The Colorado Avalanche have had many fine players in their time. You know the big names automatically — Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg and, of course, my idol Patrick Roy.
One name that doesn’t immediately come to mind is Alexei Gusraov. However, the 6-foo=-2, 183-pound defenseman spent a lot of the early years in Colorado and, so, helped formulate the idnetity of the team.
So, let’s look at some key facts about this Avs defenseman.
1. Alexei Gusarov didn’t come to the NHL until the 1990-91 season.
Though Gusarov was drafted in 1988 — 213th overall — by the Quebec Nordiques, he stayed in Russia for three more seasons.