Avalanche Parade 2022: Route, Date, Schedule, TV Info and More
June 27, 2022
Colorado Avalanche fans will have to cancel their plans for Thursday.
The team announced it will hold a parade Thursday to celebrate its Stanley Cup victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The festivities will get underway at Union Station and conclude at Civic Center Park. A rally will commence upon the conclusion of the parade.
Those unable to attend will be able to follow the fun on Altitude Sports and Denver7.
This year's Stanley Cup victory parade will have a slightly different feel from the last two editions. The Lightning took to the Hillsborough River as to savor their triumphs in 2020 and 2021.
The two-time defending champions didn't go down without a fight. They took Game 5 and went ahead early in Game 6 with a goal from Steven Stamkos, which was a promising sign based on recent history.
But Nathan MacKinnon leveled the score less than two minutes into the second period, and Artturi Lehkonen added a second at the 12:28 mark.
As the playoffs got underway, fans in the Mile High City were likely cautiously optimistic.
The Avs tied for the NHL's highest point total in 2020-21 but lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round of the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Once again, Colorado was among the league's elite and finished first in the Western Conference. The players wrote a different postseason story this time around as they suffered just four defeats across the entire run.
This isn't a franchise that's unfamiliar with the pressure that can come with high expectations. But now the Avalanche will find out what it's like to go from the hunter to the hunted.
The good news for general manager Joe Sakic is almost all of the key pieces will be back for next season. Nazem Kadri and Andre Burakovsky, both unrestricted free agents, are the notable exceptions.
With Conn Smythe Trophy winner Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog all locked up for multiple years, Thursday might not be the only time this group is basking in Stanley Cup glory.