Which team won the 2001 Stanley Cup Final against the New Jersey Devils?

The Colorado Avalanche won the 2001 Stanley Cup Final against the New Jersey Devils.

Colorado defeated New Jersey four games to three in a dramatic series between the Western Conference champion and the defending Stanley Cup champion. The Avalanche won Game 7 in Denver, 3–1, with Alex Tanguay scoring twice and Joe Sakic adding a power-play goal. Patrick Roy stopped the Devils’ late challenge and won the Conn Smythe Trophy.

The championship was Colorado’s second since the franchise relocated from Quebec City. It was also the first Stanley Cup of Ray Bourque’s career. Bourque, a Boston Bruins legend who joined Colorado late in his career, finally lifted the Cup in his final NHL season.

The matchup had an unusual historical link: the Devils had previously played in Denver as the Colorado Rockies before relocating to New Jersey. The 2001 Final was therefore the only championship series in which a team faced another franchise that had once occupied its market.