Colorado Rockies (ice hockey)

Colorado Rockies
founding	1974
history	Kansas City Scouts 1974 - 1976 Colorado Rockies 1976 - 1982 New Jersey Devils since 1982
Stadion	McNichols Sports Arena
Location	Denver , Colorado
Team colors	blue, red, white, yellow
Stanley Cups	no
Conference title	no
Division title	no

The Colorado Rockies were an ice hockey team of the North American Ice Hockey League National Hockey League , which was based in Denver , Colorado from 1976 to 1982 . Founded in 1974 as Kansas City Scouts , the team moved to Colorado in 1976 before relocating to New Jersey in 1982 .

history

After rumors that the financially troubled California Golden Seals wanted to relocate to Denver, it was the Kansas City Scouts who moved to the previously untapped Colorado ice hockey market and renamed themselves the Colorado Rockies.

The team was to be at home in Denver for six years, albeit without particularly standing out in the NHL. Once the Rockies were able to reach the playoffs , but there was no victory in the finals. The team couldn't achieve much with a mediocre squad. Barry Beck , who set a record for the most goals scored by a newcomer to the NHL in his rookie season, provided some bright spots. With Lanny McDonald they had a prominent player in the team for about two years, but who could not lead the team to success on their own.

The Denver crowd was good, but the team's financial position remained unstable as the team changed hands twice in four years. Eventually, John McMullen bought the team in 1982 and announced that he had big plans for the franchise , albeit in New Jersey . So the team was relocated to New Jersey in the summer of 1982, where it was named New Jersey Devils . The team was not particularly successful in the 1980s, but from 1990 onwards, with one exception, it was always in the playoffs and from the mid-1990s onwards it won the Stanley Cup several times .

The last active player to play for the Rockies was Joe Cirella , who retired from the NHL in 1996 and joined the Kölner Haien - the year the Colorado Avalanche won their first Stanley Cup in their first season. No NHL team played in Colorado from 1982 to 1995.

There has been an MLB baseball team since 1993 , also called the Colorado Rockies .

Season statistics

Abbreviations: GP = games, W = wins, L = defeats, T = draws, OTL = defeats after overtime , SOL = defeats after shootout , Pts = points, GF = goals scored, GA = goals conceded, PIM = penalty minutes

season	GP	W.	L.	T	OTL	SOL	Pts	GF	GA	PIM	space	Playoffs
1976/77	80	20th	46	14th	-	-	54	226	307	978	5th, Smythe Division	not qualified
1977/78	80	19th	40	21st	-	-	59	257	305	818	2nd, Smythe Division	Losing in the preliminary round, 0-2 ( Philadelphia )
1978/79	80	15th	53	12	-	-	42	210	331	838	4th, Smythe Division	not qualified
1979/80	80	19th	48	13	-	-	51	234	308	1020	6th, Smythe Division	not qualified
1980/81	80	22nd	45	13	-	-	57	258	344	1418	4th, Smythe Division	not qualified
1981/82	80	18th	49	13	-	-	49	241	362	1138	5th, Smythe Division	not qualified
total	480	113	281	86	-	-	312	1426	1957	6210		1 playoff participation 1 series: 0 wins, 1 defeat, 2 games: 0 wins, 2 defeats

Franchise records

• Most games: Mike Kitchen 354 games in 6 seasons.
• Most goals: Wilf Paiement 106 goals
• Most templates: Wilf Paiement 148 templates
• Most points: Wilf Paiement 254 points (106 goals + 148 assists)
• Most penalty minutes: Rob Ramage 529 penalty minutes
• Most shutouts : Bill McKenzie , Doug Favell , Bill Oleschuk one shutout each
• Most games as goalkeeper: Michel Plasse 126 games (24 wins)

• Most goals in one season: Wilf Paiement 41 goals ( NHL 1976/77 )
• Most assists in one season: Wilf Paiement 56 assists ( NHL 1977/78 )
• Most points in one season: Wilf Paiement 87 points (31 goals + 56 assists; NHL 1977/78 )
• Most points as a rookie: Barry Beck 60 points (22 goals + 38 assists; NHL 1977/78 )
• Most penalty minutes in a season: Rob Ramage 201 penalty minutes ( NHL 1981/82 )

Trainer

Period Trainer 1976/77 Johnny Wilson 1977/78 - 1978/79 Pat Kelly 1978/79 Aldo Guidolin

Period Trainer 1979/80 Don Cherry 1980/81 Bill MacMillan 1981/82 Bert Marshall

Period Trainer 1981/82 Marshall Johnston

General manager

Period General manager 1976/77 - 1980/81 Ray Miron 1981/82 Bill MacMillan

Team captains

• Simon Nolet 1976-77
• Wilf Paiement 1977-78
• Gary Croteau 1978-79
• Mark Christie , René Robert , Lanny McDonald 1979-80
• Lanny McDonald 1980-81
• Lanny McDonald, Rob Ramage 1981-82

Top 10 voting rights in the NHL Amateur / Entry Draft

• 1976 : Paul Gardner (11th position)
• 1977 : Barry Beck (2nd position)
• 1978 : Mike Gillis (5th position)
• 1979 : Rob Ramage (1st position)
• 1980 : Paul Gagné (19th position)
• 1981 : Joe Cirella (5th position)