1995–96 Colorado Avalanche season explained

League:	NHL
Season:	1995–96
Year:	1995
Team:	Colorado Avalanche
Conferencerank:	2nd
Divisionrank:	1st
Record:	47–25–10
Homerecord:	24–10–7
Roadrecord:	23–15–3
Goalsfor:	326 (2nd)
Goalsagainst:	240 (T-8th)
Attendance:	16,017 (99.7%) Total: 656,708
Minorleague:	Cornwall Aces (AHL)
Goalsleader:	Joe Sakic (51)
Assistsleader:	Peter Forsberg (86)
Pointsleader:	Joe Sakic (120)
Pimleader:	Chris Simon (250)
Plusminusleader:	Curtis Leschyshyn (+32)
Winsleader:	Patrick Roy Stephane Fiset (22)
Gaaleader:	Patrick Roy (2.68)
Stanleycup:	Yes
Conferencewin:	Yes
Divisionwin:	Yes
Prev Season:	1994–95 (Quebec)

The 1995–96 Colorado Avalanche season was the first season of the Nordiques/Avalanche franchise after moving from Quebec City to Denver. As a result, the Avalanche were assigned to the Pacific Division of the NHL's Western Conference.

The season was marked by the bolstered acquisition of ex-Montreal captain Mike Keane and 6-time NHL All-Star and 3-time Vezina Trophy recipient Patrick Roy, who demanded a trade after feeling humiliated for being left in the net after having conceded 9 goals on 26 shots during a Canadiens game against the Red Wings. The acquisition of Keane coupled with the eventual veteran presence of Roy would prove to be a pivotal addition for Colorado in the years to come. The Avalanche finished the regular season as division champions and second overall in the conference, and advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in team history against the Florida Panthers, whom they swept to capture the franchise's Stanley Cup title.^[1]

Regular season

The Avalanche played their first game in the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver on October 6, 1995, winning 3–2 against the Detroit Red Wings.^[2] With the team led by captain Joe Sakic, forward Peter Forsberg and defenseman Adam Foote on the ice, Pierre Lacroix as the general manager, and Marc Crawford as the head coach. The Avalanche was bolstered by the acquisitions of former Montreal Canadiens goaltender Patrick Roy and ex-Montreal captain Mike Keane on December 6, 1995 in a trade for Jocelyn Thibault, Martin Rucinsky and Andrei Kovalenko.^[3] The acquisition of Roy and Keane together would prove to be a pivotal addition for Colorado in the years to come.

On January 3, 1996, the Avalanche lost at home, 1–0, to the New Jersey Devils. It was the first time in 123 consecutive regular-season games that the team was shut out; the last time the team had been shut out was while they were the Quebec Nordiques. That game took place on January 27, 1994, and the Nordiques lost on the road, 3–0, to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Avalanche finished the regular season with a 47–25–10 record for 104 points, won the Pacific Division and finished second in the Western Conference. They scored 326 goals: an average of nearly 4 per game. Despite allowing the most short-handed goals in the league, with 22, they also scored the most short-handed goals, with 21.^[4] Four Avalanche players throughout the course of the season made it past the 30-goal scoring mark.

• December 11, 1995: Patrick Roy earned his first victory in net as a member of the Colorado Avalanche.^[5] It was a 5–1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.^[6]
• February 5, 1996: Patrick Roy played the Canadiens for the first time since he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche.^[7] Roy stopped 37 of 39 shots in a 4–2 win. After the game, Roy took the game puck and flipped it to Canadiens head coach Mario Tremblay.^[8]

Season standings

Playoffs

Colorado progressed to the playoffs and won the series against the Vancouver Canucks, the Chicago Blackhawks and Presidents' Trophy winners Detroit Red Wings. In the Stanley Cup Finals, the Avalanche met the Florida Panthers, who were also in their first Stanley Cup Finals. The Avalanche swept the series 4–0. In Game Four, during the third overtime and after more than 100 minutes of play with no goals, defenseman Uwe Krupp scored to claim the franchise's first Cup.^[9] Joe Sakic was the playoff's scoring leader with 34 points (18 goals and 16 assists) and won the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player to his team during the playoffs. The 1996 Stanley Cup was the first major professional championship won by a Denver team.^[10] With the Stanley Cup win, Russians Alexei Gusarov and Valeri Kamensky and Swede Peter Forsberg became members of the "Triple Gold Club", the exclusive group of ice hockey players who have won Olympic gold, World Championship gold and the Stanley Cup.^[11]

