Colorado Avalanche: The Top 7 Individual Performances in Avalanche History

The Colorado Avalanche have been a great franchise from top to bottom for several years.

In the team's history, the Avalanche have been blessed not only with fantastic players, but with great coaching and solid ownership as well.

As much success as the team has had as a whole, the Colorado Avalanche have also witnessed some pretty fantastic individual performances throughout their history in Denver.

This is a list of my favorite performances by individual Avalanche players.

Chris Stewart Hat Trick Against Calgary

During a very impressive start to the 2010 - 2011 regular season, Chris Stewart really began to show what a dominant force he could be.

This game was not known for the stellar goaltending, but rather the amazing scoring.

Stewart scored three goals, and all were incredibly different types of goals.

His first goal he scored using his big body and great strength to earn positioning in front of the Calgary net on a power play.

His second goal showed great patience and a sweet hand, burying a breakaway top-shelf.

His third goal was just an absolutely perfectly placed rocket of a slap shot from the top of the faceoff circle.

Sadly, not too many Avalanche fans remember this now after his unceremonious trade to St. Louis.

Craig Anderson Saves 51 Against San Jose

In a game that really was demonstrative of how amazing Craig Anderson played for the Avalanche all of the 2009-2010 regular season, Anderson put together a gem of a game against San Jose in Game 3 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals.

San Jose absolutely dominated the Avalanche all game, outshooting the Avalanche 51 to 16.

Anderson was quick to give praise to his teammates for blocking shots and allowing him to see the puck in the postgame interview, but it was apparent to everybody watching this game that Craig Anderson was the only reason the Avalanche won that game.

Sadly, Anderson isn't remembered as much for this stellar effort in Colorado anymore, as he was traded to Ottawa in February.

Joe Sakic's Hat Trick in Game 5 Against the Vancouver Canucks

Joe Sakic scored 51 goals in Colorado's first season in Denver without any hat tricks.

With the series tied at two games apiece, the Avalanche desperately needed a win on home ice, Sakic delivered his first ever playoff hat trick.

Sakic went on to score a grand total of 18 playoff goals on his way to the Conn Smythe Award and Colorado's first Stanley Cup championship.

Lost in this game was the fact that Trevor Linden also had a hat trick for Vancouver in their losing effort.

Joe Sakic Nets Two Goals in the 1996 Western Conference Finals

Another highlight-reel game from Joe Sakic in the 1996 playoffs.

After dominating the NHL and setting a record for wins in a season, the Detroit Red Wings were easily the favorites to win the Stanley Cup.

Until they met the upstart Colorado Avalanche, who eliminated them in six games.

In Game 6, Sakic scored two huge goals that put the Avalanche over the hump and into the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in team history, where they swept the Florida Panthers.

An added bonus from this game was when Sakic absolutely leveled a Red Wings player down low. One thing that was always underestimated about Sakic was his ability to play physically.

Peter Forsberg's Pure Hat Trick in Game 2 of the 1996 Stanley Cup Final

Al Bello/Getty Images

6 June 1996: Colorado Avalanche center Peter Forsberg (left) celebrates his third goal of the game as teammate Adam Deadmarsh (center) joins him as the Avalanche lead the game 4-1 during the first period. The Stanley Cup Finals game two was played at McN

Game 2 of the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals was an absolute rout. 

The Avalanche wasted very little time letting the Florida Panthers know that they were the ones that were in charge of this series.

Peter Forsberg did that the most emphatically by netting a hat trick in the first period of the game.

He finished off this feat by knocking the puck out of midair, right after it had just bounced off the top of the net and was falling to the ice.

He just reached out, batted it in and danced his way back to the boards in celebration.

Florida was never able to recover from the 8-1 shellacking it received that game.

Peter Forsberg Tallies Six Points in the Biggest Comeback in Avalanche History

The game known as the greatest comeback in Avalanche history saw the Avalanche dig themselves a huge hole early in the game.

After finding themselves down 5-0, Peter Forsberg decided that he had had enough and just took the game over.

Forsberg got the Avalanche on the board at the end of the second period, and then the floodgates opened in the third period.

The Avalanche scored six goals in the third period and came back to win the game 7-5.

Forsberg finished the game with three goals and three assists, as well as one of the most purely "Peter Forsberg" moments in his career, where he checked a player while he was handling the puck, made a great move and buried his third goal of the game.

Forsberg had that unique ability to ramp his team up even when it was clear they didn't have their best stuff.

Always makes me wonder what would have been if he had been healthy for all those years.

Patrick Roy Savs 63 Shots in Triple Overtime

Far too often, people look back on the 1996 Stanley Cup Final, see that the Avalanche swept the Panthers and forget exactly how good this series was.

People assume the Avalanche waltzed to their first Cup easily. That was not the case. 

The Panthers were an incredibly solid team, and they played the Avalanche very hard this whole series.

People often forget that the Panthers outshot the Avalanche in this game.

Patrick Roy was outstanding in this game, frequently making great scrambling saves but still always maintaining his control.

Roy let in only four goals during that entire series en route to winning his third Stanley Cup ring.