Cale Makar | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | October 30, 1998||
Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
Weight | 187 lb (85 kg; 13 st 5 lb) | ||
Position | Defence | ||
Shoots | Right | ||
NHL team | Colorado Avalanche | ||
NHL draft | 4th overall, 2017 Colorado Avalanche | ||
Playing career | 2019–present |
Cale Douglas Makar [1] (born October 30, 1998) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected with the fourth overall pick by the Avalanche in the 2017 NHL entry draft. [2]
After two seasons in the NCAA with the UMass Minutemen, Makar debuted in the NHL in the 2019–20 season, making an immediate impact and winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year. In his second professional season he was nominated for the James Norris Memorial Trophy, awarded to the league's best defenceman, and won the Norris in the following 2021–22 season. Makar won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2022, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the 2022 playoffs. He has been widely cited as one of the best defencemen and best players in the modern NHL. [3]
Internationally, Makar has played for Canada junior team, winning gold at the 2018 World Junior Championships.
Makar, a Calgary native, first played within the Crowchild Blackhawks minor-hockey program before moving to play with the Northwest Calgary Athletic Association (NWCAA) Bruins at the Bantam level in 2011. He also played bantam with the Calgary Flames before moving to minor midget with the NWCAA Stampeders. [4] Makar was originally drafted at the major junior level by the Western Hockey League (WHL)'s Medicine Hat Tigers in the eighth round, 164th overall, of the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft. [5]
Having returned to the Calgary Flames for the minor midget level, in his only full season with the club in 2014–15, Makar led the team in scoring with 23 points in 34 league games, being named the team's Most Valuable Player and selected to the Alberta Midget Hockey League First All-Star Team. To retain his NCAA eligibility, Makar joined as an affiliate player to the Brooks Bandits of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) at the tail end of the season, recording five points in three regular season games. In helping the Bandits reach the finals, Makar was third among defenceman in scoring with 7 points in 20 games. Having agreed to return with the Bandits in the forthcoming seasons, Makar announced his commitment to play collegiate hockey with the University of Massachusetts Amherst of the Hockey East NCAA conference on August 29, 2015. [6]
As a 17-year-old, Makar established himself as a standout defenceman with the Bandits in 2015–16, logging 55 points in 54 games, en route to earning AJHL All-League and All-Rookie recognition. He scored 14 points in 13 games to help the Bandits claim the AJHL championship. His productive season collected AJHL and CJHL Rookie of the Year Awards, the Western Canada Cup Top Defenceman Award, and the RBC Cup Top Defenceman, Top Scorer and Most Valuable Player awards. [7]
Makar sustained and built upon his previous success in the 2016–17 season to lead all defencemen and finished sixth among all skaters in the AJHL with 75 points (24 goals and 51 assists) in 54 games, collecting the league's MVP and top defenceman accolades. He had 16 points in 13 playoff games to help Brooks to a second straight AJHL championship and six points in five games to help the Bandits to a second-place finish in the Royal Bank Cup. He was chosen as the RBC Cup Top Defenceman and Most Valuable Player, the first player to ever be named RBC Cup MVP in back-to-back seasons. He received the CJHL Most Valuable Player Award and won the prestigious RBC National Junior A Player of the Year Award. [8]
Through Makar's rapid rise up the rankings before the 2017 NHL entry draft, he was considered a top prospect and one of the top defencemen available. [9] He was described as a dynamic skater that creates offence whenever he is on the ice. [10] Makar was ultimately selected fourth overall by the Colorado Avalanche, the second defenceman selected in the draft, after third overall selection Miro Heiskanen. Makar became the highest-drafted player to come straight from the AJHL, and just the second in the first round since Joe Colborne in 2008. [11]
Despite his blue-chip prospect status, Makar opted to remain loyal to his commitment to joining the rebuilding UMass Minuteman program for the 2017–18 season. [12] As a freshman, he immediately assumed a top-pairing role, alongside Jake McLaughlin, and recorded his first collegiate point in his debut against Arizona State University on October 6, 2017. He recorded his first goal in a 4–0 victory over Merrimack College on October 27, 2017. [13]
