Joe Sakic Joseph Steven Sakic ( ; born July 7 , 1969 ) is a former Canadian professional ice hockey player . He played his entire National Hockey League career with the Quebec Nordiques / Colorado Avalanche franchise . In his 20 - year tenure , Sakic won the Stanley Cup twice , captured numerous NHL trophies , and was voted into 13 NHL All - Star Game s . Named captain of the team in 1992 ( after serving as a co - captain in 1990 – 91 ) , Sakic is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and one of the strongest team leaders in the league ' s history as he was able to motivate his team throughout his career to play at a winning level . Over the course of his career , Sakic was one of the most productive forwards in the game , having twice scored 50 goals and earning at least 100 points in six different seasons . His wrist shot , considered one of the best in the NHL , was the source of much of his production as goalies around the league feared this shot . At the conclusion of the 2008 – 09 NHL season , he was the eighth all - time points leader in the NHL , as well as 14th in all - time goals and 11th in all - time assists . During the 2002 Winter Olympics , Sakic helped lead Team Canada to its first gold medal in 50 years , and was voted as the tournament ' s most valuable player . He represented the team in six other international competitions , including the 1998 and 2006 Winter Olympics . After the 2000 – 01 NHL season , Sakic was named the MVP of the NHL by the hockey writers and his fellow players . He retired from the NHL on July 9 , 2009 and had his jersey number retired prior to Avalanche ' s 2009 – 10 season opener on October 1 , 2009 at the Pepsi Center . Early life . Sakic was born in Burnaby to Marijan and Slavica Sakic ( originally Šakić , ) , immigrants from Croatia ( then a part of Yugoslavia ) . Growing up in Burnaby , he did not learn to speak English well until kindergarten , having been raised with Croatian as his mother tongue . This language barrier would make him a demure , quiet individual later in life . Growing up as the child of immigrants , Sakic was instilled with a strong work ethic , a trait which would serve him well in his hockey career . At the age of four Sakic attended his first NHL game , a match between the Vancouver Canucks and Atlanta Flames ; after watching the game , Sakic decided that he wanted to become a hockey player . As a smaller player , he was forced to use skill rather than size to excel , and modeled himself after his idol , Wayne Gretzky . After showing exceptional promise as a young hockey player in Burnaby , Sakic was referenced as a new Wayne Gretzky in the making . He scored 83 goals and 156 points in only 80 games for Burnaby , and was added to the Lethbridge Broncos of the Western Hockey League for the last part of the 1985 – 86 season . During the 1986 – 87 WHL season , the Broncos relocated to Swift Current , Saskatchewan , becoming the Swift Current Broncos . Sakic , playing in his first full season , was named Rookie of the Year of the WHL . He notched 60 goals and 73 assists for 133 points . But while Sakic enjoyed success on the ice , he and his team faced a tragedy on the night of December 30 , 1986 . The Broncos were driving to a game against the Regina Pats , and due to bad weather conditions , the bus crashed after the driver lost control on a patch of black ice outside of Swift Current . While Sakic was unharmed , four of his teammates ( Trent Kresse , Scott Kruger , Chris Mantyka and Brent Ruff ) were killed . This incident had a lasting impact on the young Sakic , who has declined to talk about the crash during his career . The next year , in 1987 – 88 , Sakic was named the WHL Most Valuable Player and Canadian Major Junior Player of the Year . He scored 160 points ( 78 goals , 82 assists ) , tying him with Theoren Fleury of the Moose Jaw Warriors for the WHL scoring title . NHL career . Quebec Nordiques . Sakic was drafted 15th overall by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft . Rather than make the immediate jump , he told the Nordiques management he would prefer to spend the 1987 – 88 season in Swift Current to prepare for the NHL . He made his NHL debut on October 6 , 1988 , against the Hartford Whalers and registered an assist . His first NHL goal came two days later against goaltender Sean Burke of the New Jersey Devils . During the season , he wore # 88 because his preferred number , # 19 was already taken by a teammate , Alain Côté . While considered a front - runner for the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year due to his rapid scoring pace , an ankle injury that forced him to miss 10 games in December and resulting scoring slump helped quash any hopes of winning the award . He