HFAvs Ranks: The 50 Greatest Avalanche Players - #1

[GeoRox89]

Also signed with NYR. I have no idea why I never got past that. But the mind does what the mind does. Joe signed with another team. Peter Forsberg spent the rest of his life trying to come back to the Avalanche after being a flat-out cap casualty. There was nobody that wanted that relationship to ever end.

I’m genuinely impressed by the ability to hold onto this grievance for over 25 years. That is a level of consistency and stubbornness that not many could match

 

[Bonzai12]

The Rangers had a chance to rectify their draft mistake 10 years later during the 1997 offseason, as general manager Neil Smith moved to replace Messier after he departed to join the Vancouver Canucks as a free agent when acrimonious contract negotiations broke down. Smith inked the then-27-year-old Sakic, a restricted free agent, to a stunning three-year, $21 million offer sheet. The contract was structured with a “poison pill” provision – $15 million of Sakic’s salary was due as a signing bonus, which meant that the Rangers, or Avalanche if they matched the offer to retain him, needed to pay Sakic that amount about a week later.
The bold move, coming during the pre-salary cap era in the NHL, evoked outrage in numerous corners of the league – a supposed example of a big-market team imposing its financial might on a lower-revenue franchise. Rangers ownership, though, was optimistic, with the common sentiment around the league being that Colorado had little chance to match the offer and keep its captain and star. The Avs’ ownership, known then as Ascent Entertainment, had limited cash flow and owned a hockey team that played in an older arena at the time, depriving it of the revenue that came with a modern facility. Sakic’s move to Broadway seemed just a matter of time.

Unfortunately for Smith and the fanbase, Ascent owned a stake in the movie “Air Force One,” which starred Harrison Ford and went on to be a blockbuster. Avalanche ownership borrowed against the movie’s future earnings and matched the Rangers’ offer sheet, keeping Sakic in Denver – an outcome that Smith claimed two years ago he painfully saw coming to pass all along.

Thank you “Air Force One”!!! I never knew the movie had to do with Sakic staying in Colorado. Amazing haha.

 

[Polite HKYDiscussion]

I’m genuinely impressed by the ability to hold onto this grievance for over 25 years. That is a level of consistency and stubbornness that not many could match

Not married, eh?

 

[TruePowerSlave]

Legendary NYR Sakic of course

 

[Ceremony]

I’m genuinely impressed by the ability to hold onto this grievance for over 25 years. That is a level of consistency and stubbornness that not many could match

Wait until we do this poll in 2050 and O'Reilly finishes 30 places above Duchene.

 

[UncleRisto]

I am genuinely more excited to see the bottom ten than the top ten.

You're going to add McLeod in the poll in like four rounds, right?

 

[Ceremony]

You're going to add McLeod in the poll in like four rounds, right?

If he doesn't make the top ten I'm deleting all the threads.

 

[niwotsblessing]

Joe Sakic wins this poll for handing the Cup to Ray without lifting it himself. Team player.

 

[RockLobster]

Wait until we do this poll in 2050 and O'Reilly finishes 30 places above Duchene.

ROR is a better all-around player than Duchene, but I suspect Duchene will finish higher in this poll simply due to the trade return he garnered

 

[UncleRisto]

ROR is a better all-around player than Duchene, but I suspect Duchene will finish higher in this poll simply due to the trade return he garnered

Trade returns are definitely not part of this ranking for me at least, whereas exits are. Neither had one that is going to help here, obviously. But Duchene was a fan favorite young star player during the bad years. If he ranks high it's because of that.

 

[dahrougem2]

ROR is a better all-around player than Duchene, but I suspect Duchene will finish higher in this poll simply due to the trade return he garnered

If we go by the overall impact during their times with the Avs, then IMO it is quite easily Duchene ahead of ROR.

Obviously when ROR left, he became the better player but that isn't what this thread is for.

 

[GeoRox89]

If we go by the overall impact during their times with the Avs, then IMO it is quite easily Duchene ahead of ROR.

Obviously when ROR left, he became the better player but that isn't what this thread is for.

Yep. If we were ranking by greatest players to ever play for the Avalanche then Bourque and Roy come in ahead of Sakic for their careers as a whole.

ROR is the better player with the better career but Duchene had a better and longer Avalanche only career

You’d also have to have Selanne, Kariya and Iggy quite high despite their Avalanche careers really not being all that great

 

[UncleRisto]

I would still go with ROR for personal preference because he used to be my favorite player, but Duchene was no slouch as a youngin.

 

[Bonzai12]

Heh……. I love that we haven’t even voted #1 and we’re already going off the rails with the rules.

