Colorado Avalanche: Ranking the Top 10 Skaters of All Time

Since moving to Colorado in 1995, the Avalanche have accomplished what no one would've expected out of them, winning two Stanley Cups in just 7 seasons. Over the last few seasons, the Avalanche have fallen to the bottom of the pile and have basically been forgotten.

This season they are combining their young talent with a few veterans to make a push for the playoffs and turn the heads of analysts and fans everywhere.

Colorado has had some of the greatest players in all of hockey wear the Avalanche logo on their chest in the past and currently. Arguably the greatest player to play for the Avalanche, goalie Patrick Roy, will not be featured in this list as I rank the top 10 skaters to ever play for the Colorado Avalanche.

The list has several future Hall of Famers and also many who will have their numbers retired atop the Pepsi Center once they retire. I hope you agree with me and if not, be sure to leave comments.

How I Ranked the Skaters

It’s never easy to choose the best EVER for anything in sports and this list was no different.

The Avalanche have had tons of great players pass through Colorado during their career and to narrow it down to 10 skaters was challenging, yet interesting.

I first took players that had played at least 200 games with Colorado and then noted their statistics, such as goals, assists and so on and so forth. I also took into consideration whether they were a part of the 1996 or 2001 Stanley Cup championship teams.

Lastly, I just used my opinion since I’ve had the privilege of watching many of these players.

Honorable Mention

Martin Skoula: Skoula played in nearly 400 games during his five-year career in Colorado and was on the Stanley Cup championship team from 2001. He only scored 27 goals in his time with the Avs but did collect 86 assists.

Brett Clark: Clark wasn’t able to win a Stanley Cup in Colorado, coming to the Avs in 2003 and playing into 2010. Brett scored 30 goals and had 100 assists during his time with Colorado.

Chris Drury: It was tough not to put Drury in the top ten but he was extremely close. He played in 314 games throughout the 1998-02 seasons, racking up 222 goals and 85 assists. His only Stanley Cup came in 2001 when he played in 71 games and had 65 points during the regular season.

Valeri Kamensky: Kamensky was a big goal scorer during his four seasons with the Avs and his years earlier with the Quebec Nordiques. In Colorado he scored 106 goals and had 155 assists. He won the only Stanley Cup of his career as a part of the 1996 Colorado team.

Ray Bourque: Ray Bourque is one of the best hockey players ever to step on the ice, but a top ten Colorado Avalanche? Very close. Bourque is my favorite hockey player of all time and Joe Sakic giving him the Stanley Cup to raise in 2001 is one of the greatest moments in sports. It was Bourque's only Stanley Cup of his historic career. He is only one of six players to have their number retired by Colorado even though he only played in one full season with the team.

10. Adam Deadmarsh

Seasons: 1995-2001

Games Played: 405

Goals: 129

Assists: 142

Points: 271

1996 Stanley Cup Champion

Ranking 9th all-time in games played for the Colorado Avalanche, Adam Deadmarsh comes in at No. 10 on my list. He was a big piece of the '96 championship team to which he contributed 48 points in the regular season and the 17 throughout the playoffs.

Adam was traded after the 2001 season to the Los Angeles Kings for another player on this list. 

9. John-Michael Liles

Seasons: 2003-2011

Games Played: 523

Goals: 68

Assists: 207

Points: 275

JM was a great defenseman for Colorado over the last several years, before being traded to Toronto.

He was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team in the 2004 season when he scored 10 goals and had 24 assists in his rookie campaign with the Avs. He ranks 5th on the all-time games played list for Colorado.

Liles had set a career-high in assists last season with 40 in 76 games. 

8. Paul Stastny

Seasons: 2006-Present

Games Played: 348

Goals: 105

Assists: 216

Points: 321

The current alternate captain for Colorado has had a great career.

Now in his sixth season in the NHL, he has already accumulated well over 300 points for his career and will add to that total by the end of this season. Last season he accounted for 57 points (22 goals, 35 assists) and was named to his first All-Star Game.

Only 26, Stastny has a very bright future ahead of him as a member of the Colorado Avalanche. 

