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{{short description|Canadian ice hockey player, executive (b. 1969)}}
{{Infobox Ice Hockey Player
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2020}}
| team= ]<br />]
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
| league = ]
| position = ] {{Infobox ice hockey player
| shoots = Left | name = Joe Sakic
| halloffame = 2012
| image = Joe sakic.jpg
| caption = Sakic with the ] in 1997
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1969|7|7}}
| birth_place = ], British Columbia, Canada
| height_ft = 5 | height_ft = 5
| height_in = 11 | height_in = 11
| weight_lb = 195 | weight_lb = 195
| position = ]
| nationality = CAN
| shoots = Left
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1969|07|7}}
| played_for = ]<br />]
| birth_place = ], ], ]
| ntl_team = CAN
| draft = 15th overall | draft = 15th overall
| draft_year = 1987 | draft_year = 1987
| draft_team = ] | draft_team = ]
| career_start = 1988 | career_start = 1988
| career_end = 2009
| image = Joe sakic.jpg
| image_size = 230px
}} }}


'''Joseph Steve Sakic''' ({{IPAEng|ˈsɑːkɨk}}<ref>Emrick, Mike (2002). . Retrieved on ].</ref>) (born July 7, 1969) is a ] professional ] ], who has played his entire ] career with the ]/] franchise. In his 19-year tenure, Sakic has won the ] twice, various NHL trophies, and has been voted into 13 ]s. Named ] of the team in 1992, he is regarded as one of the strongest team leaders in the league's history,<ref name="Rocky Mountain News"/> and has been able to motivate his team throughout his career to play at a winning level.<ref name="Canadian Gold">{{cite book | last = Podnieks | first = Andrew | title = Canadian Gold 2002: Making Hockey History | year = 2002 | publisher = Fenn Publishing Company Ltd. | location = Bolton, Ontario | page = 144}}</ref> '''Joseph Steven Sakic''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|æ|k|ᵻ|k}};<ref>{{cite web|last=Emrick |first=Mike |title=NHL Pronunciation Guide 19th annual edition 2002–03 season |publisher=National Hockey League |year=2002 |url=http://www.nhl.com/intheslot/read/impact/november/PronGuideTeam.pdf |page=11 |access-date=December 2, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120904003244/http://www.nhl.com/intheslot/read/impact/november/PronGuideTeam.pdf |archive-date=September 4, 2012 }}</ref> ({{IPA|hr|ʃakitɕ}}<ref>{{cite web |author=Dražen Brajdić |date=June 8, 2006 |title=Bilo kuda, Hrvati svuda |url=http://www.vecernji.hr/newsroom/sports/more/496937/index.do?show=all |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017151942/http://vecernji.hr/newsroom/sports/more/496937/index.do?show=all |archive-date=October 17, 2007 |access-date=September 20, 2007 |publisher=] |language=hr}}</ref>) born July 7, 1969) is a Canadian professional ] executive and former player. He played his entire 21-year ] (NHL) career, which lasted from 1988 to 2009, with the ]/] franchise. Named ] of the team in ] (after serving as a co-captain in ]), Sakic is regarded as one of the greatest team leaders in league history<ref name="Rocky Mountain News"/> and was able to consistently motivate his team to play at a winning level.<ref name="Canadian Gold">{{cite book|last=Podnieks|first=Andrew|title=Canadian Gold 2002: Making Hockey History|url=https://archive.org/details/canadiangold200200podn|url-access=registration|year=2002|publisher=Fenn Publishing Company Ltd.|location=Bolton, Ontario|page=|isbn=9781551682686}}</ref> Nicknamed "'''Burnaby Joe'''", Sakic was named to play in 13 ]s and selected to the NHL First All-Star Team at ] three times. Sakic led the Avalanche to ] titles in 1996 and 2001, earning the ] in the ]. In 2001, Sakic earned both the ] and ] as MVP of the NHL.<ref name="Recordbook"/> He is one of six players to participate in the first two of the team's Stanley Cup victories and won the Stanley Cup a third time with the Avalanche in ] while serving as the team's general manager. Sakic became the third person, after ] and ], to win the Stanley Cup with the same franchise as a player and general manager.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://thehockeywriters.com/colorado-avalanche-sakic-importance/ |title=What Joe Sakic Means to the Avalanche
|date=July 7, 2022 |first=Colin |last=Newby |website=thehockeywriters.com}}</ref>


Over the course of his career, Sakic has been one of the most productive forwards in the game, having twice scored 50 goals and earning at least 100 points in six different seasons. His ], considered to be one of the best in the NHL, has been the source of much of his production.<ref name="TSN Bio">{{Cite web|url=http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/teams/players/bio/?id=831&hubname=nhl-avalanche|title=Joe Sakic Statistics on TSN.ca|accessdate=2007-04-09|publisher=TSN.com|year=2007|author=TSN.com}}</ref> At the conclusion of the ], he was the 8th all-time points leader in the NHL, as well as 14th in all-time goals<ref name="500 goals">{{Cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?articleid=343977&page=NewsPage&service=page|title=NHL 500-Goal Scorers |accessdate=2007-11-21|publisher=NHL.com|year=2007|author=Associated Press}}</ref> and 11th in all-time assists.<ref name="100 Points"/> During the ], Sakic helped lead ] to its first gold medal in 50 years, and was voted as the tournament's most valuable player.<ref name="Canadian Gold"/> He has represented the team in six other international competitions, including the ] and ] Winter Olympics. After the ], Sakic was named the MVP of the NHL by the ] and his ].<ref name="Recordbook"/> Over his career, Sakic was one of the most productive forwards in the game, scoring 50 goals twice and earning at least 100 points in six different seasons. Sakic's ], considered one of the best in the NHL, was the source of much of his production as goalies around the league feared his rapid snap-shot release.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/27171-Top-Shelf-Its-all-in-the-wrist-not-mouth-for-Sakic.html|title=Top Shelf: It's all in the wrist – not mouth – for Sakic|last=Dixon|first=Ryan|date=July 8, 2009|work=The Hockey News|access-date=July 26, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090712142541/http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/27171-Top-Shelf-Its-all-in-the-wrist-not-mouth-for-Sakic.html|archive-date=July 12, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> At the conclusion of the ], Sakic was the eighth ] in the NHL, as well as 14th in all-time goals<ref name="500 goals">{{cite news|url=http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=417887|title=NHL 500-Goal Scorers |access-date=November 21, 2007|publisher=NHL.com|year=2007|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> and 11th in all-time assists.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/ice/careerstats.htm?fetchKey=00002ALLAAHAll&sort=assists&viewName=careerLeadersAllSeasons|title=NHL Career Assists Leaders|publisher=NHL.com|access-date=December 28, 2009}}</ref> During the ], Sakic helped lead ] to its first ice hockey gold medal in 50 years and was voted as the tournament's MVP.<ref name="Canadian Gold"/> Sakic represented Team Canada in six other international competitions, including the ] and ] Winter Olympics.

Sakic retired from the NHL in 2009 and had his jersey number 19 retired prior to the Avalanche's ] opener.<ref name="Retired Jersey"/> In 2012, Sakic was inducted into the ]. In 2013, Sakic was inducted into the ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Sakic, Costello named to Canada Sports Hall of Fame|publisher=NHL.com|date=April 11, 2013|url=http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=665293|access-date=December 4, 2013}}</ref> In 2017, Sakic was named one of the ] in history.<ref>{{cite web|title=100 Greatest NHL Players|url=https://www.nhl.com/fans/nhl-centennial/100-greatest-nhl-players| website = NHL.com|access-date=January 27, 2017|date=January 27, 2017}}</ref> He was also inducted into the ] in 2017.

Following the end of his playing career, Sakic continued with the Avalanche organization in a management capacity, first serving as executive advisor and alternate governor from 2011 to 2013. Sakic was promoted to executive vice president of hockey operations on May 10, 2013, and named general manager the following year. After overseeing a team rebuild, culminating in the franchise's third Stanley Cup victory in 2022, Sakic won the ]. The team announced shortly thereafter that Sakic was being promoted to president of hockey operations.<ref name=THN220711>{{cite web|last=Ellis|first=Steven|title=Chris MacFarland becomes Avalanche GM, Sakic moves to Hockey Ops|website=]|url=https://thehockeynews.com/news/chris-macfarland-to-become-avalanche-gm-sakic-moves-to-hockey-ops|date=July 11, 2022|access-date=July 11, 2022}}</ref>


==Early life== ==Early life==
Sakic was born in ], ], to Marijan and Slavica Šakić <ref name="Encyclopedia">{{cite book|editor-last=Francis|editor-first=Daniel |title=Encyclopedia of British Columbia|year=2000|publisher=Harbour Publishing|location=Madeira Park, BC|isbn=1-55017-200-X|page=806}}</ref> ({{IPA|hr|ʃakitɕ}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vecernji.hr/newsroom/sports/more/496937/index.do?show=all|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017151942/http://vecernji.hr/newsroom/sports/more/496937/index.do?show=all|archive-date=October 17, 2007|title=Bilo kuda, Hrvati svuda|publisher=]|date=June 8, 2006|author=Dražen Brajdić|access-date=September 20, 2007|language=hr}}</ref>), immigrants from ].<ref>{{cite web|last=Merk|first=Martin|title=NHL history for Croatia|publisher=International Ice Hockey Federation|date=December 10, 2014|url=http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=9242&cHash=2f3123bf391669da167f53cc516b5b92|access-date=December 24, 2016}}</ref> Growing up in Burnaby,<ref>{{cite news|last=Pap|first=Elliott|title='Burnaby Joe' Sakic returns home for Giants honour|work=The Vancouver Sun|date=January 30, 2013|url=https://vancouversun.com/sports/canucks%20-%20hockey/burnaby-joe-sakic-returns-home-for-giants-honour|access-date=February 16, 2023}}</ref> Sakic did not learn to speak English until ], having been raised with ] as his ].<ref>{{cite news|last=Frei|first=Terry|title=Do you speak hockey?|work=The Denver Post|date=October 8, 2000|url=http://extras.denverpost.com/hockey/focus1008.htm|access-date=December 24, 2016}}</ref> At the age of four, Sakic attended his first NHL game, a match between the ] and ]. After watching the game, Sakic decided that he wanted to become a hockey player. As a smaller player, Sakic was forced to use skill rather than size to excel and modelled himself after his idol, ].<ref name="No Average Joe"/> After showing exceptional promise as a young hockey player, Sakic was referred to as a new Wayne Gretzky in the making.<ref name="Encyclopedia"/> Sakic scored 83 goals and 156 points in 80 games for Burnaby BC Selects <ref>{{Cite web |date=May 4, 2024 |title=Joe Sakic - Stats, Contract, Salary & More |url=https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/8862/joe-sakic |access-date=May 4, 2024 |website=Elite Prospects}}</ref> while attending school at ]. Soon after, he was added to the ] of the ] (WHL) for the last part of the ].<ref name="Sudden Death 113">{{cite book|last1=Culp|first1=Leesa|last2=Drinnan|first2=Gregg|last3=Wilkie|first3=Bob|title=Sudden Death: The Incredible Saga of the 1986 Swift Current Broncos|year=2012|publisher=Dundurn|location=Toronto|isbn=978-1459705449|page=113}}</ref>
Sakic was born in ] to Marijan and Slavica Sakic<ref name="Encyclopedia">{{cite book
| last = Francis
| first = Daniel (Editor)
| title = Encyclopedia of British Columbia
| year = 2000
| publisher = Harbour Publishing
| location = Madeira Park, BC
| id = ISBN 1-55017-200-X
| page = 806}}</ref> (originally Šakić, {{IPA2|ˈʃakiʨ}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vecernji.hr/newsroom/sports/more/496937/index.do?show=all|title=Bilo kuda, Hrvati svuda|publisher=]|date=2006-06-08|author=Dražen Brajdić|accessdate=2007-09-20|language=Croatian}}</ref>), immigrants from ].<ref name="GrowingUp"/> Growing up in Burnaby, he did not learn to speak ] well until ], having been raised with ] as his ]. This language barrier would make him a demure, quiet individual later in life.<ref name="GrowingUp">{{Cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/columns/wigge/sakic033006.html|title=Powers far beyond mortal men|accessdate=2006-09-19|publisher=NHL.com|year=2006|author=Wigge, Larry}}{{dead link|date=November 2008}}</ref> Growing up as the child of immigrants, Sakic was instilled with a strong work ethic, a trait which would serve him well in his hockey career.<ref name="GrowingUp"/> As a smaller player, he was forced to use skill rather than size to excel, and modeled himself after his idol, ].<ref name="No Average Joe"/> After showing exceptional promise as a young hockey player in Burnaby, Sakic was referenced as a new Wayne Gretzky in the making.<ref name="Encyclopedia"/> He scored 83 goals and 156 points in only 80 games for Burnaby, and was added to the ] of the ] for the last part of the ].<ref name="Legends of Hockey"/>


During the ], the Broncos relocated to ], becoming the ]. Sakic, playing in his first full season, was named Rookie of the Year of the WHL.<ref>{{cite web |title =Rookie of the Year - Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy|url =http://www.whl.ca/records/awards.php?id=55|publisher =]|accessdate =2007-09-18}}</ref> He notched 60 goals and 73 assists for 133 points. But while Sakic enjoyed success on the ice, he and his team faced a tragedy on the night of December 30, 1986. The Broncos were driving to a game against the ], and due to bad weather conditions, the bus crashed after the driver lost control on a patch of black ice outside of Swift Current. While Sakic was unharmed, four of his teammates (Trent Kresse, Scott Kruger, Chris Mantyka and Brent Ruff) were killed. This incident had a lasting impact on the young Sakic,<ref name="No Average Joe">{{Cite web During the ], the Broncos relocated to ], becoming the ]. Sakic, playing in his first full season, scored 60 goals and 73 assists for 133 points.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Culp|last2=Drinnan|last3=Wilkie|title=Sudden Death: The Incredible Saga of the 1986 Swift Current Broncos|pages=112–113}}</ref> These totals saw him named Rookie of the Year of the WHL.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Culp|last2=Drinnan|last3=Wilkie|title=Sudden Death: The Incredible Saga of the 1986 Swift Current Broncos|page=188}}</ref> But while Sakic enjoyed success on the ice, he and his team faced a tragedy on the night of December 30, 1986. The Broncos were driving to a game against the ] and due to bad weather conditions, the bus ] on a patch of black ice outside of Swift Current. While Sakic was unharmed, four of his teammates (Trent Kresse, Scott Kruger, Chris Mantyka, and Brent Ruff) were killed. This incident had a lasting impact on the young Sakic,<ref name="No Average Joe">{{cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=287938|title=No average Joe – Sakic quietly moving among NHL all-time greats men|access-date=January 28, 2007|publisher=]|year=2007|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> who declined to talk about the crash throughout his career.<ref name="Denial of Death">{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/eticket/story?lid=tab1pos1&lpos=spotlight&page=swiftcurrent&redirected=true|title=Denial of Death|access-date=April 9, 2007|publisher=ESPN|year=2007|author=Joyce, Gare}}</ref> The next year, in ], Sakic was named the ] and ]. He scored 160 points (78 goals, 82 assists), tying him with ] of the ] for the WHL scoring title.<ref name="Sudden Death 113"/><ref name="Canadian Gold"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Player of the Year – Four Broncos Memorial Trophy|url=http://whl.ca/records/awards.php?id=50|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071017172353/http://whl.ca/records/awards.php?id=50|archive-date=October 17, 2007|publisher=]|access-date =September 18, 2007}}</ref>
| url = http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?articleid=288049&page=NewsPage&service=page| title = No average Joe - Sakic quietly moving among NHL all-time greats men| accessdate = 2007-01-28| publisher = ]| year = 2007| author = ''Canadian Press''}}</ref> who has declined to talk about the crash during his career.<ref name="Denial of Death">{{Cite web
| url = http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=swiftcurrent&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1
| title = Denial of Death
| accessdate = 2007-04-09
| publisher = ''ESPN''
| year =2007
| author = Joyce, Gare}}</ref> The next year, in ], Sakic was the WHL Most Valuable Player and ]. He scored 160 points (78 goals, 82 assists), tying him with ] for the WHL scoring title.<ref name="Canadian Gold"/><ref>{{cite web |title =Player of the Year - Four Broncos Memorial Trophy|url =http://whl.ca/records/awards.php?id=50|publisher =]|accessdate =2007-09-18}}</ref><ref name="Avalanche Website">{{Cite web|url=http://avalanche.nhl.com/team/app?page=PlayerDetail&playerId=8451101&service=page&tab=bio|title=Colorado Avalanche Team Bio|accessdate=2007-04-10|publisher=Colorado Avalanche|year=2006|author=Colorado Avalanche|authorlink=Colorado Avalanche}}</ref>


