Which NHL team originally played in Quebec City before moving to Colorado?

The NHL team that originally played in Quebec City before moving to Colorado is the Colorado Avalanche. The franchise began as the Quebec Nordiques, who joined the World Hockey Association in 1972 before entering the NHL in 1979 when the WHA and NHL merged.

The Nordiques played in Quebec City until 1995, when financial difficulties and an unfavorable Canadian-dollar exchange rate made the franchise difficult to sustain. The team relocated to Denver and was renamed the Colorado Avalanche. The move immediately transformed the franchise: Colorado won the Stanley Cup in its first season after relocation, defeating the Florida Panthers in the 1996 Final.

A common mix-up is confusing the Avalanche with the Arizona Coyotes, formerly the Winnipeg Jets, or the Dallas Stars, formerly the Minnesota North Stars. The Carolina Hurricanes also relocated, but they came from Hartford and were previously known as the Whalers. The Avalanche later won additional Stanley Cups in 2001, 2022, and 2024.