Snow avalanche roars over sandy beaches of the stormy Tampa Bay coast! Woohoo!
What a difference a few years can make! Back in 2016/17, after not qualifying for the playoffs the previous two seasons, the Avalanche finished the season dead last in the entire league winning only 48 points in 82 games (the second worst team that year, Vancouver Canucks, scored 69 points!).
Even worse, they lost in the draft lottery, pushing them down to pick #4 of the 2017 draft. But who did they still select as their highest pick that year? Cale Makar, awarded as the MVP of the playoffs and the best defenceman of the league this year...
That 2016/17 season marked a turnaround in their history and in just a few years, the Avalanche quickly became one of the teams favoured to win the Cup. Yet something was still missing in the playoffs - one year both goaltenders got injured, next year they unbelievably blew the 2-0 lead in the series against Vegas. But this year, they were finally not to be denied.
The Cup is in the hands of a deserving team and nothing against the Bolts, they are undoubtedly a great team, too, but it's only good that also players from another team and their fans get to experience this feeling of victory. Go Avalanche!