==NHL career== ==NHL career==
===Quebec Nordiques===


===Quebec Nordiques===
Sakic was drafted 15th overall by the ] in the ].<ref name="Recordbook"/> Rather than make the immediate jump, he told the Nordiques management he would prefer to spend the 1987&ndash;88 season in Swift Current to prepare for the NHL.<ref name="Legends of Hockey">{{Cite web|url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=11437|title=Joe Sakic Page|accessdate=2007-04-09|publisher=Legends of Hockey|year=2007|author=Legends of Hockey}}</ref> He made his NHL debut on October 6, 1988, against the ] and scored an assist. His first NHL goal came two days later against goaltender ] of the ].<ref name = "NHLPA Bio"/> During the season, he wore #88 because his preferred number, #19 was already taken by a teammate, ].<ref name="Numbers">{{cite book | last = Morrison | first = Scott | authorlink = Scott Morrison (journalist) | title = Hockey Night in Canada By the Numbers: From 00 to 99 |publisher = Key Porter Books Ltd. | year = 2007 | location = Toronto | page = 232 |id = ISBN 978-1-552639-84-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title =1988–89 Quebec Nordiques|url =http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/teams/0000471989.html|publisher =The Internet Hockey Database|accessdate =2007-07-16}}</ref> While considered a front-runner for the ] as rookie of the year due to his rapid scoring pace, an ankle injury that forced him to miss 10 games in December and resulting scoring slump helped quash any hopes of winning the award.<ref name="Globe and Mail">{{cite news |last= Beamish |first= Mike|author= Mike Beamish|title= Nords' rookie Sakic hits first slump|work= Vancouver Sun|location= Vancouver|page= E. 1|date= 1989-02-16}}</ref> He would finish his rookie season with 62 points in 70 games.
Sakic was drafted 15th overall by the ] in the ], a pick the Nordiques received when they traded away ] and ] to the ].<ref name="Recordbook"/> Rather than make the immediate jump into the NHL, Sakic told Nordiques management he would prefer to spend the 1987–88 season in Swift Current to prepare for the NHL.<ref name="Legends of Hockey">{{cite web|url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=11437 |title=Joe Sakic Page |access-date=April 9, 2007 |publisher=Legends of Hockey |year=2007 |author=Legends of Hockey |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929154056/http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=11437 |archive-date=September 29, 2007 }}</ref> Sakic made his professional debut on October 6, 1988, against the ] and registered an assist. His first NHL goal came two days later against goaltender ] of the ].<ref name = "NHLPA Bio"/> During the season, Sakic wore number 88, because his preferred number 19 was already taken by a teammate, ].<ref name="Numbers">{{cite book | last = Morrison | first = Scott | author-link = Scott Morrison (journalist) | title = Hockey Night in Canada By the Numbers: From 00 to 99 | publisher = Key Porter Books Ltd. | year = 2007 | location = Toronto | page = | isbn = 978-1-55263-984-9 | url = https://archive.org/details/bynumbersfrom00t0000morr/page/232 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title =1988–89 Quebec Nordiques|url =http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/teams/0000471989.html|publisher =The Internet Hockey Database|access-date =July 16, 2007}}</ref> While considered a front-runner for ] due to his rapid scoring pace, an ankle injury forced Sakic to miss 10 games in December. The resulting scoring slump helped quash any hopes of winning the award.<ref name="Globe and Mail">{{cite news |last= Beamish |first= Mike|title= Nords' rookie Sakic hits first slump|work= Vancouver Sun|location= Vancouver|page= E. 1|date= February 16, 1989}}</ref> Sakic would finish his rookie season with 62 points in 70 games, finishing eighth in voting for the Calder. Defenceman ] won the rookie scoring race with 28 goals and 48 assists, receiving forty-two first-place votes, while Sakic only received two third-place votes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/stats/player?reportType=season&seasonFrom=19881989&seasonTo=19881989&gameType=2&experience=1&filter=gamesPlayed,gte,1&sort=points,goals,assists|title=NHL.com - Stats|website=www.nhl.com|access-date=October 2, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hockey-reference.com/awards/voting-1989.html|title=1988-89 NHL Awards Voting {{!}} Hockey-Reference.com|website=Hockey-Reference.com|language=en|access-date=October 2, 2018}}</ref>


In ], his second NHL season, Sakic was able to switch his number back to his familiar #19 (Alain Côté had retired over the summer), and scored 102 points, which was ninth overall in the league. At the start of the next season, ], he was named ] along with ] (Sakic was captain for home games, Finn for away games)<ref name="Steven Finn">{{Cite web|url=http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1984/84057.html|title=1984 NHL Entry Draft: Steven Finn|accessdate=2007-11-21|publisher=HockeyDraftCentral.com|year=2005|author=Hockey Draft Central}}</ref> and again passed the 100 point mark, improving to 109 points and sixth overall in the league, but would slip during ] to 94 points, partly as a result of missing eleven games. Early on in the season, Sakic showed some of his leadership qualities, even while ] was serving as captain, as he stood firm in the ] holdout issue. With Lindros holding out against the Nordiques, who were one of the worst teams in league, Sakic commented, "We only want players here who have the passion to play the game. I'm tired of hearing that name. He's not here and there are a lot of others in this locker room who really care about the game."<ref name="GrowingUp"/> Lindros was traded a year later, ending the situation and bringing in a number of quality players, which vastly improved the Nordiques.<ref name="Lindros">{{Cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/futures/2006draft/lookback_91_053106.html|title=A look back: 1991|accessdate=2007-04-15|publisher=NHL.com|year=2006|author=Roarke, Shawn P.}}{{dead link|date=November 2008}}</ref> During their first four seasons with Joe Sakic, the Nordiques finished last place in the ] and last in the entire league for three straight years, from ] to ].<ref name="Recordbook"/> In ], his second NHL season, Sakic was able to switch back to his familiar number 19 (Alain Côté had retired over the summer) and scored 102 points, which was ninth overall in the league, becoming the first player in NHL history to score 100 points on a last place team. At the start of the next season, ], Sakic was named ] of the Nordiques along with ] (Sakic was captain for home games, Finn for away games).<ref name="Steven Finn">{{cite web|url=http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1984/84057.html|title=1984 NHL Entry Draft: Steven Finn|access-date=November 21, 2007|publisher=HockeyDraftCentral.com|year=2005|author=Hockey Draft Central}}</ref> Sakic again passed the 100 point mark, improving to 109 points and sixth overall in the league but would slip during the ] to 94 points after missing 11 games.<ref>{{cite web|title=Joe Sakic|publisher=Hockey-Reference|url=https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/s/sakicjo01.html|access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref> In ], ] became captain of the Norqdiues, while Sakic and Finn became alternate captains. Sakic began to display the leadership for which he would become known, standing firm during the tumultuous ].<ref name="speaks">{{cite news|title=Sakic speaks out ... Nords' star says players want Page to deal Lindros|work=The Hamilton Spectator|agency=Canadian Press|date=October 30, 1991|page=E2}}</ref><ref name="leaders">{{cite web|last=Eichel|first=Matt|title=Joe Sakic: NHL's All-Time Greatest Leaders Part I|website=Bleacher Report|date=May 25, 2008|url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/25392-joe-sakic-nhls-all-time-great-leaders-part-i|access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref><ref name="C">{{cite web|last=Marin|first=Christian|title=NHL captains who were stripped of the "C"|publisher=The Sports Network|date=August 22, 2014|url=http://www2.tsn.ca/bardown/Story.aspx?NHL+captains+who+were+stripped+of+the+%E2%80%9CC%E2%80%9D&id=460003|access-date=December 26, 2016|archive-date=December 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227061044/http://www2.tsn.ca/bardown/Story.aspx?NHL+captains+who+were+stripped+of+the+%E2%80%9CC%E2%80%9D&id=460003|url-status=dead}}</ref> With Lindros refusing to play for the Nordiques, one of the worst teams in league, Sakic commented, "We only want players here who have the passion to play the game. I'm tired of hearing that name. He's not here and there are a lot of others in this locker room who really care about the game."<ref>{{cite news|last=Hochberg|first=Len|title=Lindros Trade Fills Avalanche's Cup|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=June 8, 1996|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1996/06/08/lindros-trade-fills-avalanches-cup/087d10b3-32fe-4a23-a42b-ba54063ccad6/|access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref><ref name="exec">{{cite web|last=Wharnsby|first=Tim|title=Joe Sakic thriving in role as Avalanche exec|publisher=]|date=October 17, 2013|url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports-content/hockey/opinion/2013/10/joe-sakic-thriving-in-new-role-with-avalanche.html|access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref> Lindros was traded a year later, ending the situation and bringing in a number of quality players who vastly improved the Nordiques.<ref name="Lindros">{{cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/intheslot/read/impact/2003_04/march/lindros.html |title=Quantity and quality: Avalanche still reap reward from Lindros trade |access-date=July 11, 2013 |publisher=NHL.com |date=March 2004 |author=Coffey, Phil |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318193733/http://www.nhl.com/intheslot/read/impact/2003_04/march/lindros.html |archive-date=March 18, 2014 }}</ref> During their first four seasons with Joe Sakic, the Nordiques finished last place in the ] and last in the league for three straight years, from 1989 to 1991.<ref name="Recordbook"/>


Starting with the ], Sakic became the sole captain of the franchise.<ref name="Recordbook"/> Under his leadership, the Nordiques made the playoffs for the first time in six years, and set a franchise record for wins and points in the process (since broken by the ] Colorado Avalanche team).<ref name="Recordbook"/> Sakic reached the 100 point plateau, the third time he did so in five years, by scoring 48 goals and 105 points in the regular season, and added another 6 points in the playoffs. His production went down slightly to 92 points in ] as the Nordiques failed to make the playoffs again. After missing part of the ] season due to the players being ] by owners, Sakic was 8 points behind ] for the scoring title lalalalaalallasodhabhwrba siahdowiaho akjsbdkasjbdkjas with a fourth place finish, and helped the Nordiques win the division title, their first since the 1985-86 season.<ref name="Recordbook"/> Starting with the ], Sakic became the sole captain of the franchise.<ref name="Recordbook"/> Under his leadership, the Nordiques made the playoffs for the first time in six years and set a franchise record for wins and points in the process (since broken by the ] Colorado Avalanche team).<ref name="Recordbook"/> Sakic reached the 100-point plateau, the third time in five years, scoring 48 goals and 105 points in the regular season while adding another six points in the playoffs. After the shortened ] following the ], Sakic finished eight points behind ] for the scoring title, finishing fourth place overall, and helped the Nordiques win the division title, their first since the 1985–86 season.<ref name="Recordbook"/>


===Colorado Avalanche=== ===Colorado Avalanche===
In May 1995, the Nordiques announced that the team had been sold and were relocating from Quebec. The franchise then moved to ], and were renamed the ].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/26/sports/1995-nhl-playoffs-nordiques-off-to-denver-after-75-million-deal.html|title=1995 N.H.L. Playoffs; Nordiques Off to Denver After $75 Million Deal|access-date=August 18, 2018|newspaper=The New York Times|author=Richard Sandomir|date=May 26, 1995}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1995/08/10/Colorados-NHL-team-to-be-Avalanche/3476808027200/|title=Colorado's NHL team to be Avalanche|access-date=August 18, 2018|publisher=United Press International|date=August 10, 1995}}</ref> Sakic led the team to a ] championship in its first year, scoring 120 points in 82 regular season games and 34 points in 22 playoff games. Sakic was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the 1996 NHL playoffs. During the run for the Cup, Sakic again proved himself to be an effective team leader. Although his Nordiques had missed the playoffs in five of his first seven years in the NHL, he scored 18 goals, including six game-winners, and 34 points. Sakic was one goal away from the record for goals in a playoff year, and his game-winning goals established a new record.<ref name="1997 NHL Yearbook">{{cite book | last = National Hockey League | title = 1997 NHL Yearbook | year = 1996 | publisher = Worldsport Properties | location = Toronto | page = 232}}</ref>


]
In May 1995, the Quebec Nordiques announced that the team had been sold and were relocating from Quebec. Before the start of the ], the franchise moved to ] and was renamed the ]. Sakic led the team to its first ] championship, scoring 120 points in 82 regular season games and 34 points in 22 playoff games. He was awarded the ] as the Most Valuable Player of the 1996 NHL playoffs. During the run for the cup, Sakic again proved himself to be an effective team leader. Although he had missed the playoffs in five of his first seven years in the NHL, and lacked any postseason experience, he scored 18 goals, including six game-winners, and 34 points. He was one goal off from the record for goals in a playoff year, and his game-winning goals established a new record.<ref name="1997 NHL Yearbook">{{cite book | last = National Hockey League | title = 1997 NHL Yearbook | year = 1996 | publisher = Worldsport Properties | location = Toronto | page = 232}}</ref>
In the ] season, Sakic played in only 65 games due to a lacerated calf <ref name="Rocky Mountain News">{{cite news|url=http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nhl/article/0,2777,DRMN_23920_5301508,00.html |title=Sakic lets game, NHL do talking |access-date=April 10, 2007 |newspaper=Rocky Mountain News |year=2007 |author=Sadowski, Rick |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930223252/http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nhl/article/0%2C2777%2CDRMN_23920_5301508%2C00.html |archive-date=September 30, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> yet still managed to score 74 points as the Avalanche earned their first ] and third straight division title.<ref name="NHLPA Bio">{{cite web|url=http://www.nhlpa.com/WebStats/PlayerBiography.asp?ID=4934|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061115141123/http://www.nhlpa.com/WebStats/PlayerBiography.asp?ID=4934|archive-date=November 15, 2006|title=NHLPA Player Bio|access-date=April 10, 2007|publisher=NHLPA|year=2007|author=National Hockey League Players Association|author-link=National Hockey League Players Association}}</ref> Sakic had another great playoff season with eight goals and 17 assists and took the Avalanche all the way to the conference finals, where they eventually lost to the ] in six games. As a free agent during the summer of 1997, Sakic signed a three-year, $21 million ] with the ] as a restricted free agent. Under the ] at the time, the Avalanche had one week to match the Rangers' offer or let go of Sakic in exchange for five first-round draft picks as compensation. While it seemed as if the Avalanche could not afford to keep Sakic, as they had already committed large amounts of salary to ] and ], an unlikely lifeline would appear in the form of the summer blockbuster movie '']'', produced by Avalanche owners ]. Its profits enabled the Avalanche to match the offer,<ref name="Legends of Hockey"/> which instigated a salary raise for many NHL players.<ref name="TSN about the CBA">{{cite news|url=https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=99378&hubname=nhl|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070519022104/http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=99378&hubname=nhl|archive-date=May 19, 2007|title=Three key contracts helped kill the CBA|access-date=April 9, 2007|publisher=TSN.ca|year=2004|agency=Associated Press}}</ref>


Injuries would again limit Sakic's playing time during the ] season. While playing in his first Olympics with Team Canada, Sakic hurt his knee and was forced to miss 18 games with the Avalanche.<ref name="Avalanche Website">{{cite web|url=http://avalanche.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8451101&view=bio|title=Colorado Avalanche Team Bio|access-date=April 10, 2007|publisher=Colorado Avalanche|year=2006|author=Colorado Avalanche|author-link=Colorado Avalanche}}</ref> In the 64 games in which he did play, Sakic still scored 63 points, enough to earn him his seventh all-star appearance.<ref name="NHLPA Bio"/> Sakic finally rebounded from his injuries in the ] season, finishing fifth in the league in scoring with 41 goals and 96 points in only 73 games. Sakic led the Avalanche to within one game of the Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost to the eventual champion ]. After the season ended, Sakic ranked number 94 on '']''' list of the 100 greatest hockey players.<ref name="100 Greatest Players">{{cite book | last = Dryden | first = Steve | title = The Top 100 NHL Players Of All Time | year = 1997 | publisher = McClelland & Stewart Inc. | location = Toronto | page = 160 | isbn= 0-7710-4176-4}}</ref>
In the ] season, Sakic only played in 65 games due to a lacerated calf,<ref name="Rocky Mountain News">{{Cite web|url=http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nhl/article/0,2777,DRMN_23920_5301508,00.html|title=Sakic lets game, NHL do talking|accessdate=2007-04-10|publisher=Rocky Mountain News|year=2007|author=Sadowski, Rick}}</ref> yet still managed to score 74 points as the Avalanche earned their first ] and third straight division title.<ref name="NHLPA Bio">{{Cite web|url=http://www.nhlpa.com/WebStats/PlayerBiography.asp?ID=4934|title=NHLPA Player Bio|accessdate=2007-04-10|publisher=NHLPA|year=2007|author=National Hockey League Players Association|authorlink=National Hockey League Players Association}}</ref> He had another great playoff season with 8 goals and 17 assists, and took the Avalanche all the way to the conference finals, where they eventually lost to the ] in six games. As a free agent during the summer of 1997, Sakic signed a three year, $21 million ] with the ] as a restricted free agent. Under the collective bargaining agreement at the time, the Avalanche had one week to match the Rangers' offer or let go of Sakic. Colorado would match the offer,<ref name="Legends of Hockey"/> which instigated a salary raise for many NHL players.<ref name="TSN about the CBA">{{Cite web|url=http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=99378&hubname=nhl|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070519022104/http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=99378&hubname=nhl|archivedate=2007-05-19|title=Three key contracts helped kill the CBA|accessdate=2007-04-09|publisher=TSN.ca|year=2004|author=Associated Press}}</ref>