Schedule and results

Regular season

|- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 1 || October 6 || Detroit || 2 – 3 || Colorado || || Fiset || 1–0–0 || 2 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb" | 2 || October 7 || Colorado || 2 – 4 || Los Angeles || || Fiset || 1–1–0 || 2 || |- align="center" | 3 || October 9 || Pittsburgh || 6 – 6 || Colorado || OT || Fiset || 1–1–1 || 3 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 4 || October 11 || Boston || 1 – 3 || Colorado || || Fiset || 2–1–1 || 5 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb"| 5 || October 13 || Colorado || 1 – 3 || Washington || || Fiset || 2–2–1 || 5 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb"| 6 || October 14 || Colorado || 1 – 4 || St. Louis || || Thibault || 2–3–1 || 5 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 7 || October 18 || Washington || 2 – 4 || Colorado || || Fiset || 3–3–1 || 7 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 8 || October 23 || Anaheim || 1 – 3 || Colorado || || Fiset || 4–3–1 || 9 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 9 || October 25 || Colorado || 3 – 2 || Calgary || || Fiset || 5–3–1 || 11 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 10 || October 27 || Buffalo || 4 – 5 || Colorado || || Fiset || 6–3–1 || 13 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 11 || October 30 || Colorado || 6 – 1 || Dallas || || Thibault || 7–3–1 || 15 || |-|- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 12 || November 1 || Calgary || 1 – 6 || Colorado || || Thibault || 8–3–1 || 17 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 13 || November 3 || Colorado || 5 – 2 || Winnipeg || || Fiset || 9–3–1 || 19 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 14 || November 5 || Colorado || 7 – 3 || Chicago || || Fiset || 10–3–1 || 21 || |- align="center" | 15 || November 9 || Dallas || 1 – 1 || Colorado || OT || Thibault || 10–3–2 || 22 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 16 || November 11 || Colorado || 8 – 4 || Vancouver || || Fiset || 11–3–2 || 24 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb"| 17 || November 15 || Colorado || 3 – 7 || Anaheim || || Thibault || 11–4–2 || 24 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 18 || November 17 || Colorado || 5 – 3 || Calgary || || Fiset || 12–4–2 || 26 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 19 || November 18 || Calgary || 2 – 5 || Colorado || || Fiset || 13–4–2 || 28 || |- align="center" | 20 || November 20 || Colorado || 3 – 3 || Edmonton || OT || Fiset || 13–4–3 || 29 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 21 || November 22 || Chicago || 2 – 6 || Colorado || || Fiset || 14–4–3 || 31 || |- align="center" | 22 || November 25 || Colorado || 2 – 2 || Montreal || OT || Thibault || 14–4–4 || 32 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 23 || November 28 || Colorado || 7 – 3 || NY Islanders || || Thibault || 15–4–4 || 34 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb"| 24 || November 29 || Colorado || 3 – 4 || New Jersey || OT || Thibault || 15–5–4 || 34 || |-|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb"| 25 || December 1 || Colorado || 3 – 5 || NY Rangers || || Thibault || 15–6–4 || 34 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb"| 26 || December 3 || Dallas || 7 – 6 || Colorado || || Fiset || 15–7–4 || 34 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 27 || December 5 || San Jose || 2 – 12 || Colorado || || Fiset || 16–7–4 || 36 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb"| 28 || December 7 || Edmonton || 5 – 3 || Colorado || || Roy || 16–8–4 || 36 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 29 || December 9 || Colorado || 7 – 3 || Ottawa || || Fiset || 17–8–4 || 38 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 30 || December 11 || Colorado || 5 – 1 || Toronto || || Roy || 18–8–4 || 40 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb"| 31 || December 13 || Colorado || 3 – 4 || Buffalo || || Roy || 18–9–4 || 40 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb"| 32 || December 15 || Colorado || 2 – 4 || Hartford || || Fiset || 18–10–4 || 40 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb"| 33 || December 18 || Vancouver || 4 – 2 || Colorado || || Roy || 18–11–4 || 40 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 34 || December 20 || Colorado || 4 – 1 || Edmonton || || Roy || 19–11–4 || 42 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 35 || December 22 || St. Louis || 1 – 2 || Colorado || || Roy || 20–11–4 || 44 || |- align="center"| 36 || December 23 || Colorado || 2 – 2 || Los Angeles || OT || Fiset || 20–11–5 || 45 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 37 || December 26 || Colorado || 5 – 1 || San Jose || || Roy || 21–11–5 || 47 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 38 || December 29 || Toronto || 2 – 3 || Colorado || || Roy || 22–11–5 || 49 || |-|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb"| 39 || January 3 || New Jersey || 1 – 0 || Colorado || || Roy || 22–12–5 || 49 || |- align="center"| 40 || January 4 || Philadelphia || 2 – 2 || Colorado || OT || Fiset || 22–12–6 || 50 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb"| 41 || January 6 || Colorado || 2 – 5 || Toronto || || Roy || 22–13–6 || 50 