The Best Moment in Hockey History (HD)

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Of all the things Joe Sakic accomplished in his hockey-playing career – two Stanley Cup championships, Olympic gold medal – the scene that most people remember is a pass. More precisely, a handoff. It happened on June 9, 2001, the night the Colorado Avalanche won their second Stanley Cup championship in five years.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman presented Sakic, the Avalanche captain, with the Stanley Cup. They posed for a moment on the red carpet, then Sakic turned and handed the Cup to Raymond Bourque, so he could be the first to raise the Cup over his head. Bourque had never won the Stanley Cup in a 22-year career. Sakic had, five years earlier. It could have been his moment again. Instead, he made it Bourque’s moment.

“And that speaks to the unselfishness of Joe Sakic,” reflected Rob Blake, who played with Sakic on both Stanley Cup and Olympic championship teams. “To be that great a player, you have to be very secure in yourself and in the way you play. I remember they talked about it at the back of the bus the night before Game 7 and I think Joe gave him a head’s-up, that if we were fortunate enough to win the Stanley Cup, he would let Ray take it. That’s one of the greatest Stanley Cup photos – of Ray with the Cup – and that’s directly a result of Joe.

“The other thing about Joe is, he played with a lot of superstars,” Blake added. “Not every superstar is so welcome to having other superstars with them, because they might not get as much power-play time or stuff like that. But if you look at the history of the Avalanche, never was that ever a question with Joe. Whether it be Patrick Roy or Adam Foote or Peter Forsberg or Bourque or [Valeri] Kamensky, [Theo] Fleury – you name all these guys who they added in deadline deals, never once was there a question of who the main guy on that team was.

“It was always Joe’s team.”

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