During the ] season, Sakic reached several career milestones. Injuries limited him to only 60 games, but he still managed to lead the team in scoring with 81 points. On December 27, 1999, against the ], Sakic earned an assist to become the 56th player in NHL history to reach 1,000 career points.<ref name="2001 NHL Yearbook"/> Later in the season, on March 23, 2000, he scored a ] against the ] and became the 59th player to score 400 career goals.<ref name="2001 NHL Yearbook"/> It also gave Sakic 1,049 points with the franchise, passing ] as the all-time leader on the team.<ref name="NHLPA Bio"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sakics-hat-tricks-coyotes/|title=Sakic's Hat Tricks Coyotes|access-date=August 18, 2018|publisher=CBS News|date=March 24, 2000}}</ref>
Injuries would again limit Sakic's playing time in the ] season. While playing in his first Olympics with Team Canada, Sakic hurt his knee and was forced to miss eighteen games with the Avalanche.<ref name="Avalanche Website"/> In the sixty-four games he did play in, he still scored 63 points, enough to earn him his seventh All-Star appearance.<ref name="NHLPA Bio"/> He finally rebounded from his injury problems in the ] season, finishing fifth in the league in scoring with 41 goals and 96 points in only 73 games. He led the Avalanche all the way to within one game of the Stanley Cup finals, where they lost to the eventual Stanley Cup winning Dallas Stars. After the season ended, Sakic was ranked number 94 on '']''' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.<ref name="100 Greatest Players">{{cite book | last = Dryden | first = Steve | title = The Top 100 NHL Players Of All Time | year = 1997 | publisher = McClelland & Stewart Inc. | location = Toronto | page = 160}}</ref>


Sakic eclipsed the 100 point mark again in ], finishing with 118 points along with a career-best 54 goals, both second-best in the league. Sakic won the Hart Memorial Trophy, the ] and the Lester B. Pearson Award (the latter presented to him by former Nordiques mentor Peter Šťastný<ref>{{cite news|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/nhl/news/2001/06/14/sakic_pearson_ap/|title=Sakic wins Pearson|access-date=August 19, 2018|publisher=CNN/Sports Illustrated|date=June 14, 2001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318194315/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/nhl/news/2001/06/14/sakic_pearson_ap/|archive-date=March 18, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>) while also being a finalist for the ]. Sakic led the Avalanche to their second Stanley Cup championship, defeating the defending title holding ] in seven games. Memorably, after receiving the ] from ] ], Sakic broke with tradition. Instead of hoisting it first as most captains do, Sakic passed the cup straight to ], a player who had waited a record-breaking 22 seasons to win the Stanley Cup.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2012/11/11/frei-joe-sakic-was-defined-by-passing-the-cup-to-ray-bourque/|title=Frei: Joe Sakic was defined by passing the Cup to Ray Bourque|access-date=August 18, 2018|newspaper=The Denver Post|author=Terry Frei|date=November 11, 2012}}</ref><ref name="Pass">{{cite web|url=http://www.hockeyforum.com/nhl-forum/7602-hockey-tradition-comes-nfl.html|title=A hockey tradition comes to the NFL|access-date=January 28, 2007|publisher=NHL.com|year=2007|author=Weiner, Evan}}{{Dead link|date=November 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
During the ] season, Sakic reached several career milestones. Injuries limited him to only 60 games, but he still managed to lead the team in scoring with 81 points. On December 27, 1999, against the ], Sakic earned an assist to become the 56th player in NHL history to reach 1,000 career points.<ref name="2001 NHL Yearbook"/> Later in the season, on March 23, 2000, he scored a hat trick against the ], and became the 59th player to score 400 career goals.<ref name="2001 NHL Yearbook"/> It also gave him 1,049 points with the Quebec/Colorado franchise, passing ] as the all-time leader on the team.<ref name="NHLPA Bio"/> Sakic eclipsed the 100 point mark again in ], finishing with 118 along with a career best 54 goals. He led the Avalanche to their second Stanley Cup championship, and won the ], the ] and the ]. After the Avalanche defeated the ] in the 2001 finals in seven games, Sakic received the cup first as the captain. But instead of hoisting it high, he passed it straight to ], a player who had waited a record-breaking twenty-two seasons to win the Stanley Cup.<ref name="Pass">{{Cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=287897|title=A hockey tradition comes to the NFL|accessdate=2007-01-28|publisher=NHL.com|year=2007|author=Weiner, Evan}}</ref> The ] season saw Sakic lead the Avalanche in scoring again, finishing sixth in the league with seventy-nine points. On March 9, 2002, he played in his 1,000th career game. The Avalanche once again reached the Western Conference Finals, but lost to the eventual Cup winning ]. The following year Sakic appeared in only 58 games, and finished with just 58 points, the lowest total of his career.<ref name="NHLPA Bio"/> He rebounded the following year, finishing third in the league with 87 points. It also marked the first time since the ] season that his team did not win the division title, which was won by the ].
]
Following the ], the Avalanche were forced to lose many of their key players in order to stay below the salary cap.<ref name="Lockout">{{Cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2116068|title=Sakic, Blake to stay; Forsberg, Foote up in air|accessdate=2007-04-10|publisher=ESPN.com|year=2005|author=Associated Press}}</ref> Even with the loss of teammates ] and ], Sakic still helped the Avalanche get into the playoffs, where they eventually lost to the ] in the conference semifinals. In June 2006, Sakic signed a one-year, $5.75 million deal to keep him with the Avalanche for the ] season.<ref name="Contract">{{Cite web|url=http://www.denverpost.com/avalanche/ci_3961182|title=Sakic stays with Avs|accessdate=2006-09-19|publisher=DenverPost.com|year=2006|author=Dater, Adrian}}</ref> Upon the retirement of ] a month later, on July 3, 2006, Sakic became the league leader for most NHL career points scored among active players.


Sakic led the Avalanche in scoring again in the ], finishing sixth in the league with 79 points. On March 9, 2002, Sakic played in his 1,000th career game. The Avalanche once again reached the Western Conference Finals but lost to the eventual cup-winning ]. The following year, Sakic appeared in only 58 games and finished with just 58 points.<ref name="NHLPA Bio"/> Sakic rebounded the following year, finishing third in the league with 87 points. It also marked the first time since the ] season that the franchise did not win the division title, which was won by the ].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/12/AR2006051201751_2.html|title=Avalanche's Lacroix Steps Down As GM|access-date=August 18, 2018|newspaper=The Washington Post|author=Arnie Stapleton|date=May 12, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nucksmisconduct.com/2013/1/5/3829158/top-10-canucks-seasons-of-all-time-5-2003-04|title=Top 10 Canucks Seasons of All-time - #5: 2003-04|access-date=August 18, 2018|publisher=Nucks Misconduct|date=January 5, 2013|archive-date=August 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818182143/https://www.nucksmisconduct.com/2013/1/5/3829158/top-10-canucks-seasons-of-all-time-5-2003-04|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Sakic had another strong season in the ]. He scored his 600th career goal on February 15, 2007, against the Calgary Flames, becoming the seventeenth player in history to reach the milestone and third that year.<ref name="600 Goals">{{Cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=270215003|title=Sakic scores empty-netter for No. 600 in Avs' win|accessdate=2007-04-10|publisher=ESPN.com|year=2007|author=Associated Press}}</ref> On the final day of the regular season, he scored his 100th point, reaching the milestone for the sixth time in his career.<ref name="100 Points">{{Cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?articleid=298738&page=NewsPage&service=page|title=Sakic signs 1-year deal with Avalanche|accessdate=2007-04-10|publisher=NHL.com|year=2007|author=Associated Press}}</ref> At the same time, Sakic became the second-oldest NHL player to score 100 points in a season at age 37, alongside hockey legend ]. Despite his efforts as well as a late season charge, Sakic and the Avalanche missed the playoffs for the first time in eleven years, finishing one point behind the eighth placed Calgary Flames.


]
In April 2007, Sakic signed on for a 19th NHL season with the Colorado Avalanche, signing a one-year deal for the ] season.<ref name="Sakic signs one-year deal with Avalanche">{{Cite web|url=http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=203493&hubname=|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070929123113/http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=203493&hubname=|archivedate=2007-09-29|title=Sakic signs one-year deal with Avalanche|accessdate=2007-04-09|publisher=TSN.ca|year=2007|author=Canadian Press}}</ref> Sakic commented on the deal, saying "at this stage in my career, I prefer to do one-year deals as I evaluate my play year-to-year."<ref name="Sakic signs one-year deal with Avalanche"/> Upon signing Sakic to the deal, Avalanche General Manager ] said, "Joe is the heart of this organization and his leadership and value to this team and especially our young players is unquestioned."<ref name="Sakic resigned">{{Cite web|url=http://ottsun.canoe.ca/Sports/Hockey/2007/04/10/3970991-sun.html|title=Sakic reaches deal to return to Avs|accessdate=2007-04-10|publisher=Ottawa Sun|year=2007|author=Associated Press}}</ref> On May 1, the NHL announced that Sakic was named as one of the three finalists of the Lady Byng Trophy,<ref name="Byng Finalist">{{Cite web|url=http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_5796168|title=Sakic one of three Lady Byng finalists|accessdate=2007-05-13|publisher=The Denver Post|year=2007|author=Dater, Adrian}}</ref> but it was eventually awarded to ] of the Detroit Red Wings. On October 7, 2007, he scored a goal and had an assist against the ], moving past ] into eighth place on the NHL career points list with 1,591.<ref>{{cite news |title =Game Recap – Avalanche 6, Sharks 2|url =http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?service=page&page=Recap&gameNumber=35&season=20072008&gameType=2|author =]|publisher =]|date =]|accessdate =2007-10-27}}</ref> Nineteen days later, Sakic scored a goal and assisted ] for an overtime game-winning goal against the Calgary Flames, reaching his 1,600th point in the NHL.<ref>{{cite news |title =Game Recap – Avalanche 3, Flames 2, OT|url =http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?service=page&page=Recap&gameNumber=144&season=20072008&gameType=2|author =]|publisher =]|date =]|accessdate =2007-10-27}}</ref> On December 27, 2007, it was announced that Sakic underwent ] ] to accelerate the recovery of an injury that had forced him to miss the previous 12 games after a 232 consecutive games played streak. The operation caused him to miss a career high 38 games. He was activated off of the injured reserve on February 24, and played that night, scoring an assist.<ref name="Sakic returns">{{Cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=3263018|title=Sakic back after career-high 38-game absence; has assist, shot on goal
|accessdate=2008-03-06|publisher=ESPN|year=2008|author=Associated Press}}</ref> On March 22, 2008, Sakic recorded his 1000th career assist against the Edmonton Oilers, becoming the 11th player in NHL history to reach this milestone.<ref name="1000 assists">{{cite news |title =Sakic hits major milestone with assist No. 1,000|url =http://www.denverpost.com/avalanche/ci_8665090|author =Frei, Terry|publisher =]|date =]|accessdate =2008-03-27}}</ref> On June 21, 2008, Sakic had a talk with Colorado ], ], and said that he is uncertain with his future with the Colorado Avalanche. However, it was announced on August 27, 2008, that Sakic decided to sign a one-year contract with the team.<ref name="Sakic Signs 1-Year Deal">{{Cite web|url=http://avalanche.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=380558|title=Sakic Signs 1-Year Contract|accessdate=2008-08-27|publisher=Colorado Avalanche|year=2008|author=Colorado Avalanche}}</ref>


Following the ], the Avalanche were forced to lose many of their key players in order to stay below the salary cap.<ref name="Lockout">{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/nhl/news/story?id=2116068|title=Sakic, Blake to stay; Forsberg, Foote up in air|access-date=April 10, 2007|work=ESPN.com|year=2005|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> Even with the loss of teammates ] and ], Sakic still helped the Avalanche get into the playoffs, where they eventually lost to the ] in the conference semi-finals.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nhl.com/ducks/news/ducks-sweep-avalanche/c-468707 |title=DUCKS SWEEP AVALANCHE! |date=May 11, 2006 |publisher=NHL.com |access-date=August 29, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nhl.com/avalanche/news/avs-end-season-with-4-1-loss-to-ducks/c-426516 |title=Avs End Season With 4-1 Loss To Ducks |date=May 11, 2006 |publisher=NHL.com |access-date=August 29, 2018}}</ref> In June 2006, Sakic signed a one-year, $5.75 million deal to keep him with the Avalanche for the ].<ref name="Contract">{{cite news|url=http://www.denverpost.com/avalanche/ci_3961182|title=Sakic stays with Avs|access-date=September 19, 2006|publisher=DenverPost.com|year=2006|author=Dater, Adrian}}</ref> Upon the retirement of ] a month later, on July 3, 2006, Sakic became the league leader for most career points among active players.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/nhl/news/story?id=2508103|title=Longtime Red Wings captain Yzerman retires|access-date=August 18, 2018|publisher=ESPN|date=July 4, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.eliteprospects.com/league/nhl/stats/all-time?sort=tp&from=1918-1919&to=2006-2007|title=NHL - All-time totals|access-date=August 18, 2018|publisher=eliteprospects.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818110421/https://www.eliteprospects.com/league/nhl/stats/all-time?sort=tp&from=1918-1919&to=2006-2007|archive-date=August 18, 2018}}</ref>
===All-Star games===


Sakic had another strong season in the ]. He scored his 600th career goal on February 15, 2007, against the ], becoming the 17th player in history to reach the milestone and third that year.<ref name="600 Goals">{{cite news|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=270215003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111120644/http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=270215003|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 11, 2012|title=Sakic scores empty-netter for No. 600 in Avs' win|access-date=April 10, 2007|work=ESPN.com|year=2007|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> On the final day of the regular season, Sakic scored his 100th point, reaching the milestone for the sixth time in his career. At the same time, Sakic became the second-oldest NHL player to score 100 points in a season at age 37, alongside hockey legend ].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap?gid=2007040817 |title=Avalanche 6, Flames 3 |access-date=April 10, 2007 |publisher=Yahoo! Sports! |year=2007 |agency=Associated Press |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070416092803/http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap?gid=2007040817 |archive-date=April 16, 2007 }}</ref> Despite his efforts, as well as a late-season charge, Sakic and the Avalanche missed the playoffs for the first time in 11 years, finishing one point behind the eighth placed Calgary Flames.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nhl.com/news/predators-4-avalanche-2/c-106480|title=Predators 4, Avalanche 2|publisher=NHL.com|date=April 8, 2007|access-date=August 20, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/nhl/standings/_/season/2007/group/conference|title=NHL Standings - 2006-07|publisher=ESPN|access-date=August 20, 2018}}</ref> On May 1, the NHL announced that Sakic was named as one of the three finalists for the Lady Byng Trophy,<ref name="Byng Finalist">{{cite news|url=http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_5796168|title=Sakic one of three Lady Byng finalists|access-date=May 13, 2007|newspaper=The Denver Post|author=Dater, Adrian|date=May 2, 2007}}</ref> but it was eventually awarded to ] of the Detroit Red Wings.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/nhl/news/story?id=2855100|title=2007 NHL Awards: Finalists and winners|access-date=August 18, 2018|publisher=ESPN|date=June 15, 2007}}</ref>
Sakic has been voted into the ] thirteen times and has played in twelve of them and was captain for two of them, most recently in 2007. He has at least one point in eleven of them.<ref>{{cite news |title =
Sakic Named To 13th NHL All-Star Game |url =http://avalanche.nhl.com/team/app?articleid=318937&page=NewsPage&service=page|author =|publisher =]|date =]|accessdate =2007-02-19}}</ref> The only one that he missed entirely was the ], due to an injury. Sakic won the Most Valuable Player award in the ] after scoring a ] and leading the Western Conference to victory. He is the all-time assist leader in all-star games with 16 assists<ref name="AllStarAssists">{{Cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=287907|title=January 24, 2007 West's dozen goals does the trick|accessdate=2007-11-16|publisher=NHL.com|year=2007|author=Coffey, Phil}}</ref> and is third place in all-time all-star scoring with 22 points, behind ] (23 points) and ] (25 points).<ref name="AllStarAssists"/> His best record in an All-Star game was in ], when he scored four assists for the winning team; however the MVP award was given to ], who had a goal and four assists.<ref name="AllStarAssists"/>