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 42 || January 9 || Colorado || 3 – 0 || Boston || || Fiset || 23–13–6 || 52 || |- align="center"| 43 || January 10 || Florida || 4 – 4 || Colorado || OT || Roy || 23–13–7 || 53 || |- align="center"| 44 || January 14 || Calgary || 4 – 4 || Colorado || OT || Fiset || 23–13–8 || 54 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 45 || January 16 || Colorado || 5 – 2 || Pittsburgh || || Roy || 24–13–8 || 56 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb"| 46 || January 17 || Colorado || 2 – 3 || Detroit || || Roy || 24–14–8 || 56 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 47 || January 22 || NY Islanders || 3 – 4 || Colorado || || Roy || 25–14–8 || 58 || |- align="center" | 48 || January 25 || Vancouver|| 2 – 2 || Colorado || OT || Fiset || 25–14–9 || 59 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 49 || January 27 || Colorado || 4 – 3 || San Jose || OT || Roy || 26–14–9 || 61 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb"| 50 || January 31 || Colorado || 1 – 2 || Anaheim || || Roy || 26–15–9 || 61 || |-|- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 51 || February 1 || Winnipeg || 4 – 6 || Colorado || || Fiset || 27–15–9 || 63 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 52 || February 3 || NY Rangers || 1 – 7 || Colorado || || Roy || 28–15–9 || 65 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 53 || February 5 || Montreal || 2 – 4 || Colorado || || Roy || 29–15–9 || 67 || |- align="center" | 54 || February 7 || Tampa Bay || 4 – 4 || Colorado || OT || Fiset || 29–15–10 || 68 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb"| 55 || February 9 || Hartford || 3 – 2 || Colorado || OT || Roy || 29–16–10 || 68 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 56 || February 11 || Colorado || 5 – 3 || Philadelphia || || Fiset || 30–16–10 || 70 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb"| 57 || February 15 || Colorado || 2 – 4 || Tampa Bay || || Roy || 30–17–10 || 70 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 58 || February 16 || Colorado || 5 – 4 || Florida || OT || Fiset || 31–17–10 || 72 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 59 || February 19 || Edmonton || 5 – 7 || Colorado || || Roy || 32–17–10 || 74 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 60 || February 23 || Los Angeles|| 2 – 6 || Colorado || || Fiset || 33–17–10 || 76 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 61 || February 25 || Ottawa || 2 – 4 || Colorado || || Roy || 34–17–10 || 78 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 62 || February 26 || Anaheim || 2 – 3 || Colorado || || Roy || 35–17–10 || 80 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb"| 63 || February 29 || Colorado || 3 – 4 || Chicago || || Roy || 35–18–10 || 80 || |-|- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 64 || March 1 || Chicago || 3 – 5 || Colorado || || Roy || 36–18–10 || 82 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 65 || March 3 || Toronto || 0 – 4 || Colorado || || Roy || 37–18–10 || 84 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb"| 66 || March 5 || San Jose || 5 – 3 || Colorado || || Fiset || 37–19–10 || 84 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb"| 67 || March 8 || Detroit || 4 – 2 || Colorado || || Roy || 37–20–10 || 84 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 68 || March 9 || Colorado || 7 – 5 || Vancouver || || Fiset || 38–20–10 || 86 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb"| 69 || March 13 || Colorado || 0 – 4 || Anaheim || || Roy || 38–21–10 || 86 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 70 || March 17 || Edmonton || 1 – 8 || Colorado || || Roy || 39–21–10 || 88 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 71 || March 19 || Colorado || 4 – 3 || Vancouver || || Roy || 40–21–10 || 90 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 72 || March 20 || Colorado || 5 – 2 || Los Angeles || || Fiset || 41–21–10 || 92 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb"| 73 || March 22 || Colorado|| 0 – 7 || Detroit || || Roy || 41–22–10 || 92 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 74 || March 24 || Colorado || 5 – 2 || Winnipeg || || Roy || 42–22–10 || 94 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb"| 75 || March 27 || Winnipeg || 3 – 1 || Colorado || || Fiset || 42–23–10 || 94 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 76 || March 28 || Colorado || 8 – 3 || San Jose || || Roy || 43–23–10 || 96 || |-|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb"| 77 || April 3 || St. Louis || 6 – 3 || Colorado || || Roy || 43–24–10 || 96 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 78 || April 6 || San Jose || 1 – 5 || Colorado || || Roy || 44–24–10 || 98 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 79 || April 7 || Colorado || 4 – 1 || Dallas || || Roy || 45–24–10 || 100 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 80 || April 10 || Anaheim || 3 – 7 || Colorado || || Roy || 46–24–10 || 102 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 81 || April 11 || Colorado || 3 – 2 || St. Louis || || Fiset || 47–24–10 || 104 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb"| 82 || April 14 || Los Angeles || 5 – 4 || Colorado || OT || Roy || 47–25–10 || 104 || |-|-| Legend:

Playoffs

|- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 1 || April 16 || Vancouver || 2 – 5 || Colorado || || 16,061 || Roy || 1 – 0 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb"| 2 || April 18 || Vancouver || 5 – 4 || Colorado || || 16,061 || Roy || 1 – 1 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 3 || April 20 || Colorado || 4 – 0 || Vancouver || || 18,422 || Roy || 2 – 1 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb"| 4 || April 22 || Colorado || 3 – 4 || Vancouver || || 18,422 || Roy || 2 – 2 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 5 || April 25 || Vancouver || 4 – 5 || Colorado || OT || 16,061 || Roy || 3 – 2 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 6 || April 27 || Colorado || 3 – 2 || Vancouver || || 18,422 || Roy || 4 – 2 || |-|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb"| 1 || May 2 || Chicago || 3 – 2 || Colorado || OT || 16,061 || Roy || 0 – 1 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 2 || May 4 || Chicago || 1 – 5 || Colorado || || 16,061 || Roy || 1 – 1 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb" | 3 || May 6 || Colorado || 3 – 4 || Chicago || OT || 20,797 || Roy || 1 – 2 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 4 || May 8 || Colorado || 3 – 2 || Chicago || 3OT || 22,454 || Roy || 2 – 2 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 5 || May 11 || Chicago || 1 – 4 || Colorado || || 16,061 || Roy || 3 – 2 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 6 || May 13 || Colorado || 4 – 3 || Chicago || 2OT || 21,356 || Roy || 4 – 2 || |-|- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 1 || May 19 || Colorado || 3 – 2 || Detroit || OT || 19,957 || Roy || 1 – 0 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 2 || May 21 || Colorado || 3 – 0 || Detroit || || 19,983 || Roy || 2 – 0 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb" | 3 || May 23 || Detroit || 6 – 4 || Colorado || || 16,061 || Roy || 2 – 1 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 4 || May 25 || Detroit || 2 – 4 || Colorado || || 16,061 || Roy || 3 – 1 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb"| 5 || May 27 || Colorado || 2 – 5 || Detroit || || 19,983 || Roy || 3 – 2 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 6 || May 29 || Detroit || 1 – 4 || Colorado || || 16,061 || Roy || 4 – 2 || |-|- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 1 || June 4 || Florida || 1 – 3 || Colorado || || 16,061 || Roy || 1 – 0 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 2 || June 6 || Florida || 1 – 8 || Colorado || || 16,061 || Roy || 2 – 0 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 3 || June 8 || Colorado || 3 – 2 || Florida || || 14,703 || Roy || 3 – 0 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 4 || June 10 || Colorado || 1 – 0 || Florida || 3OT || 14,703 || Roy || 4 – 0 || |-|-| Legend:

Player statistics

Scoring

• Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing
• = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Avalanche only.
• = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Avalanche only.

