- 1976
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Move to Colorado
The Scouts suffered from inflated player costs, undercapitalized ownership, an economic downturn in the Midwest, poor performance on the ice, and poor attendance. The Scouts drew an average of just 8,218 fans during their two years in 17,000-seat Kemper Arena (at a time when the league average was approximately 13,000). The team’s 37 owners, buried in debt, mounted a season-ticket ...
History of the Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a professional ice hockey team that competes in the National Hockey League (NHL). The team was founded in 1976 and is based out of Denver, Colorado. They have been playing at Pepsi Center since 1999 and are members of the Central Division.
The Rockies had an up-and-down history throughout their first few seasons, making it to the playoffs just once during their first ten years as a franchise. However, they made some major changes in 1995 when they acquired future Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy from Montreal Canadiens for three players. This move marked a turning point for the franchise as Roy led them to two Stanley Cup Finals appearances over his eight-year tenure with them - 1997 & 2001 - though neither ended with success for them unfortunately.
Despite not winning any championships yet, there have still been plenty of memorable moments throughout Colorado’s NHL history including Joe Sakic leading his team to Game 7 overtime against Detroit Red Wings back in 2002 before eventually losing 2–1 on an Igor Larionov goal; Milan Hejduk becoming the only player ever score 50 goals or more while wearing number 23 jersey; Peter Forsberg’s shootout winner against Vancouver Canucks which clinched division title 2004 season; Matt Duchene being drafted 3rd overall 2009 draft after being listed top prospect all year long prior selection process began etcetera… All these events make this organization one most beloved franchises amongst its passionate fan base who remain hopeful that someday soon will finally bring home the elusive championship trophy!
Rockies Products
Established
1974
City
Kansas City – Denver – New Jersey
League History
1974 – Present / National Hockey League
Team History
1982 – Present / New Jersey Devils
1976 – 1982 / Colorado Rockies
1974 – 1976 / Kansas City Scouts
Nickname
Rockies – The Colorado Rockies hockey team of the National Hockey League (NHL) has been a beloved part of the state’s sports history since 1976. The team was established as an expansion franchise and quickly became known for its exciting offensive style and tenacious defense. But what many fans may not know is that their beloved nickname has some exciting origins!
The name “Rockies” was chosen to honor the majestic Rocky Mountains, which are located in Colorado, but there is also another reason behind it. In 1976, when Denver joined Major League Baseball with its professional baseball team—the Colorado Rockies—it seemed only natural to extend this same moniker to our NHL squad too! This way, we could celebrate both teams simultaneously while still having a unique identity within professional sports leagues across North America.
In addition to honoring two great teams from one state, there's another fun fact about how “Rockies” came into being: it was initially suggested by then-owner Jack Vickers himself! He wanted something catchy and memorable that would represent his new venture in Denver; thus, he proposed "Colorado Rockies" as the official name for his NHL club back in 1982 ––and here we are today, enjoying their success over 40 years later!
It's clear why so many people have grown fond of this classic nickname throughout these past four decades: it speaks volumes about where they come from and celebrates both franchises proudly representing our beautiful home state of Colorado ––the land of mountains high enough you can touch heaven itself if you try hard enough… Go ROCKIES!!!
Championship
Stanley Cups 0
2003, 2000, 1995
Arena
2007 – Present / Prudential Center
1982 – 2007 / Continental Airlines Arena
*Denver*
1976 – 1982 / McNichols Sports Arena
*Kansas City*
1974 – 1976 / Kemper Arena
Owner
2013 – Present / New Jersey Devils, LLC
2004 – 2013 / Jeffrey Vanderbeek
2000 – 2004 / YankeeNets
1982 – 2000 / John McMullen
1976 – 1982 / Jack Vickers
1974 – 1976 / Edwin G. Thompson
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
Retired Number
3 / Ken Daneyko
4 / Scott Stevens
26 / Patrik Elias
27 / Scott Niedermayer
30 / Martin Brodeur
99 / Wayne Gretzky
*Blue is this team’s history