In April 2007, Sakic signed to a 19th NHL season with the Avalanche on a one-year deal for the ].<ref name="Sakic signs one-year deal with Avalanche">{{cite web|url=https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=203493&hubname=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929123113/http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=203493&hubname=|archive-date=September 29, 2007|title=Sakic signs one-year deal with Avalanche|access-date=April 9, 2007|publisher=TSN.ca|year=2007|agency=Canadian Press}}</ref> Sakic commented on the deal, saying, "at this stage in my career, I prefer to do one-year deals as I evaluate my play year-to-year."<ref name="Sakic signs one-year deal with Avalanche"/> Upon signing Sakic to the deal, Avalanche General Manager ] said, "Joe is the heart of this organization and his leadership and value to this team and especially our young players is unquestioned."<ref name="Sakic resigned">{{cite news|title=Joe Sakic signs one-year deal |work=Cranbrook Daily Townsman |date=April 10, 2007 |agency=Canadian Press |page=7 }}</ref> On October 7, 2007, he scored a goal and had an assist against the ], moving past ] into eighth place on the NHL career points list with 1,591 points.<ref>{{cite news|title=Stastny lifts Avs to 6-2 win over San Jose with goal and 4 assists |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap?gid=2007100717 |agency=Associated Press |publisher=Yahoo! Sports! |date=October 7, 2007 |access-date=October 27, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011021544/http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap?gid=2007100717 |archive-date=October 11, 2007 }}</ref> Nineteen days later, Sakic scored a goal and assisted ] for an overtime game-winning goal against the Calgary Flames, reaching his 1,600th point in the NHL.<ref>{{cite news|title=Smyth scores OT goal to give Avalanche 3-2 victory over Flames |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap?gid=2007102603 |agency=Associated Press |publisher=Yahoo! Sports! |date=October 26, 2007 |access-date=October 27, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071029041028/http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap?gid=2007102603 |archive-date=October 29, 2007 }}</ref> On December 27, 2007, it was announced that Sakic underwent ] to accelerate the recovery of an injury that had forced him to miss the previous 12 games after a 232 consecutive games-played streak. The operation caused him to miss a career-high 38 games. He was activated off injured reserve on February 24 and played that night, recording an assist.<ref name="Sakic returns">{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/nhl/news/story?id=3263018|title=Sakic back after career-high 38-game absence; has assist, shot on goal
==International play==
|access-date=March 6, 2008|publisher=ESPN|year=2008|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> On March 22, 2008, Sakic recorded his 1,000th career assist against the ], becoming the 11th player in NHL history to reach the milestone.<ref name="1000 assists">{{cite news |title =Sakic hits major milestone with assist No. 1,000|url =http://www.denverpost.com/avalanche/ci_8665090|author =Frei, Terry|work=]|date =March 22, 2008|access-date =March 27, 2008}}</ref>


In June 2008, Sakic spoke with Colorado General Manager François Giguère and said he was uncertain with his future with the Avalanche.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2008/06/02/avs-gm-anxious-but-not-pushy/|title=Avs GM anxious but not pushy|access-date=August 18, 2018|newspaper=The Denver Post|date=June 2, 2008}}</ref> However, it was announced on August 27, 2008, that Sakic would sign a one-year contract with the team.<ref name="Sakic Signs 1-Year Deal">{{cite web|url=http://avalanche.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=380558 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829200623/http://avalanche.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=380558 |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 29, 2008 |title=Sakic Signs 1-Year Contract |access-date=August 27, 2008 |publisher=Colorado Avalanche |year=2008 |author=Colorado Avalanche }}</ref> Injuries limited Sakic's playing time in ]. After 15 games, in which he scored 12 points, a herniated disk forced Sakic to stop playing in early November.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nhl.com/news/avalanche-captain-sakic-sidelined-at-least-six-weeks-with-herniated-disc/c-395913|title=Avalanche captain Sakic sidelined at least six weeks with herniated disc|access-date=August 18, 2018|publisher=NHL.com|date=December 3, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2008/11/16/no-go-for-joe-on-road-trip/|title=No-go for Joe on road trip|access-date=August 18, 2018|newspaper=The Denver Post|author=Adrian Dater|date=November 16, 2008}}</ref> While at home letting his back heal, Sakic broke three fingers in a snow-blower accident.<ref name="2008–09 season">{{cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=397221|title=Sakic injures hand in snow blower accident |access-date=December 10, 2008|publisher=NHL.com|year=2008|author=Coffey, Phil}}</ref>
{{MedalTableTop|}}

{{MedalCountry | {{flagicon|Canada}} ] }}
Sakic announced his retirement on July 9, 2009<ref name="Retirement">{{cite news|url=http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=436687|title=Sakic steps away from the NHL after 20 year of hockey|access-date=July 9, 2009|publisher=NHL.com|year=2009|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> The Avalanche ] his jersey number 19 prior to their ] opener on October 1, 2009, with a "C" on the banner to represent his lengthy service as team captain (having been the only captain of the Avalanche until he retired).<ref name="Retired Jersey">{{cite web|url=http://avalanche.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=500710 |title=Avalanche Announces Alumni Association |access-date=October 3, 2009 |publisher=ColoradoAvalanche.com |date=October 2, 2009 |author=Colorado Avalanche |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091129031057/http://avalanche.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=500710 |archive-date=November 29, 2009 }}</ref> The Avalanche also named Sakic the inaugural member of the Avalanche Alumni Association.<ref name="Alumni">{{cite web|url=http://avalanche.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=498994|title=Avalanche Announces Alumni Association|access-date=October 1, 2009|publisher=ColoradoAvalanche.com|date=September 18, 2009|author=Colorado Avalanche}}</ref>
{{MedalSport | Men's ]}}

{{MedalCompetition|]}}
===All-Star Games===
{{MedalGold | ] | Ice Hockey }}
Sakic was voted into the ] 13 times and played in 12 of them, serving as a captain for two, the last in ]. He had at least one point in 11 of them.<ref>{{cite news |title =Sakic Named To 13th NHL All-Star Game |url =http://avalanche.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=426703|publisher =]|date =January 9, 2007|access-date =December 2, 2013}}</ref> The only one Sakic missed was the ] due to injury. Sakic won the MVP award in the ] after scoring a hat trick, despite the Western Conference losing the game. He is the all-time assist leader in All-Star Games with 16 assists<ref name="AllStarAssists">{{cite web|url=https://www.nhl.com/avalanche/news/sakic-leads-western-all-stars-to-victory/c-426728|title=Sakic Leads Western All-Stars To Victory|access-date=December 24, 2016|publisher=NHL.com|date=January 23, 2007|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> and is third place in all-time all-star scoring with 22 points, behind ] (23 points) and ] (25 points).<ref name="AllStarAssists"/> His best record in an All-Star Game was in 2007, when he scored four assists for the winning team; however, the MVP award was given to ], who had a goal and four assists.<ref name="AllStarAssists"/>

==International play==
{{MedalTableTop| name = |Joe Sakic Team Canada.jpg|200px|Sakic (no. 91) at the 2006 Olympics}}
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{{MedalGold | ] | Ice Hockey }} {{MedalGold | ] | }}
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{{MedalGold | ] | Ice Hockey }} {{MedalGold | ] | }}
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{{MedalCompetition|]}} {{MedalCompetition|]}}
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Sakic had an extensive international hockey career, representing Canada in seven international competitions.<ref name="Canadian Gold"/> After being drafted by the Nordiques in 1987, Sakic went on to help the ] win the ].<ref name="Legends of Hockey"/> Sakic's next tournament was the ], in which Team Canada won the silver medal and Sakic contributed eleven points in ten games.<ref name="Legends of Hockey"/> Sakic tried out for the ] Canadian team but was the first player to be cut, being cited for his weak leg strength.<ref name="Legends of Hockey"/> Sakic was bitter about the experience, feeling he was not given a good enough chance to prove himself, and called the whole experience "a complete waste of time."<ref name="Second Chance">{{cite news |title=Sakic's Second Chance|author=Strachan, Al|newspaper=]|date=August 15, 1996}}</ref>
]
Sakic has had an extensive international hockey career, having represented Canada at seven international competitions.<ref name="Canadian Gold"/> After being drafted by the Nordiques in 1987, he went on and helped Canada win the ].<ref name="Legends of Hockey"/> His next tournament was the ], where Canada won the silver medal and Sakic contributed eleven points in ten games.<ref name="Legends of Hockey"/> He tried out for the 1991 Canadian Canada Cup team, but was the first player to be cut, being cited for his weak leg strength.<ref name="Legends of Hockey"/> Sakic was bitter about the experience, feeling he was not given a good enough chance to prove himself, and called the whole experience "a complete waste of time."<ref name="Second Chance">{{cite news |title=Sakic's Second Chance|url=http://www.chl.ca/HockeyWorldCup/aug15_hkwc_sakic.html|author=Strachan, Al|publisher=]|date=1996-08-15|accessdate=2007-11-21}}{{dead link|date=November 2008}}</ref>


Sakic's first successful professional tournament was the ], where Canada won its first gold medal in the tournament since 1961. Sakic's seven points in eight games were a crucial part of the team's success.<ref name="Legends of Hockey"/> During the ], he played only a minor role in Canada's second place finish as he scored one goal and two assists in six games.<ref name="1996WCH">{{Cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/HockeyWorldCup/stats.html|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070712191722/http://slam.canoe.ca/HockeyWorldCup/stats.html|archivedate=2007-07-12|title=1996 World Cup of Hockey Statistics|accessdate=2007-04-09|publisher=Canoe – Slam Sports!|year=1996|author=Canadian Press}}</ref> However the tournament allowed him to showcase that he was indeed a dominant player who had simply been overlooked.<ref name="HockeyWinner">{{Cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/HockeyWorldCup/sep16_wctucker.html|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070712191328/http://slam.canoe.ca/HockeyWorldCup/sep16_wctucker.html|archivedate=2007-07-12|title=HOCKEY THE BIG WINNER|accessdate=2007-04-09|publisher=Canoe - Slam Sports!|year=1996|author=Tucker, Larry}}</ref> Sakic's first successful professional tournament was the ], in whiche Canada won its first gold medal in the tournament since 1961. Sakic's seven points in eight games were a crucial part of the team's success.<ref name="Legends of Hockey"/> During the ], Sakic played only a minor role in Canada's second-place finish as he scored one goal and two assists in six games.<ref name="1996WCH">{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/HockeyWorldCup/stats.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20070712191722/http://slam.canoe.ca/HockeyWorldCup/stats.html|archive-date=July 12, 2007|title=1996 World Cup of Hockey Statistics|access-date=April 9, 2007|publisher=Canoe – Slam Sports!|year=1996|url-status=usurped|agency=Canadian Press}}</ref> However, the tournament allowed Sakic to showcase that he was indeed a dominant player who had simply been overlooked.<ref name="HockeyWinner">{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/HockeyWorldCup/sep16_wctucker.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20070712191328/http://slam.canoe.ca/HockeyWorldCup/sep16_wctucker.html|archive-date=July 12, 2007|title=HOCKEY THE BIG WINNER|access-date=April 9, 2007|publisher=Canoe Slam Sports!|year=1996|url-status=usurped|author=Tucker, Larry}}</ref>


Sakic's first Olympic appearance came in ] at ], ], after the event allowed NHL players to compete for the first time. Bothered by a knee injury, he only scored three points in four games,<ref name="Avalanche Website"/> as the Canadian squad failed to meet expectations and finished in fourth. Sakic's second Olympic appearance came in the ] in ], ]. Led by his strong play, the Canadian team played their way to the gold medal match against Team USA, where Sakic had four points and helped the team win its first gold medal in 50 years. He was later named MVP of the tournament with a cumulative tally of four goals and six assists. Sakic also played a part in Canada's triumph in the ], where he scored six points in six games<ref name="Legends of Hockey"/> became one of the first Canadian members of the ].<ref name="TGC"/> Sakic's first Olympic appearance came in ] at ], Japan, the first tournament in which NHL players participated. Bothered by a knee injury, Sakic scored only three points in four games <ref name="Avalanche Website"/> as the Canadian squad failed to meet expectations and finished fourth. Sakic's second Olympic appearance came in ] in ]; led by his strong play, the Canadian team reached the gold medal match against ], in which Sakic scored four points and helped Canada to its first gold medal in 50 years. Sakic was later named MVP of the tournament with a cumulative tally of four goals and six assists and became one of the first Canadian members of the ].<ref name="TGC"/> Sakic also played a part in Canada's triumph in the ], where he scored six points in six games.<ref name="Legends of Hockey"/>


On December 21, 2005, Sakic was named captain of ] for the ] in ], ].<ref name="USA Today">{{cite news |title=Canada's deep Olympic roster is minus Crosby|url=http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/torino/hockey/2005-12-21-canada-roster_x.htm|author=Brehm, Mike|publisher=]|date=2005-12-21|accessdate=2007-11-19}}</ref> Once again, Team Canada was heavily favored and given high expectations, but they failed to medal, finishing seventh overall.<ref name="New York Times">{{cite news |title=2006 Olympic Winter Games—Hockey: Men; Canada Is Left With Questions and Speculation|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C01E2DF1F3EF937A15751C0A9609C8B63|author=Westhead, Rick|publisher=New York Times|date=2006-02-24|accessdate=2007-11-19}}</ref> Sakic finished the tournament with three points. On December 21, 2005, Sakic was named captain of Canada for the ] in ], Italy.<ref name="USA Today">{{cite news |title=Canada's deep Olympic roster is minus Crosby|url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/torino/hockey/2005-12-21-canada-roster_x.htm|author=Brehm, Mike|work=]|date=December 21, 2005|access-date=November 19, 2007}}</ref> Once again, Canada was heavily favoured to win and given high expectations, but they failed to medal, finishing seventh overall.<ref name="New York Times">{{cite news |title=2006 Olympic Winter Games—Hockey: Men; Canada Is Left With Questions and Speculation|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C01E2DF1F3EF937A15751C0A9609C8B63|author=Westhead, Rick|newspaper=New York Times|date=February 24, 2006|access-date=November 19, 2007}}</ref> Sakic finished the tournament with three points.


==Personal life== ==Executive career==
After he retired, Sakic decided to take time off from hockey and spent time with his family. In 2011, two years after his retirement, Sakic returned to the Avalanche to work in their front office. Sakic was named an executive advisor and alternate governor of the team, effective at the end of the ]. In his role as an advisor, Sakic advised the team in hockey-related matters. As an alternate governor, Sakic represented the team at ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=557255|title=Joe Sakic joins Av's front office|author=NHL.com|date=March 25, 2011|publisher=NHL.com|access-date=March 25, 2011}}</ref>


On June 26, 2012, Sakic was selected to the ] in his first year of eligibility. He was inducted into the ] on November 12, 2012, along with ], ] and ]. Sakic was the only member of his class who won the ] during his career.
Sakic and his wife Debbie have three children: Mitchell and twins Chase and Kamryn.<ref name="Avalanche Website"/> They met at a local high school while he was playing in Swift Current, and they frequently return to the town during the off-season.<ref name="Denial of Death"/> Sakic is an avid golfer, and competed in the celebrity Pro Am golf tournament in ] in the summer of 2006. Each summer, he also hosts his own charity golf tournament which benefits the Food Bank of the Rockies.<ref name="Save Avs">{{Cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=frei_terry&id=3556791|title=Can Captain Joe save the day for the Avalanche?|accessdate=2008-08-27|publisher=ESPN|year=2008|author=Frei, Terry}}</ref> His charity work, which is estimated to have provided more than 7 million meals to poor children and families, has earned an NHL Foundation Player Award in 2007.<ref>{{cite news |title =Sakic receives NHL Foundation Player Award for outstanding community service|url =http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?articleid=340142&page=NewsPage&service=page|publisher =]|date =]|accessdate =2007-10-19}}</ref>


