Colorado Avalanche playoff history: How one of Canada's failures became an American success

The Colorado Avalanche are a storied franchise with a long history of playoff success. The team has won three Stanley Cup championships in 1996, 2001, and 2022 and has made the playoffs in each of the last five seasons.

The playoff history of one of the NHL’s best franchises, the Colorado Avalanche, ahead of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Colorado Avalanche's first playoff appearance came in the 1995-96 season, their first season in Denver after relocating from Quebec. Led by Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, and Patrick Roy, the Avalanche won their first Stanley Cup championship that season, defeating the Florida Panthers in a hard-fought four-game series.

After years of playoff disappointments, the Avalanche returned to the top of the NHL in the 2000-01 season. Led once again by Sakic and Forsberg, the team won their second Stanley Cup championship, defeating the New Jersey Devils in seven games in the final.

The Avalanche made the playoffs in each of the next three seasons but were unable to capture another championship. In the 2002-03 season, they were shocked in the first round by the Minnesota Wild. In the 2003-04 season, they were swept in the second round by the San Jose Sharks.

The Avalanche went through a rebuilding phase in the years following their playoff success, missing the playoffs in each of the next three seasons. However, they returned to the postseason in the 2009-10 season, led by the likes of Sakic, Forsberg, and a young Matt Duchene. They were eliminated in the first round by the Sharks.

After a few more years of playoff disappointments, the Avalanche returned to the postseason in the 2013-14 season, led by the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, and Paul Stastny. Despite being the top seed in the Western Conference, the Avalanche were once again unable to bypass the underdog Minnesota Wild in seven games.

After four straight seasons of not being able to make it past the second round, the Colorado Avalanche broke the mold in 2022. Led by all-time great franchise players coming into form, the Colorado Avalanche captured their third Stanley Cup in franchise history, beating the back-to-back Tampa Bay Lightning.

As the Colorado Avalanche prepare for the 2023 NHL playoffs, they will be looking to break through and go back-to-back just like the Lightning did. With a talented core of players including MacKinnon and Cale Makar, the Avalanche have the potential to make a deep run in the playoffs and contend for the championship.