Cup Has Finally Runneth Over in Denver

When the Colorado Avalanche swept the Florida Panthers to win the Stanley Cup early Tuesday morning in Miami, fans in Denver had plenty of reason to celebrate.

The Avalanche, a newcomer to Colorado after 16 NHL seasons in Quebec as the Nordiques, had done what the NFL Broncos and NBA’s Nuggets could not achieve, what the hockey Rockies (who later moved to New Jersey) failed to approach in six seasons and what the baseball Rockies see only in their dreams.

The Broncos have been to the Super Bowl four times and lost each time. The baseball Rockies have made the playoffs once and the Nuggets have made the playoffs but have never gotten to the finals.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, excluding the first five years of the major North American professional sports leagues, the Avalanche was the second franchise to win a title in its first year in a city. The Washington Redskins were the first, winning an NFL championship in 1937 after moving from Boston.

No wonder thousands of fans thronged to Larimer Square in downtown Denver, honking their car horns, shouting and cheering.

“They didn’t have to wait 50 years for a championship like fans of some other teams,” Avalanche forward Mike Ricci said. “But that will make them better hockey fans and keep them fans for a long time.”

However, the revelry turned ugly shortly after 1 a.m. (Mountain Time), when fans set bonfires in the street, climbed lampposts, broke a store window and threw bottles at mounted police. Mace and tear gas were used to disperse the crowds and police made more than a dozen arrests. Three people were taken to hospitals for treatment of minor injuries.

An estimated 1,000 fans greeted the Avalanche when its charter flight from Miami landed at Denver International Airport at about 6 a.m. A parade will be held tonight through downtown Denver, ending with a rally at City Hall.

“For all of us that have been waiting to say that we’re the world champions of something, we finally can say it,” Mayor Wellington Webb said. “We’re very proud of it and we’re going to celebrate every aspect of it.”

Webb invited former Quebec Nordique fans to the celebration, which is only appropriate. Denver’s first professional sports championship would never have come about if the group that owned the Nordiques, after failing to get government subsidies it had sought, hadn’t sold the club to COMSAT, an entertainment group that also owns the Nuggets.

In the hectic moments after Colorado’s 1-0 triple-overtime victory, Coach Marc Crawford remembered to thank Quebec fans for their support. “I would like them to feel included in our victory,” he said. “We lived in a marvelous hockey town and we’ve been lucky to be welcomed in another. We had a great home in Quebec City and now we have a great home in Denver.”

About 200 fans celebrated in the streets of Quebec City after the Avalanche’s victory, and goalie Patrick Roy--a native son--promised to bring the Cup there this summer when he plays in a charity golf tournament.

Denver must also share its triumph with two other cities: Montreal and Cologne, Germany.

If the Montreal Canadiens hadn’t traded Roy to the Avalanche in December, it’s unlikely Colorado would have won the Cup so soon, if at all. And Cologne is the hometown of defenseman Uwe Krupp, who scored the Cup-winning goal after 43:41 of overtime, the third-longest Cup-clinching game.

Roy was sensational in the finals, stopping 63 shots and shutting out the Panthers for the final 152 minutes, 22 seconds of the series over two games. His goals-against average for the finals was 0.85 and he saved 143 of 147 shots, a .973 save percentage.

“I just want to thank all the people in Montreal who supported me,” Roy said. “I don’t want to jab anybody on Montreal. From what happened in December [the rift between him and Coach Mario Tremblay that led to the trade] and all that, this [victory] probably is one of the best. It was the first time I was involved in a trade, and sometimes you don’t know what’s going to happen. I just tried to help out the team because there was so much talent and leadership here.”

Krupp became a leader on defense and scored two goals during the finals, including the long shot that eluded a screened John Vanbiesbrouck to clinch the Cup after nearly five hours of play at Miami Arena. It’s believed he will be the first German-born player to have his name engraved on the Cup.

“I hope it has a positive impact on a lot of young players. This was a big success as far as German journalists back home have told me,” he said. “I know a lot of kids back there play hockey like I did. I took a chance and came over here and maybe more kids will do that now.”