would finish his rookie season with 62 points in 70 games . In 1989 – 90 , his second NHL season , Sakic was able to switch his number back to his familiar # 19 ( Alain Côté had retired over the summer ) , and scored 102 points , which was ninth overall in the league . At the start of the next season , 1990 – 91 , he was named co - captain along with Steven Finn ( Sakic was captain for home games , Finn for away games ) and again passed the 100 point mark , improving to 109 points and sixth overall in the league , but would slip during 1991 – 92 to 94 points , partly as a result of missing eleven games . Early on in the season , Sakic showed some of his leadership qualities , even while Mike Hough was serving as captain , as he stood firm in the Eric Lindros holdout issue . With Lindros holding out against the Nordiques , who were one of the worst teams in league , Sakic commented , " We only want players here who have the passion to play the game . I ' m tired of hearing that name . He ' s not here and there are a lot of others in this locker room who really care about the game . " Lindros was traded a year later , ending the situation and bringing in a number of quality players , which vastly improved the Nordiques . During their first four seasons with Joe Sakic , the Nordiques finished last place in the Adams Division and last in the entire league for three straight years , from 1989 to 1991 . Starting with the 1992 – 93 NHL season , Sakic became the sole captain of the franchise . Under his leadership , the Nordiques made the playoffs for the first time in six years , and set a franchise record for wins and points in the process ( since broken by the 2001 Colorado Avalanche team ) . Sakic reached the 100 point plateau , the third time he did so in five years , by scoring 48 goals and 105 points in the regular season , and added another 6 points in the playoffs . His production went down slightly to 92 points in 1993 – 94 as the Nordiques failed to make the playoffs again . After missing part of the 1994 – 95 season due to the players being locked out by owners , Sakic was 8 points behind Jaromír Jágr for the scoring title with a fourth place finish , and helped the Nordiques win the division title , their first since the 1985 - 86 season . Colorado Avalanche . In May 1995 , the Nordiques announced that the team had been sold and were relocating from Quebec . Before the start of the 1995 – 96 NHL season , the franchise moved to Denver , Colorado and was renamed the Colorado Avalanche . Sakic led the team to its first Stanley Cup championship , scoring 120 points in 82 regular season games and 34 points in 22 playoff games . He was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the 1996 NHL playoffs . During the run for the cup , Sakic again proved himself to be an effective team leader . Although he had missed the playoffs in five of his first seven years in the NHL , and lacked any postseason experience , he scored 18 goals , including six game - winners , and 34 points . He was one goal off from the record for goals in a playoff year , and his game - winning goals established a new record . In the 1996 – 97 season , Sakic only played in 65 games due to a lacerated calf , yet still managed to score 74 points as the Avalanche earned their first President ' s Trophy and third straight division title . He had another great playoff season with 8 goals and 17 assists , and took the Avalanche all the way to the conference finals , where they eventually lost to the Detroit Red Wings in six games . As a free agent during the summer of 1997 , Sakic signed a three year , $ 21 million offer sheet with the New York Rangers as a restricted free agent . Under the collective bargaining agreement at the time , the Avalanche had one week to match the Rangers ' offer or let go of Sakic . Colorado would match the offer , which instigated a salary raise for many NHL players . Injuries would again limit Sakic ' s playing time in the 1997 – 98 season . While playing in his first Olympics with Team Canada , Sakic hurt his knee and was forced to miss eighteen games with the Avalanche . In the sixty - four games he did play in , he still scored 63 points , enough to earn him his seventh All - Star appearance . He finally rebounded from his injury problems in the 1998 – 99 season , finishing fifth in the league in scoring with 41 goals and 96 points in only 73 games . He led the Avalanche all the way to within one game of the Stanley Cup finals , where they lost to the eventual Stanley Cup winning Dallas Stars . After the season ended , Sakic was ranked number 94 on " The Hockey News " ' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players . During the 1999 – 2000 season , Sakic reached several career milestones . Injuries limited him to only 60 games , but he still managed to lead the team in scoring with 81 points . On December 27 , 1999 , against the St . Louis Blues , Sakic earned an assist to become the 56th player in NHL history to reach 1 , 000 career points . Later in the season , on March 23 , 2000 , he scored a hat trick against the Phoenix Coyotes , and became the 59th player to score 400 career goals . It also gave him 1 , 049 points with the Quebec / Colorado franchise , passing Peter Stastny as the all - time leader on the team . Sakic eclipsed the 100 point mark again in 2000 – 01 , finishing with 118 along with a career best 54 goals . He led the Avalanche to their second Stanley Cup championship , and won the Hart Memorial Trophy , the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy and the Lester B . Pearson Award . After the Avalanche defeated the New Jersey Devils in the 2001 finals in seven games , Sakic received the cup first as the captain . But instead of hoisting it high , he passed it straight to Ray Bourque , a player who had waited a record - breaking 22 seasons to win the Stanley Cup . Sakic led the Avalanche in scoring again in the 2001 – 02 season , finishing sixth in the league with seventy - nine points . On March 9 , 2002 , he played in his 1 , 000th career game . The Avalanche once again reached the Western Conference Finals , but lost to the eventual Cup winning Detroit Red Wings . The following year Sakic appeared in only 58 games , and finished with just 58 points , the lowest total of his career . He rebounded the following year , finishing third in the league with 87 points . It also marked the first time since the 1993 – 94 season that his team did not win the division title , which was won by the Vancouver Canucks . Following the 2004 – 05 NHL lockout , the Avalanche were forced to lose many of their key players in order to stay below the salary cap . Even with the loss of teammates Peter Forsberg and Adam Foote , Sakic still helped the Avalanche get into the playoffs , where they eventually lost to the Anaheim Ducks in the conference semifinals . In June 2006 , Sakic signed a one - year , $ 5 . 75 million deal to keep him with the Avalanche for the 2006 – 07 season . Upon the retirement of Steve Yzerman a month later , on July 3 , 2006 , Sakic became the league leader for most NHL career points scored among active players . Sakic had another strong season in the 2006 – 07 . He scored his 600th career goal on February 15 , 2007 , against the Calgary Flames , becoming the 17th player in history to reach the milestone and third that year . On the final day of the regular season , he scored his 100th point , reaching the milestone for the sixth time in his career . At the same time , Sakic became the second - oldest NHL player to score 100 points in a season at age 37 , alongside hockey legend Gordie Howe . Despite his efforts as well as a late season charge , Sakic and the Avalanche missed the playoffs for the first time in 11 years , finishing one point behind the eighth placed Calgary Flames . In April 2007 , Sakic signed on for a 19th NHL season with the Colorado Avalanche , signing a one - year deal for the 2007 – 08 season . Sakic commented on the deal , saying " at this stage in my career , I prefer to do one - year deals as I evaluate my play year - to - year . " Upon signing Sakic to the deal , Avalanche General Manager François Giguère said , " Joe is the heart of this organization and his leadership and value to this team and especially our young players is unquestioned . " On May 1 , the NHL announced that Sakic was named as one of the three finalists of the Lady Byng Trophy , but it was eventually awarded to Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings . On October 7 , 2007 , he scored a goal and had an assist against the San Jose Sharks , moving past Phil Esposito into eighth place on the NHL career points list with 1 , 591 . Nineteen days later , Sakic scored a goal and assisted Ryan Smyth for an overtime game - winning goal against the Calgary Flames , reaching his 1 , 600th point in the NHL . On December 27 , 2007 , it was announced that Sakic underwent hernia surgery to accelerate the recovery of an injury that had forced him to miss the previous 12 games after a 232 consecutive games played streak . The operation caused him to miss a career high 38 games . He was activated off of the injured reserve on February 24 , and played that night , scoring an assist . On March 22 , 2008 , Sakic recorded his 1000th career assist against the Edmonton Oilers , becoming the 11th player in NHL history to reach this milestone . On June 21 , 2008 , Sakic had a talk with Colorado General Manager , François Giguère , and said that he is uncertain