7. Stephane Yelle

Seasons: 1995-2002, 2009-2010

Games Played: 516

Goals: 54

Assists: 90

Points: 144

1996 & 2001 Stanley Cup Champion

Although he only had 144 career points with Colorado, Yelle is a two-time Stanley Cup champ who played in the sixth-most games for the club.

Yelle was never high in the points leaderboard but was a force on defense at all times. The pairings of Yelle and Foote/Blake gave teams headaches which ultimately were parts of the the two championships. 

6. Alex Tanguay

Seasons: 1999-2006

Games Played: 450

Goals: 137

Assists: 263

Points: 400

2001 Stanley Cup Champion

This winger has been one of the best playmakers Avalanche fans have seen in a long time.

Tanguay played six full seasons in Colorado and had at least 65 points in four of them. He ranks fifth on the Colorado all-time points list, sixth in goals and fourth in assists.

He was only named to one All-Star Game but he did get to raise Lord Stanley's Cup, which is the best achievement in hockey.

5. Rob Blake

Seasons: 2000-2006

Games Played: 322

Goals: 62

Assists: 146

Points: 208

2001 Stanley Cup Champion

This defenseman was another great player who deserved every part of the 2001 Stanley Cup victory.

Blake played four full seasons with the Avalanche and recorded point totals of at least 45 in each of them. Joining Colorado mid-season during 2001, he immediately made a huge impact and had 19 points during the playoffs.

An All-Star in each season with Colorado, Blake should have his number raised to the rafters soon enough.

4. Milan Hejduk

Seasons: 1998-Present

Games Played: 910

Goals: 357

Assists: 400

Points: 757

2001 Stanley Cup Champion

Hejduk has played more games in a Colorado Avalanche uniform than any other player—910 at the end of last season.

This season coach Joe Sacco named him the captain, a prestigious honor.

In his 12 seasons in Colorado, he scored the most goals in the NHL and had the best plus/minus rating in 2003, has been named to the NHL All-Rookie Team and the First All-Star Team and, oh yeah, he also won a Stanley Cup in 2001.

He is a leader and his number is guaranteed to be retired someday.

Milan may even be lucky enough to get a call from the Hall of Fame once he retires. 

3. Adam Foote

Seasons: 1995-2004, 2007-2011

Games Played: 760

Goals: 48

Assists: 173

Points: 221

1996 & 2001 Stanley Cup Champion

Clearly the best defenseman in the short history of the Colorado Avalanche, Foote played in over 750 games, which is good for third on the all-time list.

Although he never won a major award, he was the captain of the Avs and has two Stanley Cups on his resume.

He was a leader on and off of the ice and deserves to be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame as well as have his number retired by Colorado. 

2. Peter Forsberg

Seasons: 1995-2004, 2007-2008, 2010-2011

Games Played: 544

Goals: 202

Assists: 503

Points: 705

1996 & 2001 Stanley Cup Champion

Peter Forsberg is considered one of the greatest hockey players of all time and it could be argued that he is the best player to ever play for the Colorado Avalanche.

But in this list, he comes in at No. 2.

He already had his number No. 21 retired earlier this season and ranks atop of almost every category you can come up with. He WILL be a Hall of Famer—that is a guarantee—and will forever be one of the biggest fan favorites of all time.

Efforts to come back and play through injuries late in his career only showed his love for Colorado and their fans.

1. Joe Sakic

Seasons: 1995-2009

Games Played: 870

Goals: 391

Assists: 624

Points: 1015

1996 & 2001 Stanley Cup Champion

Shocked?

Sakic is an easy, easy choice for the best skater to ever put on the Colorado Avalanche jersey.

The former captain already has his number retired, is a lock for the Hall of Fame, ranks second in games played, first in points, goals and assists...need I go on?

Okay, if you insist. He was a regular season MVP, playoffs MVP, Lady Byng winner, had the best plus/minus, most road points during a season, was MVP as voted by the players, was a First Team All-Star, an eight-time All-Star and a two-time Stanley Cup Champion.

I think that says it all. Case and point.