While showing an adjustment period to the collegiate level, Makar raised his game through the new year to help the Minutemen to turnaround their program to make the post-season before suffering a 7–2 defeat to the hands of Northeastern University. He finished fifth on the team in scoring, second amongst defenceman, with 5 goals and 16 assists for 21 points in 34 games. [14] He was selected with co-Rookie of the Year honors by the New England Hockey Writers Association and by finishing ninth in defenceman scoring in the Hockey East, he was selected to the conference's All-Rookie and Third All-Star Teams. [15]
With the season concluded and despite interest from the Colorado Avalanche in turning pro, Makar opted to continue his development in returning for his sophomore season with UMass in 2018–19. [16] That season, Makar became the first Minutemen honored as Hockey East Player of the Year after he led the league in scoring and finished second in the conference. [17] Makar was also selected for the Hockey East First All-Star Team [18] and named a Hobey Baker Award finalist. [19] On April 12, Makar was announced the winner of the Hobey Baker. [20] The following night, Makar and the Minutemen lost 3–0 to University of Minnesota Duluth in the Frozen Four final. [21]
On April 14, 2019, the Avalanche signed Makar to a three-year, entry-level contract. [22] He scored his first career NHL goal with his first shot in the league in his debut a day later, during Game 3 of the first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs against the Calgary Flames. In so doing, he became the first defenceman to score a playoff goal in his NHL debut. [23]
Makar made the Avalanche opening lineup for the 2019–20 season and he scored his first career regular season goal in a 6–1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights. [24] He was subsequently named a Third Star of the Week for the week of November 10, becoming the first Avalanche rookie to earn the honor. [25] On November 12, 2019, in a 4–0 road win against the Winnipeg Jets, Makar became the second Avalanche defenceman to record 18 points in 18 games as a rookie. [26] However, he suffered an upper-body injury in a game against the Boston Bruins on December 7 and was listed as day-to-day. At the time of his injury, he was leading rookies in scoring with 28 points in 29 games. [27] Makar returned to the Avalanche’s lineup on December 27, where he recorded an assist in the 6–4 loss to the Minnesota Wild. [28] On January 18, 2020, Makar set a new Avalanche franchise record with his 11th goal of the season, besting John-Michael Liles record for most goals by a rookie defenceman. [29] As a result of his play, he was named a Calder Memorial Trophy finalist alongside Quinn Hughes and Dominik Kubalík. [30] During the second round of the NHL playoffs, Makar surpassed the record for most points in a postseason by a rookie defenceman, before it was beaten by Hughes the following night. [31] Following the conclusion of the regular season, Makar was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy as the rookie of the year. [32] After the 2020–21 season Makar was named a finalist for the James Norris Memorial Trophy and finished second in the voting for the trophy. [33]
On July 24, 2021, Makar signed a six-year, $54 million extension with the Avalanche. [34] [35] On October 28, Makar scored two points (one goal and one assist) in a 4–3 win against the St. Louis Blues, in doing so, he scored his 100th point in just 108 games, which tied him with Sergei Zubov as the sixth-fastest defenceman to accomplish this feat. [36] On March 25, 2022, Makar scored his 24th goal of the 2021–22 season in a 6–3 win against the Philadelphia Flyers, breaking the Avalanche's single-season record for goals scored by a defenceman. [37] He finished the season with 28 goals, the most by a defenceman in the NHL since Brent Burns in the 2016–17 season, and 58 assists. 19 of his 28 goals were at even strength. Makar was named a James Norris Memorial Trophy finalist for the second consecutive season. [38] He won the Norris Trophy, the first Avalanche defenceman to do so, and finished eighth in voting for the Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association to the league's most valuable player. [39]
The Avalanche finished first in the Western Conference, and second in the league overall, advancing into the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs to meet the Nashville Predators in the first round. Makar scored 10 points in a four-game sweep of the Predators, setting a record for points by a defenceman in the first four games of a postseason. Teammate Nathan MacKinnon remarked, "he might be the best player in the league right now." [40] He would amass a further 19 points in the next three rounds, as the Avalanche ousted the Blues and the Edmonton Oilers before defeating the two-time and defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning in the Cup Finals. Makar finished the playoffs with a team-leading 29 points, the fourth-most for a defenceman in a single postseason in league history. [41] He was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the postseason, and became only the third defenceman to win the Norris and Conn Smythe Trophies in the same season, after Bobby Orr (1970 and 1972) and Nicklas Lidström (2002). [42] [43]
