page_title: Colorado Avalanche
section_title: 2009–2013: Rebuilding
hierarchical_section_title: Colorado Avalanche / Franchise history / Colorado Avalanche (1995–present) / 2009–2013: Rebuilding
caption_attribution_description: Gabriel Landeskog pregame
context_page_description: The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League as a member of the Central Division of the Western Conference. The Avalanche are the only team in their division not based in the Central Time Zone; the team is situated in the Mountain Time Zone. Their home arena is Pepsi Center, which they share with the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association. Their general manager is Joe Sakic.
  The Avalanche were founded in 1972 as the Quebec Nordiques and were one of the charter franchises of the World Hockey Association. The franchise joined the NHL in 1979 as a result of the NHL–WHA merger. Following the 1994–95 season, they were sold to the COMSAT Entertainment Group and relocated to Denver.
  In the club's first season in Denver, the Avalanche won the Pacific Division and went on to sweep the Florida Panthers in the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals, becoming the first NHL team to win the Stanley Cup in the season following a relocation. Among teams in the major North American professional sports leagues, only the National Football League's 1937 Washington Redskins have also accomplished the feat.
context_section_description: In the 2009 off-season, the Avalanche named Greg Sherman the new general manager and Joe Sacco the new head coach. The following month, top scorer Ryan Smyth was traded to the Los Angeles Kings and Joe Sakic, the only team captain the Avalanche had ever known, retired after 21 seasons in the NHL. The Avalanche named Adam Foote as his replacement. Sakic's jersey retirement ceremony took place on October 1, 2009, before the season opener at home against the San Jose Sharks where the Avalanche won 5–2. The Avalanche started the season off strong until the Olympic break. Three Avalanche team members played in Vancouver: Paul Stastny for the United States, Ruslan Salei for Belarus and Peter Budaj for Slovakia. Following the Winter Olympics, the Avalanche struggled but eventually clinched a playoff spot with 95 points on the season, a 26-point improvement from the previous year's effort, and good enough for eighth place in the Western Conference. The Avalanche fell in the Western Conference Quarter-finals to the top-seeded San Jose Sharks in six games.
  Stan Kroenke purchased full ownership in the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League (NFL) in 2010. Since the NFL does not allow its owners to hold majority control of major-league teams in other NFL cities, Kroenke turned over day-to-day control of the Denver Nuggets and Avalanche to his son Josh toward the end of 2010. Kroenke had to sell his controlling interest in both teams by 2014.
  In 2010, the Avalanche made it to the playoffs but lost in the quarter-finals 4-2 against San Jose. Joe Sacco finished third in Jack Adams Trophy voting that season. The Avalanche failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2011. In the 2010-11 season, the Avalanche saw their worst season yet since moving to Denver. They only had 68 points in the standings and had winless streaks after the All-Star break. They finished 29th in the 30-team NHL, besting only their division mates, the Edmonton Oilers. Matt Duchene set a franchise record as the youngest scoring leader in Quebec/Colorado history with 67 points, sharing the club goals-leader title with David Jones. Former Avalanche player Peter Forsberg attempted a comeback in the NHL with Colorado mid-season. However, after two games, zero points and compiling a plus-minus rating of –4, Forsberg announced his retirement from professional hockey. Captain Adam Foote also retired after the final game of the season.
  In the off-season, Colorado had two first-round picks. Present at the draft, former Avalanche great Joe Sakic served his first duties as new alternate governor and adviser of hockey operations of the club. With their first pick, second overall, they selected Gabriel Landeskog, the young captain of the Ontario Hockey League's Kitchener Rangers. Second, they selected defenseman Duncan Siemens 11th overall, a pick acquired from the St. Louis Blues in the controversial trade that sent power-forward Chris Stewart, long time top prospect Kevin Shattenkirk and a second-round pick to the Blues in exchange for their first round pick, veteran Jay McClement and 2006 former first overall pick, Erik Johnson. A complete overhaul at the goal tending position sent Peter Budaj to the Montreal Canadiens and Brian Elliott to St. Louis, Elliott having been acquired from the Ottawa Senators for Craig Anderson during the team's downward spiral the season previous. Goaltender Semyon Varlamov was dealt to Colorado from the Washington Capitals in exchange for a first and second pick, while veteran netminder and former Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jean-Sebastien Giguere was signed as a free agent in hopes to mentor the young Varlamov. Duncan Siemens was sent back to his major junior team, the Saskatoon Blades in camp, while Gabriel Landeskog made the opening night roster against the Detroit Red Wings on October 8, 2011, at Pepsi Center. Adam Deadmarsh was promoted from video/developmental coach to offensive assistant coach after Steve Konowalchuk accepted a job as head coach in the minor league.
  Peter Forsberg's number 21 became the fourth jersey number retired by the A
caption: Gabriel Landeskog during his rookie season. Landeskog was selected second overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
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