On May 10, 2013, the Avalanche promoted Sakic to executive vice president of hockey operations. In this expanded role, Sakic had the final say on all matters regarding hockey personnel.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kimelman|first=Adam|title=Sakic will have final say in new Avalanche role|publisher=NHL.com|date=May 10, 2013|url=http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=670167&navid=nhl:topheads|access-date=December 4, 2013}}</ref> During ] tenure as head coach, they shared most of the duties normally held by a general manager. General Manager ] remained in his post but served mainly in an advisory role to Roy and Sakic. This de facto arrangement was formalized the following season, when Sakic was formally named general manager and Sherman was demoted to assistant general manager.<ref name=TheAthletic220627>{{cite web|last=LeBrun|first=Pierre|title=How Joe Sakic built a Cup champion: NHL GMs marvel at Avalanche's patient, methodical rise|website=]|url=https://theathletic.com/3385198/2022/06/27/joe-sakic-avalanche-stanley-cup-champion/|date=June 27, 2022|access-date=July 11, 2022}}</ref>
In his hometown of Burnaby, Sakic is a fan favourite, and even has a street named "Joe Sakic Way" in his honour.<ref name="No Average Joe"/> Throughout ] he is affectionately known as "Burnaby Joe";<ref name="ESPN Page 2">{{Cite web|url=http://espn.go.com/page2/s/bermanfiles/sakicresponses.html|title=Case No. 4, Joe Sakic

|accessdate=2007-11-07|publisher=ESPN|year=2001|author=ESPN Page 2 Staff}}</ref> in ], he is known simply as "Super Joe". His younger brother ] was a member of the same ] during Joe's final season. He was drafted into the NHL, but never played in the league. He did, however, play for the ] of the ].<ref name="Avalanche Website"/>
Sakic's tenure as general manager faced early adversity, notably in the ], in which the team finished in last place and managed only 48 points in the standings. Sakic later admitted that at points he was to be relieved by team ownership in midst of the poor results. Despite finishing last, the team did not win any of the top three lottery picks in the ], dropping to fourth. This seeming misfortune would later prove beneficial, as it led to the Avalanche selecting future ]-winning defenceman ] at fourth overall. The poor season also perpetuated a trade request from star player ], which Sakic would ultimately translate into several assets, including defencemen ] and ]. In later years, Sakic would make additional trades for ], ], and ], and sign ] as a free agent. The Avalanche won the ] for the ] but faltered in the second round of the playoffs for the third consecutive season. The Avalanche finished second in the regular season ] but ].<ref name=TheAthletic220627/> Sakic became only the third person, after Milt Schmidt and Serge Savard, to win a Stanley Cup with the same franchise as a player and general manager.<ref>{{cite web|last=Newby|first=Colin|title=What Joe Sakic Means to the Avalanche|website=The Hockey Writers|url=https://thehockeywriters.com/colorado-avalanche-sakic-importance/|date=July 7, 2022|access-date=July 15, 2022}}</ref> In recognition of his work for the 2021–22 season, Sakic received the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2022/07/joe-sakic-wins-gm-of-the-year.html |title=Joe Sakic Wins GM Of The Year|date=July 7, 2022 }}</ref>

On July 11, 2022, the Avalanche announced that Sakic would be ceding the general manager title to longtime assistant ] and assuming a new role as President of Hockey Operations.<ref name=THN220711/>

==Personal life==
Sakic and his wife Debbie have three children: son Mitchell, born 1996,<ref>{{cite web|title=Joe Sakic Answers Your Questions|publisher=Colorado Avalanche|date=December 11, 2007|url=http://avalanche.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=427157|access-date=December 4, 2013}}</ref> and fraternal twins, son Chase and daughter Kamryn, born October 2000.<ref name="Avalanche Website"/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4191/is_20010214/ai_n9983241/ |work=The Gazette |first=John |last=Branch |title=An Avalanche of newborns/ Seven have been born since August |date=February 14, 2001 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019044411/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4191/is_20010214/ai_n9983241/ |archive-date=October 19, 2015 }}</ref> Sakic and his wife met at a local high school while he was playing in Swift Current, and they frequently return to the town during the off-season.<ref name="Denial of Death"/> Sakic is an avid ]er and competed in the celebrity ] golf tournament in ] in the summer of 2006. Each summer during his playing career, Sakic also hosted his own charity golf tournament, which benefited the Food Bank of the Rockies.<ref name="Save Avs">{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=frei_terry&id=3556791|title=Can Captain Joe save the day for the Avalanche?|access-date=August 27, 2008|publisher=ESPN|year=2008|author=Frei, Terry}}</ref> Sakic's charity work is estimated to have provided more than seven million meals to poor children and families and earned him an NHL Foundation Player Award in 2007.<ref>{{cite news |title =Sakic receives NHL Foundation Player Award for outstanding community service|url =http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=373076|publisher =]|date =October 15, 2007|access-date =October 19, 2007}}</ref>

Sakic is a fan favourite in his hometown of Burnaby, where a street has been named Joe Sakic Way in his honour.<ref name="No Average Joe"/> Throughout ], Sakic is known as "Burnaby Joe".<ref name="ESPN Page 2">{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/page2/s/bermanfiles/sakicresponses.html|title=Case No. 4, Joe Sakic
|access-date=November 7, 2007|publisher=ESPN|year=2001|author=ESPN Page 2 Staff}}</ref> In ], Sakic is known as "Super Joe." His younger brother ] joined the ] during Joe's final season with the team and later played for the ] of the ].<ref name="Avalanche Website"/> Sakic also has an uncredited role in the movie ] as a "player at hockey tryouts".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1177222/|title=Joe Sakic| website = IMDb|access-date=April 17, 2016}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is debatably reliable (]).|date=December 2024}}


==Career statistics== ==Career statistics==

===Regular season and playoffs=== ===Regular season and playoffs===
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:50em;" {| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em"
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;" |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" | &nbsp; ! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff"|
! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | &nbsp; ! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff"|
! colspan="5" | Regular&nbsp;season ! colspan="5"|]
! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | &nbsp; ! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff"|
! colspan="5" | Playoffs ! colspan="5"|]
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;" |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Season ! ]
! Team ! Team
! League ! League
! GP !! ] !! ] !! ] !! ]
! GP
! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM
! ]
! ]
! ]
! ]
! GP
! G
! A
! Pts
! PIM
|- |-
| 1985–86||Burnaby BC Selects||]||80||83||73||156||96||—||—||—||—||— | 1985–86
| Burnaby BC Selects
| ]
| 80 || 83 || 73 || 156 || 96
| || || || ||
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;" |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| ]||]||]||3||0||0||0||0||—||—||—||—||— | ]
| ]
| ]
| 3 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0
| || || || ||
|- |-
| ]||]||WHL||72||60||73||133||31||4||0||1||1||0 | ]
| ]
| WHL
|72 || 60 || 73 || 133 || 31
| 4 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 0
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;" |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| ]||Swift Current Broncos||WHL||64||78||82||160||64||10||11||13||24||12 | ]
| Swift Current Broncos
| WHL
| 64 || 78 || 82 || 160 || 64
| 10 || 11 || 13 || 24 || 12
|- |-
| ]||]||]||70||23||39||62||24||—||—||—||—||— | ]
| ]
| ]
| 70 || 23 || 39 || 62 || 24
| || || || ||
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;" |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| ]||Quebec Nordiques||NHL||80||39||63||102||64||—||—||—||—||— | ]
| Quebec Nordiques
| NHL
| 80 || 39 || 63 || 102 || 27
| || || || ||
|- |-
| ]||Quebec Nordiques||NHL||80||48||61||109||24||—||—||—||—||— | ]
| Quebec Nordiques
| NHL
| 80 || 48 || 61 || 109 || 24
| || || || ||
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;" |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| ]||Quebec Nordiques||NHL||69||29||65||94||20||—||—||—||—||— | ]
| Quebec Nordiques
| NHL
| 69 || 29 || 65 || 94 || 20
| || || || ||
|- |-
| ]||Quebec Nordiques||NHL||78||48||57||105||40||6||3||3||6||2 | ]
| Quebec Nordiques
| NHL
| 78 || 48 || 57 || 105 || 40
| 6 || 3 || 3 || 6 || 2
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;" |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| ]||Quebec Nordiques||NHL||84||28||64||92||18||—||—||—||—||— | ]
| Quebec Nordiques
| NHL
| 84 || 28 || 64 || 92 || 18
| || || || ||
|- |-
| ]||Quebec Nordiques||NHL||47||19||43||62||30||6||4||1||5||0 | ]
| Quebec Nordiques
| NHL
| 47 || 19 || 43 || 62 || 30
| 6 || 4 || 1 || 5 || 0
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;" |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| ]||]||NHL||82||51||69||120||44||22||18||16||34||14 | ]
| ]
| NHL
| 82 || 51 || 69 || 120 || 44
| 22 || 18 || 16 || 34 ||14
|- |-
| ]||Colorado Avalanche||NHL||65||22||52||74||34||17||8||17||25||14 | ]
| Colorado Avalanche
| NHL
| 65 || 22 || 52 || 74 || 34
| 17 || 8 || 17 || 25 || 14
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;" |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| ]||Colorado Avalanche||NHL||64||27||36||63||50||6||2||3||5||3 | ]
| Colorado Avalanche
| NHL
| 64 || 27 || 36 || 63 || 50
| 6 || 2 || 3 || 5 || 6
|- |-
| ]||Colorado Avalanche||NHL||73||41||55||96||29||19||6||13||19||8 | ]
| Colorado Avalanche
| NHL
| 73 || 41 || 55 ||96 || 29
| 19 || 6 || 13 || 19 || 8
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;" |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| ]||Colorado Avalanche||NHL||60||28||53||81||28||17||2||7||9||8 | ]
| Colorado Avalanche
| NHL
| 60 || 28 || 53 || 81 || 28
| 17 || 2 || 7 || 9 || 8
|- |-
| ]||Colorado Avalanche||NHL||82||54||64||118||30||21||13||13||26||6 | ]
| Colorado Avalanche
| NHL
| 82 || 54 || 64 || 118 ||30
| 21 || 13 || 13 || 26 || 6
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;" |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| ]||Colorado Avalanche||NHL||82||26||53||79||18||21||9||10||19||4 | ]
| Colorado Avalanche
| NHL
| 82 || 26 || 53 || 79 || 18
| 21 || 9 || 10 || 19 || 4
|- |-
| ]||Colorado Avalanche||NHL||58||26||32||58||24||7||6||3||9||2 | ]
| Colorado Avalanche
| NHL
| 58 || 26 || 32 || 58 || 24
| 7 || 6 || 3 || 9 || 2
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;" |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| ]||Colorado Avalanche||NHL||81||33||54||87||42||11||7||5||12||8 | ]
| Colorado Avalanche
| NHL
| 81 || 33 || 54 || 87 || 42
| 11 || 7 || 5 || 12 || 8
|- |-
| ]||Colorado Avalanche||NHL||82||32||55||87||60||9||4||5||9||6 | ]
| Colorado Avalanche
| NHL
| 82 || 32 || 55 || 87 || 60
| 9 || 4 || 5 || 9 || 6
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;" |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| ]||Colorado Avalanche||NHL||82||36||64||100||46||—||—||—||—||— | ]
| Colorado Avalanche
| NHL
| 82 || 36 || 64 || 100 || 46
| || || || ||
|- |-
| ]||Colorado Avalanche||NHL||44||13||27||40||20||10||2||8||10||0 | ]
| Colorado Avalanche
| NHL
| 44 || 13 || 27 || 40 || 20
| 10 || 2 || 8 || 10 || 0
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;" |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| ]
! colspan="3" | WHL totals !! 139 !! 138 !! 155 !! 293 !! 95 !! 14 !! 11 !! 14 !! 25 !! 12
| Colorado Avalanche
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;"
| NHL
| 15 || 2 || 10 || 12 || 6
| — || — || — || — || —
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" | NHL totals ! colspan="3" | NHL totals
! 1,378 !! 625 !! 1,016 !! 1,641 !! 614
! 1363
! 172 !! 84 !! 104 !! 188 !! 78
! 623
! 1006
! 1629
! 608
! 172
! 84
! 104
! 188
! 78
|} |}
<!-- PLEASE DO NOT ADD CURRENT SEASON STATISTICS. WIKIPEDIA STANDARD IS TO WAIT TO THE END OF THE SEASON TO AVOID MANY COMPLICATIONS FROM MULTIPLE EDITS DURING SEASON. WIKIPEDIA IS NOT INTENDED TO BE AN UP TO THE MINUTE SPORTS STATS DATABASE. -->


===International=== ===International===
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" ID="Table3" style="text-align:center; width:40em"
<br />
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
{| BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" style="width:75%;"
|- style="text-align:center; background:#e0e0e0;"
! Year ! Year
! Team ! Team
! Event ! Event
! ALIGN="center" rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | &nbsp; ! rowspan="102" bgcolor="#ffffff"|
! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM
! GP
! G |-
| ]
! A
| ]
! P
| ]
! PIM
| 7 || 3 || 1 || 4 || 2
|- ALIGN="center"
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1987
| ]
| Canada
| ]
| -
| 1
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
|- style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"
| 1988
| Canada
| ]
| 7
| 3
| 1
| 4
| 2
|- ALIGN="center"
| 1991
| Canada
| ] | ]
| 10 || 6 || 5 || 11 || 0
| 10
| 6 |-
| ]
| 5
| 11
| 0
|- style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"
| 1994
| Canada | Canada
| WC
| ]
| 8 || 4 || 3 || 7 || 0
| 8
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 4
| ]
| 3
| 7
| 27
|- ALIGN="center"
| 1996
| Canada | Canada
| ] | ]
| 8 || 2 || 2 || 4 || 6
| 8
| 2 |-
| ]
| 2
| 4
| 6
|- style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"
| 1998
| Canada | Canada
| ] | ]
| 4 || 1 || 2 || 3 || 4
| 4
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1
| ]
| 2
| 3
| 4
|- ALIGN="center"
| 2002
| Canada | Canada
| OLY
| ]
| 6 || 4 || 3 || 7 || 0
| 6
| 4 |-
| ]
| 3
| 7
| 0
|- style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"
| 2004
| Canada | Canada
| WCH
| ]
| 6 || 4 || 2 || 6 || 2
| 6
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 4
| ]
| 2
| 6
| 2
|- ALIGN="center"
| 2006
| Canada | Canada
| OLY
| ]
| 6 || 1 || 2 || 3 || 0
| 6
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
| 1
! colspan=3 | Junior totals
| 2
! 7 !! 3 !! 1 !! 4 !! 2
| 3
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
| 0
! colspan=3 | Senior totals
|- style="text-align:center; background:#e0e0e0;"
! 48 !! 22 !! 19 !! 41 !! 39
! colspan=3 | Senior int'l totals
! 48
! 22
! 19
! 41
! 39
|} |}


===All-Star games=== ===All-Star games===
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" ID="Table3" style="text-align:center; width:40em"
<br />
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
{| BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" style="width:45%;"
|- style="text-align:center; background:#e0e0e0;"
! Year ! Year
! Location ! Location
! ALIGN="center" rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | &nbsp; ! rowspan="102" bgcolor="#ffffff"|
! G !! A !! Pts
! G

! A
|-
! P
|- ALIGN="center"
| ] | ]
| ] | ]
| 0 | 0 || 2 || 2
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2
| 2
|- style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"
| ] | ]
| ] | ]
| 0 | 0 || 1 || 1
| 1 |-
| 1
|- ALIGN="center"
| ] | ]
| ] | ]
| 0 | 0 || 2 || 2
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2
| 2
|- style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"
| ] | ]
| ] | ]
| 0 | 0 || 3 || 3
| 3 |-
| 3
|- ALIGN="center"
| ] | ]
| ] | ]
| 1 | 1 || 2 || 3
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2
| 3
|- style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"
| ] | ]
| ] | ]
| 0 | 0 || 0 || 0
| 0 |-
| 0
|- ALIGN="center"
| ]
| ]
| -
| -
| -
|- style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"
| ] | ]
| ] | ]
| 0 | 0 || 2 || 2
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2
| 2
|- ALIGN="center"
| ] | ]
| ] | ]
| 1 | 1 || 0 || 1
| 0 |-
| 1
|- style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"
| ] | ]
| ] | ]
| 1 | 1 || 0 || 1
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 0
| 1
|- ALIGN="center"
| ] | ]
| ] | ]
| 0 | 0 || 0 || 0
| 0 |-
| 0
|- style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"
| ] | ]
| ] | ]
| 3 | 3 || 0 || 3
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 0
| 3
|- ALIGN="center"
| ] | ]
| ] | ]
| 0 | 0 || 4 || 4
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
| 4
| 4
|- style="text-align:center; background:#e0e0e0;"
! colspan=3 | All-Star totals ! colspan=3 | All-Star totals
! 6 !! 16 !! 22
! 6
! 16
! 22
|} |}


==Legacy== ==Legacy==

===Milestones=== ===Milestones===
Sakic recorded his 1,000th career point on December 27, 1999, against the ].<ref name="2001 NHL Yearbook">{{cite book | last = National Hockey League | title = 2001 NHL Yearbook | year = 2000 | publisher = Worldsport Properties | location = Toronto | page = 272}}</ref> Sakic became the 11th player to reach 1,500 points, doing so on October 25, 2006, with an assist against the ], and the sixth to do so with one franchise.<ref name="1500 Points">{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/nhl/news/story?id=2638889|title=Sakic scores 1,500th point|access-date=May 13, 2007|publisher=ESPN|year=2006|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> ], ], ], ], and ] are the others who achieved this feat.<ref name="No Average Joe"/>