Makar recorded 20 points in the first 17 games of the 2022–23 season, his 20th being a power play goal scored in a November 21, 2022, game against the Dallas Stars. This was his 200th career point in 195 games, the fastest pace of any NHL defenceman to that milestone. [44] Previous record holder Sergei Zubov reached the mark in 207 games. [45] He attracted notice when, during a December 19 game against the New York Islanders, he convinced the referee to rescind a tripping penalty that had been incorrectly assessed against Islanders forward Mathew Barzal, with Makar clarifying that he had fallen on his own rather than being tripped. Barzal remarked that it was "obviously, good sportsmanship on his part. I don't know if I would have done the same, to be honest with you." [46] [47] Injuries caused Makar to miss 22 games in the regular season, but he finished with 17 goals and 49 assists in 60 games, and was named a Norris Trophy finalist for the third consecutive year. [48]
During Game 4 of the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, Makar was involved in a controversial on-ice incident after delivering what many deemed to be a hard, late hit into the boards on Seattle Kraken forward Jared McCann. Although the play had not officially been whistled dead, the puck had been deflected into the upper safety netting and McCann had slowed his pace in anticipation of a whistle when Makar delivered the hit. The officials initially appeared to assess Makar for a five-minute major penalty; he ultimately received a two-minute interference call. McCann, who was ruled out for Game 5, was injured as a result of the hit and did not return for the rest of the game, which was ultimately a 3–2 overtime victory for the Kraken. After the game, Makar stated that he had not intended to injure McCann and that he was unsure if the puck was still in play at the time. [49] The next day, Makar received a one-game suspension for the hit on McCann; this was the first suspension (and first disciplinary offense) of Makar's NHL career. [50] Makar returned for the remainder of the series, which saw the Avalanche upset by the Kraken in seven games. [51]
On March 6, 2024, Makar recorded his first career NHL hat trick in a 7–2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings; becoming the first Avalanche defenseman to do so since Sandis Ozoliņš back on December 6, 1999. [52] He was voted a Norris Trophy finalist for the fourth consecutive season, having finished second in points and first in points-per-game among defencemen. [53]
Medal record | ||
---|---|---|
Representing Canada | ||
Ice hockey | ||
World Junior Championships | ||
2018 United States |
Makar was first selected by Hockey Canada to compete for Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge in 2015 and 2016. He was selected to the Tournament All-Star Team in both years and helped Canada West to a gold medal in 2015. [54] Unable to defend the gold medal, Makar followed up by setting a tournament single-game record for points by a defenceman in 2016. [55] Makar appeared for Canada at the World Junior Summer Showcase. He had one goal and one assist during the exhibition. His single goal came at a pivotal time on August 4, 2017, against Sweden, tying the game 4–4 in the third period. The marker re-energized the Canadians as they registered three more goals to pull off a 7–4 win. [12]
Makar was selected to Canada junior team for the 2018 World Junior Championships, winning gold. Makar finished the tournament leading all defenceman with three goals and eight points in seven games, and was the only Canadian named to the All-Tournament Team. [56]
Following the World Juniors, Makar reportedly turned down an invite to join the Canada senior team for the 2018 Winter Olympics to focus on his season at UMass, as he would have had to miss three weeks for the tournament. [57]
Makar is the son of Gary Makar and Laura MacGregor. [7] He was named after former NHL player Cale Hulse. [58] His younger brother Taylor plays at the University of Maine, and was also drafted by the Avalanche in the seventh round of the 2021 NHL entry draft. [59] [60] Makar's cousin, Mark Logan, played from 2015 to 2019 at the Rochester Institute of Technology. [61] Tom Lysiak was his father's cousin. [62] [63] He is of Ukrainian descent on his father's side. [64] Growing up, he was a fan of the hometown Calgary Flames. [58]
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
