A sea of proud and teary-eyed Joe Sakic fans stood, clapped and cried Thursday night during the longtime Avalanche captain’s on-ice farewell.

Among the many patrons wearing a Sakic sweater was Philip Hill, who traveled from Bloomington, Ind., for the celebration of Denver’s greatest hockey star.

“I’ve enjoyed Mr. Sakic in all his years. He’s a great guy, great for the community and a great player,” said Hill, 58, donning Sakic’s Quebec Nordiques jersey. “He’s not a typical pro athlete with a big head and all the things you don’t like about pro athletes now. He’s none of those. He’s great.”

The retiring of No. 19’s sweater doesn’t mean you won’t continue to see No. 19 sweaters in the stands during Avs games. In fact, No. 19 might be more popular now than ever.

Click here to read the full article – By Mike Chambers of Denver Post

---

Colorado Avalanche Sports Memorabilia
and other Colorado Avalanche Autographs
Below are links to memorabilia available for Joe Sakic.

Joe Sakic Autographed Memorabilia

It will be quite the spectacle: Joe Sakic, accepting the retirement of his number 19 to the rafters, then skating with a lit torch and passing it to Matt Duchene. How’s that for symbolism?

No, that second part won’t actually happen. But in a symbolic sense it will, when the Avalanche honors its franchise icon before tonight’s season opener, then watches its 18-year-old center begin the enormous job of trying to fill Sakic’s skates.

The Avalanche begins the post-Sakic era at 8 p.m. against the defending NHL Presidents’ Trophy winner San Jose Sharks, preceded by ceremonies for the retired Avs captain starting at 6:45.

The Avs have invited all “vested” alumni — former Quebec/Colorado teammates with a minimum 80 games played — to attend the festivities. Former teammates such as Peter Forsberg and Mike Keane will be on hand, and it won’t shock anybody if a Patrick Roy or Ray Bourque makes an appearance, although the Avs wouldn’t disclose those expected to be on hand.

Click here to read the full article – By Adrian Dater of Denver Post

---

Colorado Avalanche Sports Memorabilia
and other Colorado Avalanche Gifts and Collectibles
Below are links to memorabilia available for Joe Sakic.

Joe Sakic Memorabilia

Stoic Joe Sakic finally cracked, allowing for a rare show of emotion. Delivering a speech that had kept him up most of the night fretting, the longtime Colorado Avalanche captain broke down, his voice betraying him as he stared into a room packed with family, friends and teammates — even the governor of the state.

Sakic officially hung up his skates Thursday, ending his standout 20-year career. Try as he might, he simply couldn’t get through his prepared speech without choking up.

“So many great memories,” Sakic said, fighting back tears. The pride of Burnaby, British Columbia, Sakic had hoped to play one more season, possibly culminating his career by suiting up for Canada at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. His body simply wouldn’t allow it.

Click here to read the full article and video – By Associated Press and ESPN.com

---

Colorado Avalanche Sports Memorabilia
and other Colorado Avalanche Gifts and Collectibles
Below are links to memorabilia available for Joe Sakic.

Joe Sakic Memorabilia

Joe Sakic, the Colorado Avalanche’s longtime captain who led the team to two Stanley Cup titles, will retire Thursday and end his 20-year NHL career, a source told ESPN.com’s Pierre LeBrun on Tuesday.

The Associated Press first reported that Sakic, a 13-time All-Star, will formally announce his decision Thursday in a news conference. Sakic, who turned 40 on Tuesday, has been the face of the franchise since the team relocated to Denver from Quebec in 1995. He teamed with Patrick Roy, Peter Forsberg and Adam Foote to capture the Stanley Cup in 1996 and 2001. He also led Team Canada to an Olympic gold medal in 2002.

Click here to read the full article – By The Associated Press and Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.com

---

Colorado Avalanche Sports Memorabilia
and other Colorado Avalanche Gifts and Collectibles
Below are links to memorabilia available for Joe Sakic.

Joe Sakic Memorabilia