	Regular season						Playoffs
	Player
19		C	82	51	69	120	14	44	22	18	16	34	10	14
21		C	82	30	86	116	26	47	22	10	11	21	10	18
13		LW	81	38	47	85	14	85	22	10	12	22	11	28
22		RW	79	39	32	71	14	117	19	5	7	12	5	55
48		RW	81	21	39	60	2	50	22	3	12	15	6	10
8		D	66	13	37	50	0	50	22	5	14	19	5	16
18		RW	78	21	27	48	20	142	22	5	12	17	8	25
12		LW	64	16	18	34	10	250	12	1	2	3	−2	11
26		LW	71	13	14	27	15	30	22	1	4	5	2	8
6		D	75	7	20	27	25	50	7	1	0	1	2	8
9		C	62	6	21	27	1	52	22	6	11	17	−1	18
51		LW	26	11	11	22	11	16
10		C	63	7	14	21	15	22	8	0	0	0	−4	19
25		RW	55	10	10	20	1	40	22	3	2	5	1	16
5		D	65	5	15	20	29	56	21	0	9	9	13	12
7		D	77	4	15	19	32	73	17	1	2	3	4	8
52		D	73	5	11	16	27	88	22	1	3	4	11	36
2		D	75	5	11	16	26	49	22	0	5	5	6	12
25		LW	22	4	11	15	10	14
24		D	56	3	12	15	12	20	15	2	1	3	6	0
20		LW	33	3	6	9	10	33	8	3	2	5	3	2
16		LW	52	6	2	8	6	147	12	1	0	1	4	23
11		RW	9	4	4	8	−3	9
4		D	6	0	3	3	4	4	22	4	12	16	5	33
27		D	7	0	3	3	2	4
38		RW	8	1	1	2	1	2
14		LW	4	1	0	1	1	2	13	0	2	2	3	2
23		D	3	1	0	1	−1	0
14		RW	7	1	0	1	3	6
35		G	37	0	1	1		2	1	0	0	0		0
15		C	2	0	1	1	1	0
55		D	4	0	1	1	−2	6
47		C	3	0	0	0	−1	0
31		D	5	0	0	0	0	0
33		G	39	0	0	0		4	22	0	0	0		0
41		G	10	0	0	0		0

Goaltending

• = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Avalanche only.
• = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Avalanche only.

	Regular season											Playoffs
	Player
35		37	35	22	6	7	1,012	103	2.93	.898	1	2,106:38	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.00		0	0:40
33		39	38	22	15	1	1,130	103	2.68	.909	1	2,305:15	22	22	16	6	649	51	2.10	.921	3	1,453:53
41		10	9	3	4	2	222	28	3.01	.874	0	558:22	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Awards and records

Awards

Type	Award/honor	Recipient	Ref
League (annual)	Conn Smythe Trophy	Joe Sakic	^[12]
League (in-season)	NHL All-Star Game selection	Marc Crawford (coach)	^[13]
Peter Forsberg
Joe Sakic

Transactions

Trades

July 7, 1995	To Calgary Flames David Ling 9th round pick in 1995	To Colorado Avalanche 9th round pick in 1995
July 12, 1995	To Washington Capitals 3rd round pick in 1996	To Colorado Avalanche John Slaney
July 12, 1995	To Philadelphia Flyers Garth Snow	To Colorado Avalanche 3rd and 6th round picks in 1996
October 2, 1995	To Washington Capitals Cash	To Colorado Avalanche Warren Rychel
October 3, 1995	To New York Islanders Wendel Clark	To Colorado Avalanche Claude Lemieux
October 5, 1995	To Tampa Bay Lightning Steven Finn	To Colorado Avalanche 4th round pick in 1997
October 26, 1995	To San Jose Sharks Owen Nolan	To Colorado Avalanche Sandis Ozolinsh
November 1, 1995	To Calgary Flames Claude Lapointe	To Colorado Avalanche 7th round pick in 1996
December 6, 1995	To Montreal Canadiens Andrei Kovalenko Jocelyn Thibault Martin Rucinsky	To Colorado Avalanche Patrick Roy Mike Keane
December 28, 1995	To Los Angeles Kings John Slaney	To Colorado Avalanche Conditional draft pick in 1996
January 26, 1996	To Ottawa Senators Janne Laukkanen	To Colorado Avalanche Brad Larsen
March 19, 1996	To Calgary Flames Paxton Schulte	To Colorado Avalanche Vesa Viitakoski
March 20, 1996	To Buffalo Sabres 6th round pick in 1996	To Colorado Avalanche Dave Hannan
April 3, 1996	To Washington Capitals Anson Carter	To Colorado Avalanche 4th round pick in 1996