Sakic recorded his 1000th career point on December 27, 1999, against the ].<ref name="2001 NHL Yearbook">{{cite book | last = National Hockey League | title = 2001 NHL Yearbook | year = 2000 | publisher = Worldsport Properties | location = Toronto | page = 272}}</ref> He became the eleventh player to reach 1500 points, doing so on October 25, 2006, with an assist against the ], and the sixth to do so with one franchise.<ref name="1500 Points">{{Cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2638889|title=Sakic scores 1,500th point|accessdate=2007-05-13|publisher=ESPN|year=2006|author=Associated Press}}</ref> ], ], ], ] and ] are the others who have achieved this feat.<ref name="No Average Joe"/> On March 22, 2008, Sakic notched his 1,000th career assist against the Edmonton Oilers on a second period goal scored by Tyler Arnason. Sakic played his 1,000th career game on March 9, 2002, against the ].<ref name="Recordbook">{{cite book | last = National Hockey League | author-link = National Hockey League | title = National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2007 | publisher = Dan Diamond & Associates, Inc. | year = 2006 | location = Toronto | page = | isbn = 978-1-894801-02-7 | url = https://archive.org/details/nationalhockeyle0000unse_a8h9/page/656}}</ref> Sakic's 500th career goal came against the ] on December 11, 2002.<ref name="500 Goals">{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/canucks-spoil-sakic-s-500th-goal-1.339282|title=Canucks spoil Sakic's 500th goal|access-date=February 16, 2023|publisher=CBC|author=CBC Sports | date=December 15, 2002}}</ref> In a February 15, 2007, game against the ], Sakic scored his 600th career goal. He also earned his 900th assist, the 16th player to do so, against the Flames in a game on March 12, 2006.<ref name="Avalanche Bio">{{cite web|title=Joe Sakic: Bio|publisher=Colorado Avalanche|url=http://avalanche.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8451101&view=bio|access-date=July 26, 2013}}</ref>


During the final game of the ], Sakic scored his 100th point of the year. This made him, at age 37, the second oldest player in NHL history, after Gordie Howe, to record 100 points in a regular season.<ref name="Forbes Article">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/08/AR2007040801332.html|title=Sakic Reaches 100 Points As Avs Win|access-date=December 24, 2016|newspaper=The Washington Post|agency=Associated Press|date=April 9, 2007|author=Stapleton, Arnie}}</ref> Sakic became the longest active tenured captain in the league, with fifteen seasons leading the Nordiques/Avalanche franchise, after the retirement of Steve Yzerman at the conclusion of the 2005–06 regular season.<ref name="Avalanche Bio"/> On March 22, 2008, against the ], Sakic recorded the 1,000th assist of his career, the 11th player to do so.<ref name="1000 assists"/> The gloves he wore in the game were later sent to the ].<ref name="1000 Assists HHOF">{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/2008-03-25-58530803_x.htm|title=Theodore's Shutout Gives Avs Crucial Win|access-date=March 27, 2008|agency=Associated Press|work=USA Today|date=March 25, 2008|author=Stapleton, Arnie}}</ref>
Sakic played his 1000th career game on March 9, 2002, against the ].<ref name="Recordbook">{{cite book | last = National Hockey League | authorlink = National Hockey League | title = National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2007 |publisher = Dan Diamond & Associates, Inc. | year = 2006 | location = Toronto | page = 656 |id = ISBN 978-1-894801-02-7}}</ref> His 500th career goal came against the ] on December 11, 2002.<ref name="500 Goals">{{Cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2002/12/11/sakic021211.html|title=Canucks spoil Sakic's 500th goal|accessdate=2007-11-07|publisher=CBC|year=2006|author=CBC Sports}}</ref> In a February 15, 2007, game against the ], Sakic scored his 600th career goal. He also earned his 900th assist, the sixteenth player to do so, against the Flames, in a game on March 12, 2006.<ref name="NHL Bio"/>


Alongside ], Wayne Gretzky, and ], Sakic is one of four players to captain his team to a Stanley Cup championship and win the Hart Memorial Trophy in the same year.<ref name="Trophy Winner">{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/NHLAwards/010615_awards1-sun.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20070703002347/http://slam.canoe.ca/NHLAwards/010615_awards1-sun.html|archive-date=July 3, 2007|title=Sakic is no ordinary Joe|access-date=May 14, 2007|publisher=NBCSports.com|year=2001|url-status=usurped|author=Zeisberger, Mike}}</ref> Sakic is also a member of the ], a term used in hockey to describe players who have won an Olympic gold medal, a World Championship gold medal and the Stanley Cup.<ref name="TGC">{{cite web|url=https://www.iihf.com/en/static/5315/triple-gold-club|title=Hockey's exclusive company–Triple Gold Club|access-date=February 16, 2023|publisher=]|year=2008}}</ref>
During the final game of the ] season, Sakic scored his 100th point of the year. This made him, at age 37, the second oldest player in NHL history, after Gordie Howe, to record 100 points in a regular season.<ref name="Forbes Article">{{Cite web|url=http://forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/04/09/ap3592898.html|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071017170416/http://forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/04/09/ap3592898.html|archivedate=2007-10-17|title=Sakic Reaches 100 Points As Avs Win|accessdate=2007-04-10|publisher=Associated Press|year=2007|author=Stapleton, Arnie}}</ref> He is the only captain in Colorado Avalanche history and became the longest active tenured captain in the league, with fifteen seasons leading the Nordiques/Avalanche franchise, after the retirement of Steve Yzerman at the conclusion of the 2005&ndash;06 regular season.<ref name="NHL Bio"/> On March 22, 2008, against the ], Sakic recorded the 1000th assist of his career, the 11th player to do so.<ref name="1000 assists"/> The gloves he wore in the game were later sent to the ].<ref name="1000 Assists HHOF">{{Cite web|url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gq2kB5S26qawy0L-a7-3vcMbOUkQD8VK7OAO1|title=Theodore's Shutout Gives Avs Crucial Win
|accessdate=2008-03-27|publisher=Associated Press|year=2008|author=Stapleton, Arnie}}{{dead link|date=November 2008}}</ref>

Alongside ], ] and ], Sakic is one of four players to captain his team to a Stanley Cup championship and win the Hart Memorial Trophy in the same year.<ref name="Trophy Winner">{{Cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/NHLAwards/010615_awards1-sun.html|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070703002347/http://slam.canoe.ca/NHLAwards/010615_awards1-sun.html|archivedate=2007-07-03|title=Sakic is no ordinary Joe|accessdate=2007-05-14|publisher=NBCSports.com|year=2001|author=Zeisberger, Mike}}</ref> Sakic is also one of twenty-two members in the ], a term used in ice hockey to describe players who have won an Olympic Gold medal, a World Championship Gold medal and the Stanley Cup.<ref name="TGC">{{Cite web|url=http://www.iihf.com/iihf-home/history/the-iihf/triple-gold-club.html|title=Hockey's exclusive company&ndash;Triple Gold Club|accessdate=2008-11-09|publisher=]|year=2008}}</ref>


===Records=== ===Records===
In his 20-year career with the Nordiques and Avalanche, Sakic obtained nearly all of the franchise scoring records, including most all-time goals (625), assists (1,016) and points (1,641). He also holds the franchise record for most games played (1,363),<ref name="Recordbook 2009">{{cite book | last = National Hockey League | author-link = National Hockey League | title = National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2009 |publisher = Dan Diamond & Associates, Inc. | year = 2008 | location = Toronto | page = 656 |isbn = 978-1-894801-14-0}}</ref> and also holds several notable NHL records, including most All-Star game assists (16) and most playoff overtime goals (8).<ref name="April 9, 2008">{{cite news|url=http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=280409030|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080412144718/http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=280409030|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 12, 2008|title=Sakic, Avs drop Wild in OT to take 1-0 series lead|access-date=April 9, 2008|work=ESPN.com|year=2008|agency=Associated Press}}</ref>


===Leadership===
In his 19-year career with the Nordiques and Avalanche, Sakic has obtained nearly all of the franchise scoring records, including most all-time goals (623), assists (1006), and points (1629). He also holds the franchise record for most games played (1,363),<ref name="Recordbook 2009">{{cite book | last = National Hockey League | authorlink = National Hockey League | title = National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2009 |publisher = Dan Diamond & Associates, Inc. | year = 2008 | location = Toronto | page = 656 |id = ISBN 978-1-894801-14-0}}</ref> and is on several notable NHL record lists:
]. When Sakic entered the NHL, he was mentored by ], Paul's father.]]


Throughout his career, Sakic was one of the top scorers in the league; but in his early years, he was criticized for not leading his team to playoff success.<ref name="100 Greatest Players"/> While in Quebec, the Nordiques were one of the worst teams in the league, finishing last in their division five out of the seven years Sakic was with the team, including three straight years of being last overall in the league.<ref name="Recordbook"/> After leading the Avalanche to the Stanley Cup in 1996 with his 34 playoff points,<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Wigge|first=Larry|title=Joe Sakic, center, Avalanche|magazine=The Sporting News|date=September 29, 1997|pages=S6–S7}}</ref> Sakic began to be seen as capable of leading a team to success, and he was seen as one of the league's premier players.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Murphy|first=Austin|title=Two Much|magazine=Sports Illustrated|date=December 9, 1996|url=https://www.si.com/vault/1996/12/09/220196/two-much-peter-forsberg-and-joe-sakic-of-colorado-are-the-nhls-best-center-pairing-since-gretzky-and-messier|access-date=December 27, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Beacon|first=Bill|title=Sakic finally gets his due: Recognized as one of hockey's top centres|work=The Montreal Gazette|date=September 6, 1996|page=D3}}</ref>
<div style="float:left; margin-right:1.5em;">


Though Sakic was a quiet individual, he was able to motivate his team to play at higher levels, which earned him the respect of his peers and executives.<ref name="Captain">{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/captains-sakic-stevens-are-consummate-hockey-leaders-1.281008|title=Captains Sakic, Stevens are consummate hockey leaders|access-date=February 16, 2023|publisher=CBC|author=Stevens, Neil | date=June 9, 2001}}</ref> The first signs of Sakic's leadership began to show while still a member of the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL. After the bus crash that killed four of his teammates, Sakic was seen as the leader of the team, acknowledging that the experience changed his outlook on life.<ref name="No Average Joe"/><ref>{{cite news|last=MacGregor|first=Roy|title=Lessons from Swift Current: Twenty-one years ago, Joe Sakic lost four teammates in a bus crash. Today, he breaks his silence to Roy MacGregor in hopes of helping those in Bathurst heal|work=The Globe and Mail|date=March 13, 2009|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/lessons-from-swift-current-twenty-one-years-ago-joe-sakic-lost-four-teammates-in-a-bus-crash-today-he-breaks-his-silence-to-roy-macgregor-in-hopes-of-helping-those-in-bathurst-heal/article17979486/?page=all|access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref> Early in his career with the Nordiques (when ] was still captain),<ref name="C"/><ref name="exec"/> with the team hoping to rebuild around their top draft pick ] and holding onto Lindros' rights for the season when he refused to sign, Sakic suggested that the team could progress without Lindros. Lindros was traded a year later, bringing in a number of quality players, which vastly improved the Nordiques.<ref name="Lindros"/> Sakic's leadership qualities led him to be courted by other teams, such as in the summer of 1997, when the ] offered him a large contract in order to replace departed captain ], though the Avalanche ultimately matched the offer and retained Sakic.<ref name="TSN about the CBA"/>
====All-time====

* 1st place – Regular season points among active players (1629)
* 1st place – Regular season assists among active players (1006)
* 2nd place – Regular season goals among active players (623)
* 5th place – Regular season games played among active players (1363)

* 8th place – Regular season points (1629)
* 11th place – Regular season assists (1006)
* 14th place – Regular season goals (623)
* 35th place – Regular season games played (1363)

* 1st place – All-Star game assists (16)
* 3rd place – All-Star game points (22)
</div><div style="float:left; margin-right:1.5em;">

====Playoffs====
* 1st place – Most overtime goals (8)<ref name="April 9, 2008">{{Cite web|url=http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=280409030|title=Sakic, Avs drop Wild in OT to take 1-0 series lead|accessdate=2008-04-09|publisher=ESPN.com|year=2008|author=Associated Press}}</ref>

* 2nd place – Most goals in single season (18, in 1995&ndash;96)<ref name="1997 NHL Yearbook"/>
* 1st place – Playoff points among active players (188)
* 1st place – Playoff goals among active players (84)
* 5th place – Playoff assists among active players (104)
* 7th place – Playoff points (188)
* 7th place – Playoff goals (84)
</div>{{-}}

===Leadership===


One of the most defining actions of Sakic's career was at the conclusion of the 2001 playoffs. Defying the NHL tradition of the captain being the first to skate around with the Stanley Cup, Sakic passed it off to teammate ].<ref name="Bourque">{{cite news |title =Avalanche beat Devils to capture Stanley Cup|url =https://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/cup01/games/2001-06-09-njcol.htm|author =Allen, Kevin|work=]|date =June 10, 2001|access-date =November 26, 2007}}</ref> Bourque, one of the best defensemen to ever play, had been traded to the Avalanche the year before after spending 21 years with the ] and setting the record for most games played without winning the Cup.<ref>{{cite news|last=Brehm|first=Mike|title=Commentary: Bourque's story tugs us again|work=USA Today|date=June 26, 2001|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/col/2001-06-26-brehm-bourque.htm|access-date=December 2, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Ray, meet Stanley|publisher=CNN Sports Illustrated. Associated Press|date=June 10, 2001|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/nhl/2001/playoffs/news/2001/06/09/bourque_cup_ap/|access-date=December 2, 2013|archive-date=June 4, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604140001/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/nhl/2001/playoffs/news/2001/06/09/bourque_cup_ap/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
]. When Sakic entered the NHL, he was mentored by ], Paul's father. Since joining the league in 2006, Paul has followed Sakic]]
Throughout his career, Sakic has been one of the top scorers in the league, but was widely criticized for not leading his team to any playoff success.<ref name="100 Greatest Players"/> While in Quebec, the Nordiques were one of the worst teams in the league, finishing last in their division five out of the seven years Sakic was with the team, including three straight years of being last overall in the league.<ref name="Recordbook"/> After leading the Avalanche to the Stanley Cup in 1996 with his 34 points, Sakic began to be seen as a leader capable of winning, and he was seen as one of the league's premier players.<ref name="Recognition">{{Cite web|url=http://www.chl.ca/HockeyWorldCup/sep5_sakic.html|title=Sakic gets what's coming to him|accessdate=2007-11-25|publisher=Canadian Hockey League|year=1996|author=Canadian Press}}{{dead link|date=November 2008}}</ref>


When an eye injury forced ] (who normally wore number 19 for Canada) to miss the ], Sakic and ] both refused the number out of respect for their injured countryman, even though both players each wore the number 19 for their respective NHL clubs and were now eligible to wear it for ] in Yzerman's absence.
Though Sakic is a quiet individual, he is able to motivate his team to play at higher levels, which has earned him the respect of his peers and executives.<ref name="Captain">{{Cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2001/06/09/stanleyfinal010609.html|title=Captains Sakic, Stevens are consummate hockey leaders|accessdate=2007-11-26|publisher=CBC|year=2001|author=Stevens, Neil}}</ref> The first signs of Sakic's leadership began to show while still a member of the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL. After the bus crash that killed four of his teammates, Sakic was seen as the leader of the team, acknowledging that the experience changed his outlook on life. This was further proven during the summer of 1997 when the New York Rangers offered him a large contract, in order to replace captain ] (who had left the team for the Vancouver Canucks), which under the rules of the NHL, the Avalanche were able to match.<ref name="TSN about the CBA"/>


Sakic's leadership qualities and abilities helped carry the Avalanche in the years after their 2001 Stanley Cup,<ref name="leaders"/><ref>{{cite news|last=Dater|first=Adrian|title="Super Joe" carrying Avs on his back again|work=The Denver Post|date=November 19, 2006|url=http://www.denverpost.com/2006/11/19/super-joe-carrying-avs-on-his-back-again/|access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref> which saw the team lose key players to retirement and free agency, especially after the 2004–05 lock-out.<ref>{{cite web|title=20 In 20: The 20 Best Avalanche Players In 20 Years of Franchise History Part 2|publisher=KCNC-TV|date=October 20, 2015|url=http://denver.cbslocal.com/2015/10/20/20-in-20-the-20-best-avalanche-players-in-20-years-of-franchise-history-part-2/|access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Scanlan|first=Wayne|title=Shed no tears for Sakic|work=Ottawa Citizen|date=October 20, 2006|page=B1}}</ref>
One of the most defining actions of Sakic's career was at the conclusion of the 2001 playoffs. Defying the NHL tradition of the captain being the first to skate around with the Stanley Cup, Sakic passed it off to teammate ].<ref name="Bourque">{{cite news |title =Avalanche beat Devils to capture Stanley Cup|url =http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/cup01/games/2001-06-09-njcol.htm|author =Allen, Kevin|publisher =]|date =]|accessdate =2007-11-26}}</ref> Bourque, one of the best defensemen to ever play, had been traded to the Avalanche the year before after spending 21 years with the ] and setting the record for most games played without winning the Cup.<ref name="Bourque Wins">{{Cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=290833|title=For Bourque, at long last Stanley!|accessdate=2007-11-26|publisher=NHL.com|year=2007|author=Roarke, Shawn P.}}</ref> Sakic's handing of the trophy to Bourque is seen as just another example of Sakic's leadership abilities and how he performs through actions rather than words.<ref name="Captain"/>


