hand. MacKinnon was tabbed with the first pick two years later and Colorado selected Rantanen with the 10th pick in 2015. But until now, the group was unable to convert regular-season success into playoff glory, falling in the second round in each of the previous three years. As general manager, Sakic is responsible for building a team that has been widely recognized for several years as one of the emerging powerhouses in the league. “I didn’t want to be laying on the ice in the middle of our zone when they went down to score. Sakic, who also played seven seasons with the organization before its move from Quebec, was on hand once again to share in the latest celebration, this time as the general manager and architect of a club so deep in talent that it meant Tampa Bay had finally met its match. The high-flying Avalanche defeated the gallant Lightning, 2-1, in Game 6 of the finals, to capture the Stanley Cup, one of sports’ most elusive and enduring trophies. After all the mental and physical pounding, they finally gave way to a new champion. TAMPA, Fla. — Ten teams over the last three years have attempted to eliminate the Tampa Bay Lightning in the postseason as they pursued a dynasty. “You want to beat the best,” Sakic said.

The Avalanche's Cale Makar was awarded the series' most valuable player as the Colorado team defeated the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning.

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The Avalanche are the favorites at 6-1 to win next season's Stanley Cup, with the Lightning next at 8-1.

"The Avalanche were a no-brainer as the favorites for next year," Thomas Foster, senior hockey trader at Caesars Sportsbook, said in a company release. Gaudreau is among the top 10 scorers over a three-year span, and the Flames have said they're going to go to great lengths to keep him in Calgary. The Avalanche are expected to return the core of their championship roster, although goalie Darcy Kuemper is a free agent.

The Avalanche's Nicolas Aube-Kubel fell and slammed the Stanley Cup on the ice, denting the trophy's base minutes after Colorado's Game 6 victory.

Five minutes into the presentation it’s happened. The Avalanche prevented the Lightning from completing a Stanley Cup three-peat. "I don’t even know if they had it five minutes and there’s a dent in the bottom already.

Like most dynastic teams, the Tampa Bay Lightning weren't used to failing in important games. As they won two straight Stanley Cups and reached the doorstep ...

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Andrew Cogliano felt he needed to say something. The veteran forward wasn't happy with how the Colorado Avalanche played in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, ...

Our guys from the second he walked into the room, looked up to this guy because of the way he handles himself, him and [forward] Darren Helm, what they've put in and how they take care of themselves, how they prepare, how serious everything is for them and how much they want to win." "He addressed how he felt last game and I think we all resonated with that, where we were maybe looking a little ahead and thinking about this [Cup-winning celebration], thinking about this rather than being in the moment. Cogliano was acquired by the Avalanche from the San Jose Sharks on March 21. We lost him in the Edmonton series, he breaks his hand, has surgery and he's the first guy back, working to try to get back and help our team. And that message was pushed by our leaders," Cogliano said after the Avalanche defeated the Lightning 2-1 in Game 6 to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2001. "It was more just, we've worked so hard to get here playing the right way, let's be in the moment, win or lose, no regrets.