Avalanche Honoring Pierre Lacroix in 2020-21 Season

The Colorado Avalanche will honor former team president and general manager Pierre Lacroix with 'PL' decals on the players' helmets and on the dasher boards along the ice.
Lacroix was the architect of the Avalanche's two Stanley Cup championships, which included the city of Denver's first major sports title in 1996. He was instrumental in not only the team's on-ice success but also building the Avalanche brand into what it is today, and his legacy reaches far beyond the NHL level and his impact can be felt throughout all of youth hockey in the Rocky Mountain region.
The decal and dasher boards will be on display for the first time on Wednesday when the Avs open the 2020-21 season against the St. Louis Blues at Ball Arena. Prior to puck drop, the Avalanche will hold a brief ceremony and moment of silence in honor of Lacroix. The organization will further honor its architect in the 2021-22 season when fans can be in the arena to help recognize his legacy to the Denver community.

"That was a tough loss for everyone to hear. He was such a special person, special to our organization," Avalanche executive vice president and general manager Joe Sakic said. "It's something that we have in the works… We've been talking about how to honor him in the right way and the way to do that is with fans. We're all looking forward to the 2021-21 season where we could rightfully honor him."
Lacroix passed away on Dec. 13 at the age of 72 in Las Vegas, Nevada, his primary residence in recent years.
Hired as the organization's general manager on May 24, 1994, the former player agent led the then-Quebec Nordiques to a Northeast Division title (30-13-5 record, 65 points) in his first year at the helm during a shortened 48-game season in 1994-95. He transferred with the club when it moved to Colorado in 1995 and went on to win division titles with the Avalanche in each of the next eight seasons (1995-96 to 2002-03).
Overall, Lacroix spent 19 years overseeing the Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques franchise, leading as general manager from 1994-95 to 2005-06 and also as team president from 1996-97 to 2012-13. He retired following the 2013-14 campaign after serving as an advisor to Sakic, who was in his first campaign as the executive vice president of hockey operations.
"I learned a lot from Pierre in my playing days and especially when I transitioned from being a player into the management role," said Sakic. "I would say the one thing that everyone knew about Pierre was you never knew what he was doing. He kept things close to his vest and never let too many people in on what he was trying to do. That is the one thing we try and take (from him) is not let too many people in on what we're trying to do. We feel that is the best thing for the organization and obviously your players because once rumors are out there, you don't want that for your players."
The players will wear the 'PL' decals on their helmets throughout the season, the 25th that the Avalanche has been in Denver.