2014–15 | Brooks Bandits | AJHL | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 20 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 4 | ||
2015–16 | Brooks Bandits | AJHL | 54 | 10 | 45 | 55 | 28 | 13 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 0 | ||
2016–17 | Brooks Bandits | AJHL | 54 | 24 | 51 | 75 | 18 | 13 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 4 | ||
2017–18 | UMass-Amherst | HE | 34 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2018–19 | UMass-Amherst | HE | 41 | 16 | 33 | 49 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2018–19 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0 | ||
2019–20 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 57 | 12 | 38 | 50 | 12 | 15 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 0 | ||
2020–21 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 44 | 8 | 36 | 44 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 2 | ||
2021–22 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 77 | 28 | 58 | 86 | 26 | 20 | 8 | 21 | 29 | 10 | ||
2022–23 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 60 | 17 | 49 | 66 | 30 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ||
2023–24 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 77 | 21 | 69 | 90 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 0 | ||
NHL totals | 315 | 86 | 250 | 336 | 96 | 72 | 21 | 59 | 80 | 18 |
Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | Canada West | WJAC | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
2016 | Canada West | WJAC | 5th | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0 | |
2018 | Canada | WJC | 7 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 0 | ||
Junior totals | 15 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 0 |
Award | Year | Ref |
---|---|---|
AMHL | ||
First All-Star Team | 2015 | |
AJHL | ||
South All-Rookie Team | 2016 | |
South All-Star Team | 2016 | |
Rookie of the Year | 2016 | [7] |
CJHL Rookie of the Year | 2016 | |
RBC Roland Mercier Trophy (MVP) | 2016, 2017 | |
RBC Top Defenceman | 2016, 2017 | |
RBC Top Scorer | 2016 | |
Most Outstanding Defenceman | 2017 | |
MVP | 2017 | [65] |
Playoff MVP | 2017 | |
RBC CJHL Player of the Year | 2017 | [66] |
College | ||
HE All-Rookie Team | 2018 | [15] |
HE Third All-Star Team | 2018 | [67] |
New England Rookie of the Year | 2018 | [68] |
HE Scoring Leader | 2019 | [69] |
HE First All-Star Team | 2019 | [18] |
HE Player of the Year (unanimous) | 2019 | [17] |
First Team All-American | 2019 | [70] |
Hobey Baker Award | 2019 | [20] |
New England Best Defenceman | 2019 | [71] |
New England Player of the Year | 2019 | [72] |
New England All-Star | 2019 | [73] |
CHN Player of the Year | 2019 | [74] |
All-CHN First Team | 2019 | [74] |
USCHO Player of the Year | 2019 | [75] |
NCAA Northeast Regional MVP | 2019 | [76] |
UMass Male Athlete of the Year | 2019 | |
NHL | ||
Calder Memorial Trophy | 2020 | [77] |
NHL All-Rookie Team | 2020 | [78] |
NHL First All-Star Team | 2021, 2022 | [79] |
NHL Second All-Star Team | 2023, 2024 | |
NHL All-Star Game | 2022, 2023, 2024 | [80] |
James Norris Memorial Trophy | 2022 | [81] |
Conn Smythe Trophy | 2022 | [82] |
Stanley Cup champion | 2022 | [83] |
EA Sports NHL cover athlete | 2024 | [84] |
International | ||
WJC All-Tournament Team | 2018 | [56] |
The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The team plays its home games at Ball Arena, which it shares with the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Denver Nuggets and Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League (NLL).
The Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded annually to the most valuable player (MVP) of his team during the National Hockey League's (NHL) Stanley Cup playoffs. It is named after Conn Smythe, the longtime owner, general manager, and head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Conn Smythe Trophy has been awarded 54 times to 47 players since the 1964–65 NHL season. Each year, at the conclusion of the final game of the Stanley Cup Finals, members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association vote to elect the player deserving of the trophy. The trophy is handed out by the NHL Commissioner before the presentation of the Stanley Cup and only the winner is announced, in contrast to most of the other NHL awards which name three finalists and are presented at a ceremony. Vote tallies for the Conn Smythe Trophy were released starting in 2017.
Erik Nicklas Lidström is a Swedish former professional ice hockey defenceman and current vice president of hockey operations for the Detroit Red Wings. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Detroit Red Wings from 1991 to 2012, which he captained for the final six seasons of his career. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest defencemen in NHL history and nicknamed "The Perfect Human."
