The Quebec Nordiques were founded in 1972 as one of the charter franchises of the World Hockey Association.

The Colorado Avalanche were founded in 1979 as the Quebec Nordiques before relocating to Colorado in 1995. The team has won two Stanley Cup championships in 1996 and 2001.

The Quebec Nordiques joined the NHL in 1979 as a result of the NHL–WHA merger.

The Quebec Nordiques were a professional ice hockey team that later became the Colorado Avalanche after relocating to Denver. Their history includes being the original franchise before moving to Colorado.

In July 1995, the struggling Quebec Nordiques were purchased by COMSAT Entertainment Group and relocated to Denver. The team was renamed the Colorado Avalanche, marking the beginning of a new era for the franchise.

The Colorado Avalanche played their inaugural game in Denver at the McNichols Sports Arena, defeating the Detroit Red Wings 3-2. This marked the return of NHL hockey to Denver after a 13-year absence.

The Colorado Avalanche's sell-out streak began on November 9, 1995, during the 1995-96 season at the McNichols Sports Arena, lasting for 487 consecutive home games.

Patrick Roy, the All-Star goaltender from the Montreal Canadiens, joined the Colorado Avalanche in a trade. His addition strengthened the team significantly.

The Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in the 1995-96 season, defeating the Florida Panthers in a 4-0 series sweep. This victory marked the franchise's first Stanley Cup win.

During the summer of 1997, Joe Sakic signed a three-year, $21 million offer sheet with the New York Rangers, which led to the Avalanche having to match the offer or let go of Sakic, ultimately resulting in a salary raise for NHL players.

In 1998, the Avalanche sent 10 players representing seven countries, along with head coach Marc Crawford, to the Winter Olympics ice hockey tournament in Nagano, Japan. Milan Hejduk won gold with Czech Republic, Alexei Gusarov and Valeri Kamensky won silver with Russia, and Jari Kurri won bronze with Finland.

After the 1997-98 season, head coach Marc Crawford rejected the Avalanche's offer of a two-year contract. Bob Hartley was then hired as the new head coach in June 1998.

In the 1999-2000 season, the Colorado Avalanche played their first game at the new Pepsi Center, which cost US$160 million. Milan Hejduk scored the first goal in a victory against the Boston Bruins.

On March 6, 2000, the Boston Bruins traded Ray Bourque and Dave Andreychuk to the Colorado Avalanche for players and a draft pick. Bourque, a Hall of Famer, requested the trade for a chance to win the Stanley Cup.

In the 2001-02 NHL season, the Colorado Avalanche reached the NHL Conference Finals but unfortunately lost the series. The team had a strong performance throughout the season.

The Avalanche faced the defending champion New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup Finals and managed to come back from a 3-2 series deficit to win the series 4-3. This victory marked the second consecutive year that defending champions lost in the Finals.

During the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, several Colorado Avalanche players represented their respective countries and won gold medals in the ice hockey tournament. This achievement added to the team's success and international recognition.

The Colorado Avalanche had a successful NHL season in 2002-03, finishing with a record of 42 wins, 28 losses, and 12 overtime losses. They had a winning percentage of 0.640 and scored 251 goals during the season. Despite their strong performance, they lost in round 1 of the playoffs.

Despite advancing to the Western Conference Finals for the fourth consecutive season, the Avalanche faced a defeat against the Detroit Red Wings. This loss marked the end of their playoff run for that season.

Peter Forsberg of the Colorado Avalanche had an outstanding 2002-03 season, winning the Art Ross Trophy as the leading scorer, the Hart Memorial Trophy as the most valuable player, and sharing the NHL Plus/Minus Award with teammate Milan Hejduk. Hejduk also won the Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy for the leading goal scorer.

In July 2004, Joel Quenneville was appointed as the head coach of the Colorado Avalanche, taking over from Tony Granato who transitioned to an assistant coach role.

During the 2005-06 NHL season, the Colorado Avalanche had a record of 43 wins, 30 losses, and 9 overtime losses, with a winning percentage of 0.579. They scored 283 goals under the coaching of Joel Quenneville. Despite their efforts, the team was eliminated in round 2 of the playoffs.

