Landeskog opens up about Colorado's rise from rock bottom to the Stanley Cup Final

The Colorado Avalanche will appear in their first Stanley Cup Final game on Wednesday since 2001 and captain Gabriel Landeskog has played a big role in helping them get to this point, along with Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen of course.

It's taken a very long time for the Avalanche to return to the Stanley Cup Final and their path has been a rollercoaster over the last six seasons. Six seasons ago, they finished last in the entire National Hockey League with a record of 22-56-4. To put in perspective how bad they were that season, in the NHL standings, Colorado had 48 points and the second-last team was the New Jersey Devils with 70.

In the years since that disastrous season, the Avalanche have had three second round exits and one first round exit. But they've finally gotten over the hump and are four wins away from the pinnacle of the sport.

Landeskog says that back in the 2016-17 season, he'd be lying if he thought this team would be in a Stanley Cup Final, but their resiliency and hard work over the last several years are big reasons why they're here.

The Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning will open the 2022 Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday (June 15th) at 8 p.m. ET.

From "rock bottom" to the #StanleyCup Final, @Avalanche captain @GabeLandeskog92 has seen it all and is ready to lead his team into Game 1. #NHLStats

📺: Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS, CBC pic.twitter.com/IbGosXGwpU— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 12, 2022

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