==Awards== ==Awards==
===WHL and CHL===


===WHL and CHL===
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
{| class="wikitable"
|- |-
! Award ! Award
! Year ! Year
|- |-
| ] Player of the Year | WHL East ] (Rookie of the Year)
| ]
| 1988
|-
| ] East Second All-Star Team
| ]
|- |-
| WHL East Player of the Year | WHL East Player of the Year
| ]
| 1987
|-
| WHL East ] (Rookie of the Year)
| 1987
|- |-
| WHL East First All-Star Team | ] East Second All-Star Team
| ] | ]
|- |-
| WHL ] (Leading Scorer) | WHL ] (Leading Scorer)
| ]
| 1988
|-
|] Player of the Year
| ]
|- |-
| WHL Player of the Year | WHL Player of the Year
| ]
| 1988
|-
| WHL East First All-Star Team
| ]
|} |}


===NHL=== ===NHL===
{| class="wikitable"

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|- |-
! Award ! Award
! Year(s) ! Year(s)
|- |-
| ] champion (as player)
| Bud Light ] Award (shared with ])
| ], ]
| 2001
|- |-
| ] champion (as executive)
| Conn Smythe Trophy
| ]
| 1996
|- |-
| Hart Memorial Trophy |]
|]
| 2001
|-
| Lady Byng Memorial Trophy
| 2001
|-
| Lester B. Pearson Award
| 2001
|- |-
| M.A.C. (Most Assists with Children) Award | M.A.C. (Most Assists with Children) Award
|]
| 1998
|- |-
| Bud Light ] Award (shared with ])
| NHL ALL-Star Game MVP
| ]
| 2004
|- |-
| ]
| NHL First All-Star Team
| ]
| 2001, 2002, 2004
|-
| ]
| ]
|-
| ]
| ]
|-
|]
| ], ], ]
|-
| ] MVP
| ]
|- |-
| NHL/Sheraton Road Performer Award (most road points) | NHL/Sheraton Road Performer Award (most road points)
| ]
| 2004
|-
| ]
| ]
|-
| ]
| ]
|- |-
| ]
| NHL Foundation Player Award
| ]
| 2007
|} |}


===International=== ===International===
{| class="wikitable"

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|- |-
! Award ! Award
! Year ! Year
|- |-
| Winter Olympic Games Ice Hockey Tournament Most Valuable Player | ] Ice Hockey Tournament Most Valuable Player
| ]
| 2002
|- |-
| Winter Olympic Games Ice Hockey All-Star Team | Winter Olympic Games Ice Hockey All-Star Team
| 2002 | 2002
|-
| ]
| 2017<ref>{{cite news|title=Joe Sakic among 8 inductees into IIHF Hall of Fame|last=Schram|first=Carol|date=May 21, 2017|agency=]|work=]|location=Toronto, Ontario|url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/joe-sakic-iihf-hall-of-fame-1.4125975|access-date=June 16, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iihfworlds2017.com/en/news/hall-of-fame/|title=A league of their own: IIHF Hall of Fame names 20th induction class|last=Podnieks|first=Andrew|author-link=Andrew Podnieks|date=April 25, 2017|website=IIHF|access-date=March 22, 2019}}</ref>
|} |}
*''All awards taken from NHL.com<ref name="NHL Bio">{{Cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?service=page&page=PlayerDetail&playerId=8451101&tab=crst|title=NHL Profile|accessdate=2007-05-13|publisher=NHL.com|year=2007|author=NHL.com}}</ref> '' *''All awards taken from NHL.com<ref name="NHL Bio">{{cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8451101&view=notes|title=Joe Sakic #19: Notes|access-date=July 26, 2013|publisher=NHL.com}}</ref> ''


==See also== ===Other===
* In October 2022, he was inaugurated in the Croatian-American Sports Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.croatiaweek.com/inaugural-croatian-american-sports-hall-of-fame-induction-held/ |title=Inaugural Croatian-American Sports Hall of Fame induction held |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=October 18, 2022 |website=croatianweek.com |publisher= |access-date= |quote=}}</ref>


==See also==
* ] * ]
* ] * ]
Line 533: Line 530:


==References== ==References==
{{reflist}}

{{reflist|2}}


==External links== ==External links==
{{Commons|Joe Sakic}} {{Commons category|Joe Sakic}}
* {{ice hockey stats|legendsm=P201203}}
* {{hockeydb|4739}}
* {{Team Canada|joe-sakic}}
*{{legendsofhockey|11437}}
* {{Olympics.com|joe-sakic|org_archive=20210424062209}}
*{{Nhlprofile|8451101|Joe Sakic}}
* {{Olympedia}}
*


{{Colorado Avalanche}}
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|NAME=Sakic, Joe
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|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Burnaby Joe, Super Joe
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|SHORT DESCRIPTION=Ice Hockey Player
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|DATE OF BIRTH=July 7, 1969
|PLACE OF BIRTH=]
|DATE OF DEATH=
|PLACE OF DEATH=
}}
{{Lifetime|1969||Sakic, Joe}}
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Latest revision as of 00:27, 31 December 2024

Canadian ice hockey player, executive (b. 1969)

Ice hockey player
Joe Sakic
Hockey Hall of Fame, 2012
Sakic with the Colorado Avalanche in 1997
Born (1969-07-07) July 7, 1969 (age 55)
Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for Quebec Nordiques
Colorado Avalanche
National team  Canada
NHL draft 15th overall, 1987
Quebec Nordiques
Playing career 1988–2009

Joseph Steven Sakic (/ˈsækɪk/; (Croatian pronunciation: [ʃakitɕ]) born July 7, 1969) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player. He played his entire 21-year National Hockey League (NHL) career, which lasted from 1988 to 2009, with the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche franchise. Named captain of the team in 1992 (after serving as a co-captain in 1990–91), Sakic is regarded as one of the greatest team leaders in league history and was able to consistently motivate his team to play at a winning level. Nicknamed "Burnaby Joe", Sakic was named to play in 13 NHL All-Star Games and selected to the NHL First All-Star Team at centre three times. Sakic led the Avalanche to Stanley Cup titles in 1996 and 2001, earning the most valuable player (MVP) in the 1996 playoffs. In 2001, Sakic earned both the Hart Memorial Trophy and Lester B. Pearson Award as MVP of the NHL. He is one of six players to participate in the first two of the team's Stanley Cup victories and won the Stanley Cup a third time with the Avalanche in 2022 while serving as the team's general manager. Sakic became the third person, after Milt Schmidt and Serge Savard, to win the Stanley Cup with the same franchise as a player and general manager.

Over his career, Sakic was one of the most productive forwards in the game, scoring 50 goals twice and earning at least 100 points in six different seasons. Sakic's wrist shot, considered one of the best in the NHL, was the source of much of his production as goalies around the league feared his rapid snap-shot release. At the conclusion of the 2008–09 NHL season, Sakic was the eighth all-time points leader in the NHL, as well as 14th in all-time goals and 11th in all-time assists. During the 2002 Winter Olympics, Sakic helped lead Team Canada to its first ice hockey gold medal in 50 years and was voted as the tournament's MVP. Sakic represented Team Canada in six other international competitions, including the 1998 and 2006 Winter Olympics.

Sakic retired from the NHL in 2009 and had his jersey number 19 retired prior to the Avalanche's 2009–10 season opener. In 2012, Sakic was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 2013, Sakic was inducted into the Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. In 2017, Sakic was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in history. He was also inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2017.

Following the end of his playing career, Sakic continued with the Avalanche organization in a management capacity, first serving as executive advisor and alternate governor from 2011 to 2013. Sakic was promoted to executive vice president of hockey operations on May 10, 2013, and named general manager the following year. After overseeing a team rebuild, culminating in the franchise's third Stanley Cup victory in 2022, Sakic won the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award. The team announced shortly thereafter that Sakic was being promoted to president of hockey operations.

Early life

Sakic was born in Burnaby, British Columbia, to Marijan and Slavica Šakić (Croatian pronunciation: [ʃakitɕ]), immigrants from Croatia. Growing up in Burnaby, Sakic did not learn to speak English until kindergarten, having been raised with Croatian as his mother tongue. At the age of four, Sakic attended his first NHL game, a match between the Vancouver Canucks and Atlanta Flames. After watching the game, Sakic decided that he wanted to become a hockey player. As a smaller player, Sakic was forced to use skill rather than size to excel and modelled himself after his idol, Wayne Gretzky. After showing exceptional promise as a young hockey player, Sakic was referred to as a new Wayne Gretzky in the making. Sakic scored 83 goals and 156 points in 80 games for Burnaby BC Selects while attending school at Burnaby North Secondary. Soon after, he was added to the Lethbridge Broncos of the Western Hockey League (WHL) for the last part of the 1985–86 season.

During the 1986–87 season, the Broncos relocated to Swift Current, Saskatchewan, becoming the Swift Current Broncos. Sakic, playing in his first full season, scored 60 goals and 73 assists for 133 points. These totals saw him named Rookie of the Year of the WHL. But while Sakic enjoyed success on the ice, he and his team faced a tragedy on the night of December 30, 1986. The Broncos were driving to a game against the Regina Pats and due to bad weather conditions, the bus crashed after the driver lost control on a patch of black ice outside of Swift Current. While Sakic was unharmed, four of his teammates (Trent Kresse, Scott Kruger, Chris Mantyka, and Brent Ruff) were killed. This incident had a lasting impact on the young Sakic, who declined to talk about the crash throughout his career. The next year, in 1987–88, Sakic was named the WHL Most Valuable Player and Canadian Major Junior Player of the Year. He scored 160 points (78 goals, 82 assists), tying him with Theoren Fleury of the Moose Jaw Warriors for the WHL scoring title.

NHL career

Quebec Nordiques

Sakic was drafted 15th overall by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, a pick the Nordiques received when they traded away Dale Hunter and Clint Malarchuk to the Washington Capitals. Rather than make the immediate jump into the NHL, Sakic told Nordiques management he would prefer to spend the 1987–88 season in Swift Current to prepare for the NHL. Sakic made his professional debut on October 6, 1988, against the Hartford Whalers and registered an assist. His first NHL goal came two days later against goaltender Sean Burke of the New Jersey Devils. During the season, Sakic wore number 88, because his preferred number 19 was already taken by a teammate, Alain Côté. While considered a front-runner for rookie of the year due to his rapid scoring pace, an ankle injury forced Sakic to miss 10 games in December. The resulting scoring slump helped quash any hopes of winning the award. Sakic would finish his rookie season with 62 points in 70 games, finishing eighth in voting for the Calder. Defenceman Brian Leetch won the rookie scoring race with 28 goals and 48 assists, receiving forty-two first-place votes, while Sakic only received two third-place votes.

In 1989–90, his second NHL season, Sakic was able to switch back to his familiar number 19 (Alain Côté had retired over the summer) and scored 102 points, which was ninth overall in the league, becoming the first player in NHL history to score 100 points on a last place team. At the start of the next season, 1990–91, Sakic was named co-captain of the Nordiques along with Steven Finn (Sakic was captain for home games, Finn for away games). Sakic again passed the 100 point mark, improving to 109 points and sixth overall in the league but would slip during the 1991–92 season to 94 points after missing 11 games. In 1991–92, Mike Hough became captain of the Norqdiues, while Sakic and Finn became alternate captains. Sakic began to display the leadership for which he would become known, standing firm during the tumultuous Eric Lindros holdout. With Lindros refusing to play for the Nordiques, one of the worst teams in league, Sakic commented, "We only want players here who have the passion to play the game. I'm tired of hearing that name. He's not here and there are a lot of others in this locker room who really care about the game." Lindros was traded a year later, ending the situation and bringing in a number of quality players who vastly improved the Nordiques. During their first four seasons with Joe Sakic, the Nordiques finished last place in the Adams Division and last in the league for three straight years, from 1989 to 1991.

Starting with the 1992–93 season, Sakic became the sole captain of the franchise. Under his leadership, the Nordiques made the playoffs for the first time in six years and set a franchise record for wins and points in the process (since broken by the 2021–22 Colorado Avalanche team). Sakic reached the 100-point plateau, the third time in five years, scoring 48 goals and 105 points in the regular season while adding another six points in the playoffs. After the shortened 1994–95 following the 1994–95 NHL lock-out, Sakic finished eight points behind Jaromír Jágr for the scoring title, finishing fourth place overall, and helped the Nordiques win the division title, their first since the 1985–86 season.

Colorado Avalanche

In May 1995, the Nordiques announced that the team had been sold and were relocating from Quebec. The franchise then moved to Denver, Colorado, and were renamed the Colorado Avalanche. Sakic led the team to a Stanley Cup championship in its first year, scoring 120 points in 82 regular season games and 34 points in 22 playoff games. Sakic was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the 1996 NHL playoffs. During the run for the Cup, Sakic again proved himself to be an effective team leader. Although his Nordiques had missed the playoffs in five of his first seven years in the NHL, he scored 18 goals, including six game-winners, and 34 points. Sakic was one goal away from the record for goals in a playoff year, and his game-winning goals established a new record.

Sakic playing with the Avalanche in 1997

In the 1996–97 season, Sakic played in only 65 games due to a lacerated calf yet still managed to score 74 points as the Avalanche earned their first Presidents' Trophy and third straight division title. Sakic had another great playoff season with eight goals and 17 assists and took the Avalanche all the way to the conference finals, where they eventually lost to the Detroit Red Wings in six games. As a free agent during the summer of 1997, Sakic signed a three-year, $21 million offer sheet with the New York Rangers as a restricted free agent. Under the collective bargaining agreement at the time, the Avalanche had one week to match the Rangers' offer or let go of Sakic in exchange for five first-round draft picks as compensation. While it seemed as if the Avalanche could not afford to keep Sakic, as they had already committed large amounts of salary to Peter Forsberg and Patrick Roy, an unlikely lifeline would appear in the form of the summer blockbuster movie Air Force One, produced by Avalanche owners COMSAT. Its profits enabled the Avalanche to match the offer, which instigated a salary raise for many NHL players.

Injuries would again limit Sakic's playing time during the 1997–98 season. While playing in his first Olympics with Team Canada, Sakic hurt his knee and was forced to miss 18 games with the Avalanche. In the 64 games in which he did play, Sakic still scored 63 points, enough to earn him his seventh all-star appearance. Sakic finally rebounded from his injuries in the 1998–99 season, finishing fifth in the league in scoring with 41 goals and 96 points in only 73 games. Sakic led the Avalanche to within one game of the Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost to the eventual champion Dallas Stars. After the season ended, Sakic ranked number 94 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 greatest hockey players.

During the 1999–2000 season, Sakic reached several career milestones. Injuries limited him to only 60 games, but he still managed to lead the team in scoring with 81 points. On December 27, 1999, against the St. Louis Blues, Sakic earned an assist to become the 56th player in NHL history to reach 1,000 career points. Later in the season, on March 23, 2000, he scored a hat-trick against the Phoenix Coyotes and became the 59th player to score 400 career goals. It also gave Sakic 1,049 points with the franchise, passing Peter Šťastný as the all-time leader on the team.

Sakic eclipsed the 100 point mark again in 2000–01, finishing with 118 points along with a career-best 54 goals, both second-best in the league. Sakic won the Hart Memorial Trophy, the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy and the Lester B. Pearson Award (the latter presented to him by former Nordiques mentor Peter Šťastný) while also being a finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy. Sakic led the Avalanche to their second Stanley Cup championship, defeating the defending title holding New Jersey Devils in seven games. Memorably, after receiving the Stanley Cup from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, Sakic broke with tradition. Instead of hoisting it first as most captains do, Sakic passed the cup straight to Ray Bourque, a player who had waited a record-breaking 22 seasons to win the Stanley Cup.

Sakic led the Avalanche in scoring again in the 2001–02 season, finishing sixth in the league with 79 points. On March 9, 2002, Sakic played in his 1,000th career game. The Avalanche once again reached the Western Conference Finals but lost to the eventual cup-winning Detroit Red Wings. The following year, Sakic appeared in only 58 games and finished with just 58 points. Sakic rebounded the following year, finishing third in the league with 87 points. It also marked the first time since the 1993–94 season that the franchise did not win the division title, which was won by the Vancouver Canucks.

Sakic warming up before a game in 2007

Following the 2004–05 NHL lock-out, the Avalanche were forced to lose many of their key players in order to stay below the salary cap. Even with the loss of teammates Peter Forsberg and Adam Foote, Sakic still helped the Avalanche get into the playoffs, where they eventually lost to the Anaheim Ducks in the conference semi-finals. In June 2006, Sakic signed a one-year, $5.75 million deal to keep him with the Avalanche for the 2006–07 season. Upon the retirement of Steve Yzerman a month later, on July 3, 2006, Sakic became the league leader for most career points among active players.

