10. Pierre Lacroix
General Manager (1994*-2006), President (2006-13), Advisor (2013-Present)
• Two-time Stanley Cup champion as GM (1996, 2001)
• Six conference finals appearances as GM
• 11 consecutive playoff appearances as GM (10 as Avalanche)
• 473-259-106-30 regular season record (443-246-101-30 as Avalanche)
“The number one thing about Pierre was passion. He was as passionate about his team and his guys and the way the team was going to play – he was an absolute genius as far as looking at his team and seeing what they needed next. There’s no better case in point, than Owen Nolan, who was an absolute superstar in the National Hockey League. And he gets traded for Sandis Ozolinsh. It was a one-for-one deal that had everyone saying, ‘What is he doing?’ But Ozolinsh was exactly what the team needed. And I’ll tell you what else Pierre was; he was an absolute riverboat gambler. The higher the stakes, the better he liked it. He loved those big deals. He loved bringing those players into the building – guys like Fleury, Blake, Bourque, who were going to excite the fans. He could make the subtle little changes here and there, but he loved giving the fans that he liked to watch. Take all of that, and he was one of the most passionate hockey men I ever met.” – Peter McNab, color analyst for the Colorado Avalanche