with his future with the Colorado Avalanche . However , it was announced on August 27 , 2008 , that Sakic decided to sign a one - year contract with the team . Injuries limited Sakic ' s playing time in 2008 – 09 . A herniated disk in his back forced him to stop playing in early November , after playing in fifteen games , in which Sakic scored twelve points . While at home letting his back heal , Sakic broke three fingers in a snow - blower accident . He announced his retirement on July 9 , 2009 The Avalanche retired his jersey , # 19 , prior to their 2009 – 10 season opener on October 1 , 2009 , with a " C " on the banner to represent his lengthy service as team captain ( 17 years as sole captain and one as a co - captain with the Nordiques / Avalanche franchise ) . Sakic was also named the inaugural member of the Avalanche Alumni Association . In 2012 , Sakic was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame . All - Star Games . Sakic was voted into the NHL All - Star Game thirteen times and played in twelve of them and was captain for two of them , the last in 2007 . He had at least one point in eleven of them . The only one that he missed entirely was the 1997 All - Star Game , due to an injury . Sakic won the Most Valuable Player award in the 2004 All - Star Game after scoring a hat trick , despite the Western Conference losing the game . He is the all - time assist leader in All - Star Games with 16 assists and is third place in all - time all - star scoring with 22 points , behind Mario Lemieux ( 23 points ) and Wayne Gretzky ( 25 points ) . His best record in an All - Star Game was in 2007 , when he scored four assists for the winning team ; however the MVP award was given to Danny Brière , who had a goal and four assists . International play . Sakic had an extensive international hockey career , representing Canada at seven international competitions . After being drafted by the Nordiques in 1987 , he went on and helped Canada win the 1988 World Junior Championship . His next tournament was the 1991 World Championships , where Canada won the silver medal and Sakic contributed eleven points in ten games . He tried out for the 1991 Canadian Canada Cup team , but was the first player to be cut , being cited for his weak leg strength . Sakic was bitter about the experience , feeling he was not given a good enough chance to prove himself , and called the whole experience " a complete waste of time . " Sakic ' s first successful professional tournament was the 1994 World Championships , where Canada won its first gold medal in the tournament since 1961 . Sakic ' s seven points in eight games were a crucial part of the team ' s success . During the 1996 World Cup of Hockey , he played only a minor role in Canada ' s second place finish as he scored one goal and two assists in six games . However the tournament allowed him to showcase that he was indeed a dominant player who had simply been overlooked . Sakic ' s first Olympic appearance came in 1998 at Nagano , Japan , after the event allowed NHL players to compete for the first time . Bothered by a knee injury , he only scored three points in four games , as the Canadian squad failed to meet expectations and finished in fourth . Sakic ' s second Olympic appearance came in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City , Utah . Led by his strong play , the Canadian team played their way to the gold medal match against Team USA , where Sakic had four points and helped the team win its first gold medal in 50 years . He was later named MVP of the tournament with a cumulative tally of four goals and six assists and became one of the first Canadian members of the Triple Gold Club . Sakic also played a part in Canada ' s triumph in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey , where he scored six points in six games . On December 21 , 2005 , Sakic was named captain of Team Canada for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin , Italy . Once again , Team Canada was heavily favored and given high expectations , but they failed to medal , finishing seventh overall . Sakic finished the tournament with three points . Personal life . Sakic and his wife Debbie have three children : Mitchell and twins Chase and Kamryn . They met at a local high school while he was playing in Swift Current , and they frequently return to the town during the off - season . Sakic is an avid golfer , and competed in the celebrity Pro Am golf tournament in Lake Tahoe in the summer of 2006 . Each summer , he also hosts his own charity golf tournament which benefits the Food Bank of the Rockies . His charity work , which is estimated to have provided more than 7 million meals to poor children and families , has earned an NHL Foundation Player Award