The Avalanche found immediate success upon moving to Colorado, and a lot can be credited to team captain Joe Sakic. In 1996, their first season in their new home, the team won the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history. Thanks to a 34-point performance, Sakic received the Conn Smythe trophy as the most valuable player in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The individual and team success didn’t stop there, as Sakic’s 118-point season in 2000-01 earned him the Hart Memorial Trophy as the regular season’s most valuable player and earned the Avalanche the President’s trophy for the best regular season record in the NHL. Colorado went on to win their second Stanley Cup in franchise history that season to help cement Sakic’s hall-of-fame status. To this day, he is widely considered the best player in franchise history, as his many accomplishments are hard to top.

This image is autographed by Joe Sakic with a black paint pen. Sakic’s signature was witnessed by an Upper Deck representative as part of UDA’s 5-step authentication process.