The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver.
The team is a member of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL).
The team started as Quebec Nordiques in the World Hockey Association (WHA) and played in the league until its merger with the NHL in 1979.
The Nordiques later relocated from Quebec to become the Colorado Avalanche before the 1995–96 season.
After winning the 1996 Stanley Cup, Colorado became the first NHL team and the second team in North American professional sports history to win a championship in the same season they moved to a new city.