Sakic had another strong season in the 2006–07. He scored his 600th career goal on February 15, 2007, against the Calgary Flames, becoming the 17th player in history to reach the milestone and third that year. On the final day of the regular season, Sakic scored his 100th point, reaching the milestone for the sixth time in his career. At the same time, Sakic became the second-oldest NHL player to score 100 points in a season at age 37, alongside hockey legend Gordie Howe. Despite his efforts, as well as a late-season charge, Sakic and the Avalanche missed the playoffs for the first time in 11 years, finishing one point behind the eighth placed Calgary Flames. On May 1, the NHL announced that Sakic was named as one of the three finalists for the Lady Byng Trophy, but it was eventually awarded to Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings.

In April 2007, Sakic signed to a 19th NHL season with the Avalanche on a one-year deal for the 2007–08 season. Sakic commented on the deal, saying, "at this stage in my career, I prefer to do one-year deals as I evaluate my play year-to-year." Upon signing Sakic to the deal, Avalanche General Manager François Giguère said, "Joe is the heart of this organization and his leadership and value to this team and especially our young players is unquestioned." On October 7, 2007, he scored a goal and had an assist against the San Jose Sharks, moving past Phil Esposito into eighth place on the NHL career points list with 1,591 points. Nineteen days later, Sakic scored a goal and assisted Ryan Smyth for an overtime game-winning goal against the Calgary Flames, reaching his 1,600th point in the NHL. On December 27, 2007, it was announced that Sakic underwent hernia surgery to accelerate the recovery of an injury that had forced him to miss the previous 12 games after a 232 consecutive games-played streak. The operation caused him to miss a career-high 38 games. He was activated off injured reserve on February 24 and played that night, recording an assist. On March 22, 2008, Sakic recorded his 1,000th career assist against the Edmonton Oilers, becoming the 11th player in NHL history to reach the milestone.

In June 2008, Sakic spoke with Colorado General Manager François Giguère and said he was uncertain with his future with the Avalanche. However, it was announced on August 27, 2008, that Sakic would sign a one-year contract with the team. Injuries limited Sakic's playing time in 2008–09. After 15 games, in which he scored 12 points, a herniated disk forced Sakic to stop playing in early November. While at home letting his back heal, Sakic broke three fingers in a snow-blower accident.

Sakic announced his retirement on July 9, 2009 The Avalanche retired his jersey number 19 prior to their 2009–10 season opener on October 1, 2009, with a "C" on the banner to represent his lengthy service as team captain (having been the only captain of the Avalanche until he retired). The Avalanche also named Sakic the inaugural member of the Avalanche Alumni Association.

All-Star Games

Sakic was voted into the NHL All-Star Game 13 times and played in 12 of them, serving as a captain for two, the last in 2007. He had at least one point in 11 of them. The only one Sakic missed was the 1997 All-Star Game due to injury. Sakic won the MVP award in the 2004 All-Star Game after scoring a hat trick, despite the Western Conference losing the game. He is the all-time assist leader in All-Star Games with 16 assists and is third place in all-time all-star scoring with 22 points, behind Mario Lemieux (23 points) and Wayne Gretzky (25 points). His best record in an All-Star Game was in 2007, when he scored four assists for the winning team; however, the MVP award was given to Daniel Brière, who had a goal and four assists.

International play


Sakic (no. 91) at the 2006 Olympics
Medal record
Representing Canada Canada
Olympics
Gold medal – first place 2002 Salt Lake City
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1994 Italy
Silver medal – second place 1991 Finland
World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2004 World Cup
Silver medal – second place 1996 World Cup
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 1988 Soviet Union

Sakic had an extensive international hockey career, representing Canada in seven international competitions. After being drafted by the Nordiques in 1987, Sakic went on to help the Canadian junior team win the 1988 World Junior Championship. Sakic's next tournament was the 1991 World Championships, in which Team Canada won the silver medal and Sakic contributed eleven points in ten games. Sakic tried out for the 1991 Canada Cup Canadian team but was the first player to be cut, being cited for his weak leg strength. Sakic was bitter about the experience, feeling he was not given a good enough chance to prove himself, and called the whole experience "a complete waste of time."

Sakic's first successful professional tournament was the 1994 World Championships, in whiche Canada won its first gold medal in the tournament since 1961. Sakic's seven points in eight games were a crucial part of the team's success. During the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, Sakic played only a minor role in Canada's second-place finish as he scored one goal and two assists in six games. However, the tournament allowed Sakic to showcase that he was indeed a dominant player who had simply been overlooked.

Sakic's first Olympic appearance came in 1998 at Nagano, Japan, the first tournament in which NHL players participated. Bothered by a knee injury, Sakic scored only three points in four games as the Canadian squad failed to meet expectations and finished fourth. Sakic's second Olympic appearance came in 2002 in Salt Lake City; led by his strong play, the Canadian team reached the gold medal match against Team USA, in which Sakic scored four points and helped Canada to its first gold medal in 50 years. Sakic was later named MVP of the tournament with a cumulative tally of four goals and six assists and became one of the first Canadian members of the Triple Gold Club. Sakic also played a part in Canada's triumph in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, where he scored six points in six games.

On December 21, 2005, Sakic was named captain of Canada for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. Once again, Canada was heavily favoured to win and given high expectations, but they failed to medal, finishing seventh overall. Sakic finished the tournament with three points.

Executive career

After he retired, Sakic decided to take time off from hockey and spent time with his family. In 2011, two years after his retirement, Sakic returned to the Avalanche to work in their front office. Sakic was named an executive advisor and alternate governor of the team, effective at the end of the 2010–11 season. In his role as an advisor, Sakic advised the team in hockey-related matters. As an alternate governor, Sakic represented the team at Board of Governors meetings.

On June 26, 2012, Sakic was selected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 12, 2012, along with Mats Sundin, Pavel Bure and Adam Oates. Sakic was the only member of his class who won the Stanley Cup during his career.

On May 10, 2013, the Avalanche promoted Sakic to executive vice president of hockey operations. In this expanded role, Sakic had the final say on all matters regarding hockey personnel. During Patrick Roy's tenure as head coach, they shared most of the duties normally held by a general manager. General Manager Greg Sherman remained in his post but served mainly in an advisory role to Roy and Sakic. This de facto arrangement was formalized the following season, when Sakic was formally named general manager and Sherman was demoted to assistant general manager.

Sakic's tenure as general manager faced early adversity, notably in the 2016–17 season, in which the team finished in last place and managed only 48 points in the standings. Sakic later admitted that at points he was to be relieved by team ownership in midst of the poor results. Despite finishing last, the team did not win any of the top three lottery picks in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, dropping to fourth. This seeming misfortune would later prove beneficial, as it led to the Avalanche selecting future Norris Trophy-winning defenceman Cale Makar at fourth overall. The poor season also perpetuated a trade request from star player Matt Duchene, which Sakic would ultimately translate into several assets, including defencemen Sam Girard and Bowen Byram. In later years, Sakic would make additional trades for Nazem Kadri, Devon Toews, and Artturi Lehkonen, and sign Valeri Nichushkin as a free agent. The Avalanche won the Presidents' Trophy for the 2020–21 season but faltered in the second round of the playoffs for the third consecutive season. The Avalanche finished second in the regular season the following year but won the Stanley Cup. Sakic became only the third person, after Milt Schmidt and Serge Savard, to win a Stanley Cup with the same franchise as a player and general manager. In recognition of his work for the 2021–22 season, Sakic received the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award.

On July 11, 2022, the Avalanche announced that Sakic would be ceding the general manager title to longtime assistant Chris MacFarland and assuming a new role as President of Hockey Operations.

Personal life

Sakic and his wife Debbie have three children: son Mitchell, born 1996, and fraternal twins, son Chase and daughter Kamryn, born October 2000. Sakic and his wife met at a local high school while he was playing in Swift Current, and they frequently return to the town during the off-season. Sakic is an avid golfer and competed in the celebrity pro am golf tournament in Lake Tahoe in the summer of 2006. Each summer during his playing career, Sakic also hosted his own charity golf tournament, which benefited the Food Bank of the Rockies. Sakic's charity work is estimated to have provided more than seven million meals to poor children and families and earned him an NHL Foundation Player Award in 2007.

Sakic is a fan favourite in his hometown of Burnaby, where a street has been named Joe Sakic Way in his honour. Throughout British Columbia, Sakic is known as "Burnaby Joe". In Colorado, Sakic is known as "Super Joe." His younger brother Brian joined the Swift Current Broncos during Joe's final season with the team and later played for the Flint Generals of the United Hockey League. Sakic also has an uncredited role in the movie Happy Gilmore as a "player at hockey tryouts".

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1985–86 Burnaby BC Selects BCAHA 80 83 73 156 96
1985–86 Lethbridge Broncos WHL 3 0 0 0 0
1986–87 Swift Current Broncos WHL 72 60 73 133 31 4 0 1 1 0
1987–88 Swift Current Broncos WHL 64 78 82 160 64 10 11 13 24 12
1988–89 Quebec Nordiques NHL 70 23 39 62 24
1989–90 Quebec Nordiques NHL 80 39 63 102 27
1990–91 Quebec Nordiques NHL 80 48 61 109 24
1991–92 Quebec Nordiques NHL 69 29 65 94 20
1992–93 Quebec Nordiques NHL 78 48 57 105 40 6 3 3 6 2
1993–94 Quebec Nordiques NHL 84 28 64 92 18
1994–95 Quebec Nordiques NHL 47 19 43 62 30 6 4 1 5 0
1995–96 Colorado Avalanche NHL 82 51 69 120 44 22 18 16 34 14
1996–97 Colorado Avalanche NHL 65 22 52 74 34 17 8 17 25 14
1997–98 Colorado Avalanche NHL 64 27 36 63 50 6 2 3 5 6
1998–99 Colorado Avalanche NHL 73 41 55 96 29 19 6 13 19 8
1999–00 Colorado Avalanche NHL 60 28 53 81 28 17 2 7 9 8
2000–01 Colorado Avalanche NHL 82 54 64 118 30 21 13 13 26 6
2001–02 Colorado Avalanche NHL 82 26 53 79 18 21 9 10 19 4
2002–03 Colorado Avalanche NHL 58 26 32 58 24 7 6 3 9 2
2003–04 Colorado Avalanche NHL 81 33 54 87 42 11 7 5 12 8
2005–06 Colorado Avalanche NHL 82 32 55 87 60 9 4 5 9 6
2006–07 Colorado Avalanche NHL 82 36 64 100 46
2007–08 Colorado Avalanche NHL 44 13 27 40 20 10 2 8 10 0
2008–09 Colorado Avalanche NHL 15 2 10 12 6
NHL totals 1,378 625 1,016 1,641 614 172 84 104 188 78

International

Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM
1988 Canada WJC 7 3 1 4 2
1991 Canada WC 10 6 5 11 0
1994 Canada WC 8 4 3 7 0
1996 Canada WCH 8 2 2 4 6
1998 Canada OLY 4 1 2 3 4
2002 Canada OLY 6 4 3 7 0
2004 Canada WCH 6 4 2 6 2
2006 Canada OLY 6 1 2 3 0
Junior totals 7 3 1 4 2
Senior totals 48 22 19 41 39

All-Star games

Year Location G A Pts
1990 Pittsburgh 0 2 2
1991 Chicago 0 1 1
1992 Philadelphia 0 2 2
1993 Montreal 0 3 3
1994 New York 1 2 3
1996 Boston 0 0 0
1998 Vancouver 0 2 2
2000 Toronto 1 0 1
2001 Denver 1 0 1
2002 Los Angeles 0 0 0
2004 St. Paul 3 0 3
2007 Dallas 0 4 4
All-Star totals 6 16 22

Legacy

Milestones

Sakic recorded his 1,000th career point on December 27, 1999, against the St. Louis Blues. Sakic became the 11th player to reach 1,500 points, doing so on October 25, 2006, with an assist against the Washington Capitals, and the sixth to do so with one franchise. Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Ray Bourque, and Steve Yzerman are the others who achieved this feat.

Sakic played his 1,000th career game on March 9, 2002, against the Los Angeles Kings. Sakic's 500th career goal came against the Vancouver Canucks on December 11, 2002. In a February 15, 2007, game against the Calgary Flames, Sakic scored his 600th career goal. He also earned his 900th assist, the 16th player to do so, against the Flames in a game on March 12, 2006.

During the final game of the 2006–07 season, Sakic scored his 100th point of the year. This made him, at age 37, the second oldest player in NHL history, after Gordie Howe, to record 100 points in a regular season. Sakic became the longest active tenured captain in the league, with fifteen seasons leading the Nordiques/Avalanche franchise, after the retirement of Steve Yzerman at the conclusion of the 2005–06 regular season. On March 22, 2008, against the Edmonton Oilers, Sakic recorded the 1,000th assist of his career, the 11th player to do so. The gloves he wore in the game were later sent to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Alongside Bobby Clarke, Wayne Gretzky, and Mark Messier, Sakic is one of four players to captain his team to a Stanley Cup championship and win the Hart Memorial Trophy in the same year. Sakic is also a member of the Triple Gold Club, a term used in hockey to describe players who have won an Olympic gold medal, a World Championship gold medal and the Stanley Cup.

Records

In his 20-year career with the Nordiques and Avalanche, Sakic obtained nearly all of the franchise scoring records, including most all-time goals (625), assists (1,016) and points (1,641). He also holds the franchise record for most games played (1,363), and also holds several notable NHL records, including most All-Star game assists (16) and most playoff overtime goals (8).

Leadership

Sakic with Paul Šťastný. When Sakic entered the NHL, he was mentored by Peter Šťastný, Paul's father.

Throughout his career, Sakic was one of the top scorers in the league; but in his early years, he was criticized for not leading his team to playoff success. While in Quebec, the Nordiques were one of the worst teams in the league, finishing last in their division five out of the seven years Sakic was with the team, including three straight years of being last overall in the league. After leading the Avalanche to the Stanley Cup in 1996 with his 34 playoff points, Sakic began to be seen as capable of leading a team to success, and he was seen as one of the league's premier players.

Though Sakic was a quiet individual, he was able to motivate his team to play at higher levels, which earned him the respect of his peers and executives. The first signs of Sakic's leadership began to show while still a member of the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL. After the bus crash that killed four of his teammates, Sakic was seen as the leader of the team, acknowledging that the experience changed his outlook on life. Early in his career with the Nordiques (when Mike Hough was still captain), with the team hoping to rebuild around their top draft pick Eric Lindros and holding onto Lindros' rights for the season when he refused to sign, Sakic suggested that the team could progress without Lindros. Lindros was traded a year later, bringing in a number of quality players, which vastly improved the Nordiques. Sakic's leadership qualities led him to be courted by other teams, such as in the summer of 1997, when the New York Rangers offered him a large contract in order to replace departed captain Mark Messier, though the Avalanche ultimately matched the offer and retained Sakic.

One of the most defining actions of Sakic's career was at the conclusion of the 2001 playoffs. Defying the NHL tradition of the captain being the first to skate around with the Stanley Cup, Sakic passed it off to teammate Ray Bourque. Bourque, one of the best defensemen to ever play, had been traded to the Avalanche the year before after spending 21 years with the Boston Bruins and setting the record for most games played without winning the Cup.

When an eye injury forced Steve Yzerman (who normally wore number 19 for Canada) to miss the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, Sakic and Joe Thornton both refused the number out of respect for their injured countryman, even though both players each wore the number 19 for their respective NHL clubs and were now eligible to wear it for Team Canada in Yzerman's absence.

Sakic's leadership qualities and abilities helped carry the Avalanche in the years after their 2001 Stanley Cup, which saw the team lose key players to retirement and free agency, especially after the 2004–05 lock-out.

Awards

WHL and CHL

Award Year
WHL East Stewart "Butch" Paul Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the Year) 1987
WHL East Player of the Year 1987
WHL East Second All-Star Team 1987
WHL Bob Clarke Trophy (Leading Scorer) 1988
CHL Player of the Year 1988
WHL Player of the Year 1988
WHL East First All-Star Team 1988

NHL

Award Year(s)
Stanley Cup champion (as player) 1996, 2001
Stanley Cup champion (as executive) 2022
Conn Smythe Trophy 1996
M.A.C. (Most Assists with Children) Award 1998
Bud Light Plus/Minus Award (shared with Patrik Eliáš) 2001
Hart Memorial Trophy 2001
Lester B. Pearson Award 2001
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy 2001
NHL First All-Star Team 2001, 2002, 2004
NHL All-Star Game MVP 2004
NHL/Sheraton Road Performer Award (most road points) 2004
NHL Foundation Player Award 2007
NHL 2000s All-Decade First Team 2009
Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award 2021–22

International

Award Year
Winter Olympic Games Ice Hockey Tournament Most Valuable Player 2002
Winter Olympic Games Ice Hockey All-Star Team 2002
IIHF Hall of Fame 2017
  • All awards taken from NHL.com

Other

  • In October 2022, he was inaugurated in the Croatian-American Sports Hall of Fame.

See also

References

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