The Colorado Avalanche were eliminated from the playoffs in the 2006-07 season after a 4-2 loss to the Nashville Predators on April 7, with former player Peter Forsberg assisting the game-winning goal scored by another former player, Paul Kariya.

The Colorado Avalanche's 487-game sell-out streak ended on October 16, 2006, during a game against the Chicago Blackhawks, with the Pepsi Center under capacity by 326 seats.

On September 12, 2007, the Colorado Avalanche debuted their new version of the Reebok EDGE jerseys at a press conference. The design of the jerseys was similar to the previous ones, with some added piping.

On February 25, 2008, Peter Forsberg, an unrestricted free agent, signed with the Avalanche for the remainder of the 2007-08 season.

On May 9, 2008, the Avalanche announced that Joel Quenneville would not return to coach the team next season.

Two weeks after Quenneville's departure, Tony Granato was named head coach of the Avalanche for the second time.

On April 13, 2009, the Avalanche relieved Francois Giguere of his general manager duties.

In the 2009 off-season, Joe Sakic, the long-time team captain, retired after 21 seasons in the NHL.

On November 14, 2009, the Colorado Avalanche wore a new third jersey for the first time during a home game against the Vancouver Canucks. This jersey was primarily steel blue and featured burgundy patches on the shoulders with the 'A' logo inside.

The 2010-11 NHL season saw the Colorado Avalanche, coached by Joe Sacco, miss out on the playoffs.

On October 8, 2011, Gabriel Landeskog made his NHL debut with the Colorado Avalanche against the Red Wings.

On October 10, 2011, the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Boston Bruins with Semyon Varlamov posting a shutout, securing the team's first win of the season.

Gabriel Landeskog was named the fourth captain of the Avalanche at the age of 19 years and 286 days, becoming the youngest captain in NHL history at that time.

After a disappointing 2012–13 season, head coach Joe Sacco was relieved of his duties by the Colorado Avalanche.

Former long-time Avalanche captain and Hockey Hall of Famer Joe Sakic was named Executive Vice President of hockey operations for the Colorado Avalanche.

Patrick Roy returned to the Avalanche as head coach and Vice President of hockey operations, with Joe Sakic overseeing all matters involving hockey personnel.

In the 2013–14 season, the Avalanche returned to the playoffs, finishing first in the Central Division under coach Patrick Roy, but were eliminated in the First Round.

In 2015, the Colorado Avalanche unveiled a new alternate logo featuring the insignia taken from the Colorado state flag and re-colored to match the team's color scheme. This new logo replaced the original foot of a Yeti logo that had been used on their jerseys since 1995.

After failing to qualify for the playoffs following the 2015–16 season, Patrick Roy resigned from his posts as head coach and Vice President of hockey operations for the Colorado Avalanche.

Jared Bednar was appointed as the head coach of the Colorado Avalanche on August 31, 2016.

On December 10, 2016, the Colorado Avalanche suffered a devastating 10-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, marking a low point in their season.

On November 5, 2017, the Colorado Avalanche traded Matt Duchene to the Ottawa Senators in a three-team trade, acquiring key players and draft picks in return.

On November 18, 2018, the Colorado Avalanche achieved their 1,000th win in team history by defeating the Ducks in overtime.

On May 2, 2019, an agreement was reached between the City of Denver and KSE to ensure both the Avalanche and Nuggets would remain in the city until 2040.

In March 2020, the NHL season was paused due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, with the Colorado Avalanche sitting at 2nd in their division.

After dominating the regular season in 2020–21, the Colorado Avalanche won the Presidents’ Trophy for best overall record. Despite high expectations for the postseason, the team lost in the second round for the third consecutive season.

On June 26, 2022, the Colorado Avalanche clinched their third Stanley Cup in franchise history by defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games.

On November 21, 2022, the Avalanche wore the 'Reverse Retro' uniforms against the Dallas Stars, featuring the blue, red, and gold colors from the Colorado state flag.

In the 2023 playoffs, the Colorado Avalanche, despite finishing as division champions, were upset by the Seattle Kraken in seven games in the First Round.