Colorado Rockies (NHL)
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The Colorado Rockies were an NHL team that existed from 1976-1982. Image:COL-R 233.gif Arena: McNichols Sports Arena
Uniform colors: red, white, blue and gold
Logo design: Colorado state logo inside a mountain range
Franchise history
Denver and Seattle were to have been awarded franchises in an aborted 1976 NHL expansion. Denver was considered a good market for hockey, and the troubled California Golden Seals were reported to be considering relocating there.
However, it was the Kansas City Scouts that moved to Denver for the 1976-77 NHL season and played there for six years as the Colorado Rockies. They made the playoffs only once, in the 1977-78 NHL season, losing 2 games to none to the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round. One of the few bright spots in the franchise's history was during the 1979-80 NHL season when flamboyant Don Cherry served as head coach, having recently been fired by the Boston Bruins.
Although attendance in Denver was not bad, the team's financial situation was very unstable. Ownership changed hands twice in four years. Finally, in 1982, New Jersey shipping tycoon John McMullen bought the team. He announced that he had "big plans" for the franchise--but they involved playing in the then-new Brendan Byrne Arena (now the Continental Airlines Arena) in the New Jersey Meadowlands. The team was relocated for the 1982-83 NHL season, whereupon the name was changed to New Jersey Devils. The last active player who had played for the Rockies was Joe Cirella, who left the NHL in 1996, the year that the new NHL team in Colorado (the Colorado Avalanche) won their first Stanley Cup Championship, after playing 23 seasons as the Quebec Nordiques.
The NHL Colorado Rockies should not be confused with the MLB team of the same name, that began playing in the National League in 1993.
Team captains
- Simon Nolet 1976-77
- Wilf Paiement 1977-78
- Gary Croteau 1978-79
- Mike Christie & Rene Robert & Lanny McDonald 1979-80
- Lanny McDonald 1980-81
- Lanny McDonald & Rob Ramage 1981-82
See also
- List of Colorado Rockies (NHL) players
- Head Coaches of the Colorado Rockies (NHL)
- Kansas City Scouts
- New Jersey Devils
- Don Cherry (hockey)
- Colorado Avalanche
- List of NHL players
- List of NHL seasons
| National Hockey League 1917 to present |
| Current teams : Anaheim | Atlanta | Boston | Buffalo | Calgary | Carolina | Chicago | Colorado | Columbus | Dallas | Detroit | Edmonton | Florida | Los Angeles | Minnesota | Montreal | Nashville | New Jersey | NY Islanders | NY Rangers | Ottawa | Philadelphia | Phoenix | Pittsburgh | San Jose | St. Louis | Tampa Bay | Toronto | Vancouver | Washington |
| Trophies and awards: Stanley Cup | Prince of Wales | Clarence S. Campbell | Presidents' Trophy | Adams | Art Ross | Calder | Conn Smythe | Crozier | Hart | Jennings | King Clancy | Lady Byng | Masterton | Norris | Patrick | Pearson | Plus/Minus | Rocket Richard | Selke | Vezina |
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