The Colorado Avalanche would have been a much different franchise had they lost Joe Sakic to the New York Rangers.
Fans of the Colorado Avalanche know a lot about the team’s history of star and Hall of Fame players. Even when they were the Quebec Nordiques, there were notable names with the franchise. What some might not know is that, in the 1997 offseason, history was going to be made one way or another.
Joe Sakic, a top-2 player in team history, was a restricted free agent during that offseason.