Why the Move to Denver
For the 1994-95 shortened season of 48 games, the Nordiques played well and finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference.
However, the team faltered in the postseason and was eliminated in the first round by the defending Stanley Cup champion New York Rangers.
The playoff loss proved to be Quebec's swan song in the NHL as the team's financial troubles increasingly took center stage. Team owner Marcel Aubut asked for a bailout from Quebec's provincial government. The bailout fell through and in May 1995, shortly after the Nordiques were eliminated from the playoffs, Aubut sold the team to a group of investors in Denver, Colorado. The franchise was moved to Denver where it was renamed the Colorado Avalanche.
The Nordiques had planned to change their logo, colors, and uniforms for the 1996-97 season.