Maybe we should also consider how players played in Europe, the World Cup/Olympics, the Nordiques, other NHL teams, and how great they were as coaches/execs/color. I mean Keith Jones could sneak into our top 20, eh? I would love that Kasparitus would be significantly higher. Fun times.

 

[GeoRox89]

Heh……. I love that we haven’t even voted #1 and we’re already going off the rails with the rules.

Maybe we should also consider how players played in Europe, the World Cup/Olympics, the Nordiques, other NHL teams, and how great they were as coaches/execs/color. I mean Keith Jones could sneak into our top 20, eh? I would love that Kasparitus would be significantly higher. Fun times.

Did you expect anything less?

 

[Ceremony]

If this poll series carries on into the hundreds I'll just keep leaving Iginla off the ballot.

 

[CobraAcesS]

Also signed with NYR. I have no idea why I never got past that. But the mind does what the mind does. Joe signed with another team. Peter Forsberg spent the rest of his life trying to come back to the Avalanche after being a flat-out cap casualty. There was nobody that wanted that relationship to ever end.

You made all the points for me, thanks lol.

If he doesn't make the top ten I'm deleting all the threads.

Well then Lappy has to be in there as well. Just saying lol.

I can never bring myself to pick Sakic over Forsberg for lots of reasons, NY, Forsbergs ability to just play the game any way you want and dominate was just amazing.

I get why everyone picks Sakic though.

Foote as well as EJ needs to be added, Tanger, as well as Mikko. Yelle maybe, that is all my brain is giving me right now lol.

Oh and Groob needs a permanent rank of "Last" lol.

 

[Avs_19]

For me....

Forsberg is my all-time favourite player.

Forsberg or Roy is the best player in franchise history.

Sakic is the greatest player in franchise history so that's my vote.

 

[lionsDen]

Sakic
Forseberg
Mack
Roy
Landy
Foote
Makar
Rantenen
Hejduk
Ricci
Tangs
Deadmarsh

Probably missing a few,that’s roughly how I see it

 

[Bonzai12]

Lappy and Skrastins hold a special place in my heart for this franchise……. I dunno if they will ever be voted into this thing but they both kept me interested in the franchise during the down years.

 

[CobraAcesS]

Lappy and Skrastins hold a special place in my heart for this franchise……. I dunno if they will ever be voted into this thing but they both kept me interested in the franchise during the down years.

I mean it's a list of 50, this is going deep when a team wins 3 Cups since 1996. What is that 27 years? The total # of core players you can probably count on your fingers.

 

[WarriorOfGandhi]

Zadorov is number one and anyone who disagrees is a communist

 

[niwotsblessing]

Chris Drury- 11 GWG's in 4 playoff seasons with the Avs.

 

[WarriorOfGandhi]

I'm bored at work. Might have missed a few glory era guys since I was too young to pay close attention to the team.

1) Sakic
2) Roy
3) Forsberg
4) MacKinnon
5) Makar
6) Hejduk
7) Landeskog
8) Rantanen
9) Foote
10) Blake
11) EJ
12) Varlamov
13) Tanguay
14) Toews
15) Bourque
16) Ozolinsh
17) Stastny
18) Duchene
19) Kamensky
20) ROR
21) Nichushkin
22) Drury
23) Lemieux
24) Brunette
25) Kadri
26) Burakovsky
27) Deadmarsh
28) Girard
29) Grubauer
30) Barrie
31) Compher
32) Zadorov
33) Liles
34) Gusarov
35) Hannan
36) Hejda
37) Clark
38) Budaj
49) Skrastins
40) Byram
41) Wolski
42) Soderberg
43) Svatos
44) Stewart
45) Aebischer
46) McLeod
47) Yelle
48) Messier
49) Laperriere
50) Klemm

 

[UncleRisto]

I'm bored at work. Might have missed a few glory era guys since I was too young to pay close attention to the team.

1) Sakic
2) Roy
3) Forsberg
4) MacKinnon
5) Makar
6) Hejduk
7) Landeskog
8) Rantanen
9) Foote
10) Blake
11) EJ
12) Varlamov
13) Tanguay
14) Toews
15) Bourque
16) Ozolinsh
17) Stastny
18) Duchene
19) Kamensky
20) ROR
21) Nichushkin
22) Drury
23) Lemieux
24) Brunette
25) Kadri
26) Burakovsky
27) Konowalchuk
28) Deadmarsh
29) Girard
30) Grubauer
31) Barrie
32 ) Compher
33) Zadorov
34) Liles
35) Gusarov
36) Hannan
37) Hejda
38) Clark
39) Budaj
40) Skrastins
41) Byram
42) Wolski
43) Soderberg
44) Svatos
45) Aebischer
46) McLeod
47) Yelle
48) Messier
49) Laperriere
50) Klemm

Okay. @Ceremony, pack it up.