Robert Bowlby Blake is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player. He is the current general manager of the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was originally drafted by the Kings in 1988, appearing in the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals, winning the James Norris Memorial Trophy and serving as team captain for five seasons in his initial 11-season stint with the club. In 2001, Blake was traded to the Colorado Avalanche and was a member of their 2001 Stanley Cup championship team. It was his only Stanley Cup as a player, though he won the Cup again as a member of the Kings' front office in 2014. After a two-season return to Los Angeles, Blake signed with the San Jose Sharks in 2008, retiring as its captain after the 2009–10 season. Four years later, in 2014, Blake was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Raymond Jean Bourque is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He holds records for most career goals, assists, and points by a defenceman in the National Hockey League (NHL). He won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's best defenceman five times, while finishing second for that trophy a further six times. He also twice finished second in the voting for the Hart Memorial Trophy, a rarity for a defenceman. He was named to the end-of-season All-Star teams 19 times, 13 on the first-team and six on the second-team.
Thomas James Lysiak was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. Selected in the first round, second overall, of the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft by the Atlanta Flames, he was additionally selected by the Houston Aeros in the second round of the 1973 WHA Amateur Draft at 23rd overall.
Drew Doughty is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected second overall by the Kings in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft from the Guelph Storm of the OHL, where he was twice voted the league's top offensive defenceman.
Victor Erik Olof Hedman is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman and captain for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Hedman was selected second overall by the Lightning in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and made his NHL debut that year.
Erik Sven Gunnar Karlsson is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Karlsson was drafted in the first round, 15th overall, by the Ottawa Senators at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, with whom he spent his first nine NHL seasons; he has also played for the San Jose Sharks. Karlsson is a three-time winner of the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's best defenceman, winning the award in 2012, 2015, and 2023.
Roman Josi is a Swiss professional ice hockey defenceman and captain of the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Josi was drafted 38th overall by the Predators in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.
Kevin Connauton is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Utah Hockey Club of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 83rd overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Connauton has also played for the Dallas Stars, Columbus Blue Jackets, Arizona Coyotes, Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers, and Philadelphia Flyers.
Tyson Barrie is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who currently plays for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers and Nashville Predators. He was drafted by the Avalanche in the third round, 64th overall, of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.
Nathan Raymond MacKinnon is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). MacKinnon was selected first overall by the Avalanche in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. MacKinnon won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2022, and has also won the Hart Memorial Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award as the league's most valuable player during the 2023–24 season. He is widely regarded as one of the best ice hockey players of his generation.
Samuel Girard is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Colorado Avalanche in the National Hockey League (NHL). After playing major junior hockey with the Shawinigan Cataractes, Girard was drafted 47th overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. He briefly played for the Predators until he was traded to the Avalanche in 2017. Girard won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2022.
Quinn Hughes is an American professional ice hockey defenseman and captain of the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Hughes was drafted seventh overall by the Canucks in the 2018 NHL entry draft. Before the draft, he was considered a top prospect. Showing impressive offensive prowess as a defenseman since the beginning of his time with the Canucks, he was nominated for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's best rookie in 2020. He holds several franchise and NHL records for defensemen, and won the James Norris Memorial Trophy in 2024 as the NHL's best defenseman.
Ryan Graves is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Graves was selected by the New York Rangers, 110th overall, in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He has previously played for the Colorado Avalanche and New Jersey Devils.
Adam Fox is an American professional ice hockey defenseman and alternate captain for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Fox was selected by the Calgary Flames, 66th overall, in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. In 2021, Fox won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman, joining Bobby Orr as the only two players in NHL history to win the award before their third NHL season.
Devon Toews is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Tazer", Toews was drafted 108th overall by the New York Islanders in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Toews won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2022.
Bowen Byram is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Colorado Avalanche of the NHL and has appeared with the Canada men's national ice hockey team in international competition.
The 2022 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2021–22 season and the culmination of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs. The series was between the Eastern Conference and two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning and the Western Conference champion Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche defeated the Lightning in six games for their third Stanley Cup championship in franchise history and first since 2001. Colorado had home ice advantage in the series with the better regular season record.