in 2007 . In his hometown of Burnaby , Sakic was a fan favourite , and even has a street named " Joe Sakic Way " in his honour . Throughout British Columbia he is affectionately known as " Burnaby Joe " ; in Colorado , he is known simply as " Super Joe " . His younger brother Brian joined the Swift Current Broncos during Joe ' s final season with the team . He did , however , play for the Flint Generals of the United Hockey League . Legacy . Milestones . Sakic recorded his 1000th career point on December 27 , 1999 , against the St . Louis Blues . He became the eleventh player to reach 1500 points , doing so on October 25 , 2006 , with an assist against the Washington Capitals , and the sixth to do so with one franchise . Gordie Howe , Wayne Gretzky , Mario Lemieux , Raymond Bourque and Steve Yzerman are the others who have achieved this feat . On March 22 , 2008 , Sakic notched his 1 , 000th career assist against the Edmonton Oilers on a second period goal scored by Tyler Arnason . Sakic played his 1000th career game on March 9 , 2002 , against the Los Angeles Kings . His 500th career goal came against the Vancouver Canucks on December 11 , 2002 . In a February 15 , 2007 , game against the Calgary Flames , Sakic scored his 600th career goal . He also earned his 900th assist , the sixteenth player to do so , against the Flames , in a game on March 12 , 2006 . During the final game of the 2006 – 07 season , Sakic scored his 100th point of the year . This made him , at age 37 , the second oldest player in NHL history , after Gordie Howe , to record 100 points in a regular season . He is the only captain in Colorado Avalanche history and became the longest active tenured captain in the league , with fifteen seasons leading the Nordiques / Avalanche franchise , after the retirement of Steve Yzerman at the conclusion of the 2005 – 06 regular season . On March 22 , 2008 , against the Edmonton Oilers , Sakic recorded the 1000th assist of his career , the 11th player to do so . The gloves he wore in the game were later sent to the Hockey Hall of Fame . Alongside Bobby Clarke , Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier , Sakic is one of four players to captain his team to a Stanley Cup championship and win the Hart Memorial Trophy in the same year . Sakic is also one of twenty - two members in the Triple Gold Club , a term used in ice hockey to describe players who have won an Olympic Gold medal , a World Championship Gold medal and the Stanley Cup . Records . In his 20 - year career with the Nordiques and Avalanche , Sakic has obtained nearly all of the franchise scoring records , including most all - time goals ( 625 ) , assists ( 1016 ) , and points ( 1641 ) . He also holds the franchise record for most games played ( 1 , 363 ) , and is on several notable NHL record lists : Leadership . Throughout his career , Sakic was one of the top scorers in the league , but in his early years he was criticized for not leading his team to playoff success . While in Quebec , the Nordiques were one of the worst teams in the league , finishing last in their division five out of the seven years Sakic was with the team , including three straight years of being last overall in the league . After leading the Avalanche to the Stanley Cup in 1996 with his 34 playoff points , Sakic began to be seen as a leader capable of winning , and he was seen as one of the league ' s premier players . Though Sakic was a quiet individual , he was able to motivate his team to play at higher levels , which earned him the respect of his peers and executives . The first signs of Sakic ' s leadership began to show while still a member of the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL . After the bus crash that killed four of his teammates , Sakic was seen as the leader of the team , acknowledging that the experience changed his outlook on life . This was further proven during the summer of 1997 when the New York Rangers offered him a large contract , in order to replace captain Mark Messier ( who had left the team for the Vancouver Canucks ) , which under the rules of the NHL , the Avalanche were able to match . One of the most defining actions of Sakic ' s career was at the conclusion of the 2001 playoffs . Defying the NHL tradition of the captain being the first to skate around with the Stanley Cup , Sakic passed it off to teammate Ray Bourque . Bourque , one of the best defensemen to ever play , had been traded to the Avalanche the year before after spending 21 years with the Boston Bruins and setting the record for most games played without winning the Cup . Sakic ' s handing of the trophy to Bourque is seen as just another example of Sakic ' s leadership abilities and how he performs through actions rather than words .