Burnaby’s Joe Sakic wins third Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche

It was a huge night for Burnaby’s Joe Sakic, as he won his third Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday.

Sakic, who is also known as “Burnaby Joe,” served as the Avalanche’s team captain during their Stanley Cup wins in 1996 and 2001. Yesterday, he hoisted the cup as their general manager.

He became the fourth person since the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68) to win a Stanley Cup as a player and general manager.

In a post-game interview, Sakic described the win as “amazing.”

“It was electric. … We’re excited for the entire fanbase of Colorado. They’ve been waiting for this for a long time, and it’s coming home, which is an amazing feeling. This group, all year, they battled, competed, stuck together, and had this one goal in mind, and it’s just a tremendous group of players,” he said.

The Avalanche clinched the cup with a 2-1 road win—and an overall 4-2 series win—over the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Amalie Arena on Sunday.

Colorado went 16-4 in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the team’s performance included sweeps in the first-round conference final and six-game wins in the second round and final.