'Special night': Avalanche raise third Cup banner

DENVER -- Bowen Byram and Alex Newhook were toddlers. Cale Makar was 3. Nathan MacKinnon was 6.

That is however agelong it has been since the Colorado Avalanche past hung a Stanley Cup banner successful Denver. Wednesday brought an extremity to that drought, with the squad raising the 3rd title banner successful franchise past astatine Ball Arena.

Fans roseate to their feet erstwhile Bernie, the Avalanche's mascot, skated astir the crystal portion waving a gigantic "Hockey is Back" emblem similar helium has galore times implicit the years. Players and coaches were introduced with each of them receiving beardown ovations. The loudest were reserved for Pavel Francouz, Erik Johnson, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen.

Avalanche skipper Gabriel Landeskog, who is connected injured reserve, was introduced to the astonishment of a fig of fans. Landeskog received a lasting ovation portion skating onto the crystal dressed successful his afloat gear.

The players remained connected the crystal erstwhile Blink-182's bassist and vocalist Mark Hoppus walked onto the crystal to hype up the crowd. Hoppus led the assemblage arsenic they sang his band's 2000 hit, "All The Small Things" which has go an anthem among Avalanche fans. They sang arsenic the arena video committee played a montage of fans celebrating the team's championship.

Landeskog past grabbed the Stanley Cup, lifted it implicit his caput and past received what mightiness person been the loudest absorption of the evening. He past acceptable the trophy down earlier joining his teammates truthful they could get successful presumption to ticker the banner spell into the rafters.

One subordinate who sat successful the region was Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Jack Johnson. He was a subordinate of past year's squad that won the title. He remained connected the seat for the bulk of the ceremonial earlier taking his spot with his erstwhile teammates. They each stood limb successful limb to ticker the banner instrumentality its spot adjacent to the team's erstwhile titles from the 1995-96 and the 2000-01 seasons.

"It's going to beryllium chill to instrumentality it each in," Avalanche halfway Alex Newhook said earlier the game. "But we besides cognize it is the extremity of celebrations and we cognize that we person to beryllium ready."

Every banner-raising ceremonial comes with its ain level of anticipation. For the Avalanche, it started astatine greeting skate. Players walked into a brand-new dressing country and were instantly met with questions astir an evening that had been years successful the making. It continued erstwhile the players arrived astatine the arena and past took portion successful a ceremonial that saw them locomotion down a reddish carpet surrounded by fans.

That is besides astir the aforesaid clip Hoppus arrived astatine Ball Arena. He drew a fewer treble takes from arena workers and anyone other who was astir erstwhile helium walked passim the hallways portion wearing a bluish Los Angeles Rams hoodie. Hoppus past met with the arena's amusement and accumulation squad who walked him done his portion successful the ceremony.

Blink-182's classical deed started becoming an in-game contented aboriginal successful the 2019-20 season. It would beryllium played betwixt sequences and eventually, the assemblage kept singing agelong aft the opus ended and play continued.

Hoppus said helium archetypal became alert of it aft seeing a tweet from a instrumentality saying helium should cheque retired however the Avalanche was utilizing Blink's iconic song.

"It's insane. We wrote that opus successful '99 and present 23 years later, radical are inactive singing it," Hoppus said. "People imitate (guitarist/singer Tom DeLonge's) voice. It's a full thing. It's taken a beingness of its ain beyond america and our band. It fills maine with joy."

Hoppus said helium did not get a accidental to ticker the Avalanche's full playoff run. But helium was capable to ticker Game 6 erstwhile they clinched the rubric against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

"We tried to travel retired astatine 1 constituent during the Stanley Cup finals and our level had mechanical issues and we weren't capable to instrumentality off," said Hoppus, a time aft the set announced they were reuniting and were going to merchandise a caller album.

The NHL reached retired to Hoppus and asked if helium would similar to person an progressive relation successful the ceremony. Hoppus said helium was "overjoyed to beryllium asked" and person a portion successful what was an important nighttime for the franchise.

Planning the ceremonial started soon aft the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup, said Steve Johnston, the enforcement shaper and enforcement for crippled presumption for Kroenke Sports & Entertainment.

Johnston said his squad instantly went to enactment aft the Avs won the Stanley Cup. They started producing the videos that were played during the ceremonial portion besides moving connected different details similar getting a peculiar winch that allowed them to rise the banner implicit the netting on the solid and into the rafters adjacent to the different banners.

But determination were immoderate details that were sorted retired overmuch later. One of them being however progressive Landeskog would beryllium successful the ceremonial fixed helium is inactive recovering from an injury. Another item was uncovering clip to rehearse the ceremony. Johnston said Ball Arena had specified a engaged docket that his squad lone had 1 banner-raising rehearsal. They were capable to rehearse 1 much clip Wednesday day a fewer hours aft the Blackhawks concluded their greeting skate.

"We utilized the 2001 banner to rise due to the fact that we didn't privation anyone taking pictures of the caller banner conscionable successful case," Johnston said. "The full summertime has gone into readying this peculiar night."