Other transactions

Date	Player	Transaction
August 8, 1995	Troy Murray	Signed as a free agent
September 8, 1995	Andrei Kovalenko	Signed as a free agent
September 8, 1995	Curtis Leschyshyn	Signed as a free agent
September 9, 1995	Scott Young	Signed as a free agent
October 2, 1995	Ted Drury	Claimed by Ottawa in the waiver draft
October 2, 1995	Bill Huard	Claimed by Dallas in the waiver draft

Draft picks

Colorado's picks at the 1995 NHL Entry Draft in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.^[14]

Round		Player	Position	Nationality	College/junior/club team (league)
1	25	Marc Denis	G	Canada	Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL)
2	51	Nic Beaudoin	LW	Canada	Detroit Jr. Red Wings (OHL)
3	77	John Tripp	RW	Canada	Oshawa Generals (OHL)
4^1	81	Tomi Kallio	RW	Finland	Kiekko-67 Turku (FinD1)
5	129	Brent Johnson	G	United States	Owen Sound Platers (OHL).
6	155	John Cirjak	RW	Canada	Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
7	181	Dan Smith	D	Canada	University of British Columbia (CIAU)
8	207	Tomi Hirvonen	C	Finland	Ilves Jrs. (Finland)
9^2	228	Chris George	RW	Canada	Sarnia Sting (OHL)

Notes

1. The Avalanche acquired this pick as the result of a trade on February 20, 1994 that sent John Tanner to Anaheim in exchange for this pick.
2. The Avalanche acquired this pick as the result of a trade on July 7, 1995 that sent David Ling and a ninth-round pick in 1995 (233rd overall) to Calgary in exchange for this pick.

• The Avalanche fourth-round pick went to the Ottawa Senators as the result of a trade on April 7, 1995 that sent Bill Huard to Quebec in exchange for the rights to Mika Stromberg and this pick (103rd overall).
• The Avalanche ninth-round pick went to the Calgary Flames as the result of a trade on July 7, 1995 that sent a ninth-round pick in 1995 (228rd overall) to Quebec in exchange for David Ling and this pick (233rd overall).

See also

• 1995–96 NHL season

References

• Web site: Colorado Avalanche 1995-96 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com . www.hockeydb.com . August 24, 2023.
• Web site: 1995-96 Colorado Avalanche Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts . Hockey-Reference.com . August 24, 2023.

Notes and References

1. https://milehighsticking.com/2020/12/03/colorado-avalanche-fondly-remembering-le-trade-patrick-roy/
2. Web site: October 6, 1995 - Detroit Red Wings vs. Colorado Avalanche gamesheet. Colorado Avalanche Database. 2007-06-17.
3. News: Roy gets call he's in Hall. Sadowski, Rick. Rocky Mountain News. 2006-06-29. 2007-03-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20070930210639/http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nhl/article/0%2C2777%2CDRMN_23920_4810040%2C00.html. 2007-09-30. dead.
4. Web site: 1995-96 NHL Summary.
5. Patrick Roy, winning, nothing else, p.382, by Michel Roy, translated by Charles Phillips, 2008, John Wiley & Sons, Mississauga, ON,
6. Web site: NHL ROUNDUP : Roy Records First Victory for Avalanche . Los Angeles Times . August 24, 2023 . December 12, 1995.
7. Patrick Roy, winning, nothing else, p.382, by Michel Roy, translated by Charles Phillips, 2008, John Wiley & Sons, Mississauga, ON,
8. Patrick Roy, winning, nothing else, p.383, by Michel Roy, translated by Charles Phillips, 2008, John Wiley & Sons, Mississauga, ON,
9. News: No stopping the Avalanche - Colorado completes Cup sweep of Panthers with 3OT victory. Ulman, Howard. Associated Press. 1996-06-11. 2007-03-25.
10. Web site: Miscellaneous/Community/Altitude. Colorado Avalanche. 2007-06-17.
11. Web site: Triple Gold Club . . 2007-06-17 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070629011234/http://www.iihf.com/archive/TGC.pdf . 2007-06-29 .
12. Web site: Conn Smythe Trophy . records.nhl.com . August 28, 2023.
13. Web site: NHL All-Star Game Historical Summaries - 1996 . NHL.com . August 28, 2023.
14. Web site: 1995 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com . www.hockeydb.com . August 28, 2023.