by Spector

Early in his career, the Nordiques were a struggling team on and off the ice, finishing dead last in the league standings three of his first four seasons while the franchise tried to cope being an increasingly small-market team in an ever-widening sea of big-market clubs.

Sakic was often the sole bright spot for the Nordiques in those days, with consecutive 100-plus point seasons in 1991 and 1992. His efforts, however, were overshadowed by legends like Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Mark Messier and Brett Hull.

Despite the Nordiques' woes he remained loyal to the club, becoming the centerpiece of their rebuilding program in the early 1990s.

Once the Nordiques moved to Denver and become the Colorado Avalanche, the club, with Sakic now as its captain, entered a period when it became a league power. The move to a larger market also showcased Sakic as one of the league's top superstars.

From 1995-96 to 2003-04 the Sakic-led Avalanche would win two Stanley Cup championships, advance to the Western Conference Final six times and finish first in their division eight consecutive seasons.

The Avs were loaded with superstar talent during that period, with such notables as Peter Forsberg, Patrick Roy, Ray Bourque, Adam Foote, Rob Blake, Claude Lemieux (who recently announced his second and final retirement), Milan Hejduk, Chris Drury and Alex Tanguay in the lineup.

It was Sakic's quiet leadership, determination to win and outstanding play which held those teams together.

The period between 1997 and 2004 was known as the "Dead Puck Era," when uncalled obstruction and an emphasis on defensive hockey combined to nearly snuff the life out of exciting offensive play, yet Sakic averaged more than a point per game in five seasons during that time.

The most fearsome weapon in his offensive arsenal was his wrist shot, considered the strongest in the league during his prime. Sakic's wrister was often harder, faster and more accurate than most players' slap-shots, helping to make him one of the league's elite scorers.

He won the Conn Smythe trophy in 1996 as the playoff's top performer, but his best season was the 2000-01 season, when he was awarded the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player as well as the Lady Byng trophy as the most gentlemanly player. He scored a career-best 54 goals that season and 118 points, the second-best of his career.

Joe Sakic's career

Photos: With Joe Sakic's expected announcement that he'll retire, here's a look at his storied career.

He was a first-team All-Star three times, named the MVP of the 2004 All-Star Game, and set the NHL record for most career playoff overtime goals with eight.

Sakic also distinguished himself in international competition, helping Canada win gold at the World Juniors in 1988, the World Championships in 1994, the Winter Olympics in 2002 and the World Cup of Hockey in 2004. His efforts made him as beloved in his native land as he was by hockey fans in Colorado.

Despite garnering considerable fame during the Avalanche's glory years Sakic was never a flashy leader like Gretzky or Lemieux, nor outspoken like Hull or physical like Messier. He shunned the spotlight away from the ice and preferred to lead by example on it. His demeanor made "Burnaby Joe" one of hockey's most popular stars.

Sakic also played a lead role in the Avalanche's heated rivalry with the Detroit Red Wings but despite the intensity of the clashes between those clubs he emerged with his reputation as a classy player intact, earning respect even from Red Wings fans.

The best example of his class came with the Avalanche's 2001 Stanley Cup championship. After being presented with the trophy by league commissioner Gary Bettman, Sakic immediately handed it off to Ray Bourque, giving the veteran blueliner -- who'd waited over 20 years to win the Cup -- the opportunity to be the first to raise it skyward.

The years since the end of the NHL lockout in 2005 have not been kind to the Avalanche or to Sakic. Salary cap constraints forced them to dump salary, which included cutting loose Forsberg and Foote. Roy and Bourque were long retired, Drury and Tanguay had been dealt away and Blake would be lost to free agency. The Avalanche struggled as a result, missing the playoffs twice.

Sakic had two more quality seasons post-lockout, including a 100-point performance in 2006-07, the sixth time in his career he reached the 100-point mark, but the following two seasons were injury-shortened as his aging body could no longer handle the rigors of NHL hockey.

He finishes his long career with 625 goals, 1,016 assists and 1,641 points, franchise records which also place Sakic amongst the top offensive players in NHL history, guaranteeing him first-ballot induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012.

Sakic was an enduring symbol of the Avalanche's golden years and his retirement creates a void that could might never be filled.