Colorado Avalanche raise Stanley Cup banner before opener

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They were toddlers. The boy was 3 years old. He was 6 years old.

The last time a Stanley Cup banner was hung in Denver was more than a year ago. On Wednesday, the team raised the third championship banner in franchise history at Ball Arena before their game against Chicago.

The fans rose to their feet when the mascot waved a huge "Hockey is Back" flag while skating around the ice. All of the players and coaches were welcomed with loud applause. Some of the loudest were reserved for them.

A number of fans were surprised when Gabriel Landeskog was introduced. Landeskog received a standing ovation while he was on the ice.

When Mark Hoppus walked onto the ice, the players stayed on the ice. The song "All The Small Things" by Hoppus' band has become an anthem for fans of the Colorado team. The video board played a video of fans celebrating the team's title.

After grabbing the Stanley Cup, Landeskog lifted it over his head and received a loud roar from the crowd. Before he joined his teammates, he set the trophy down so they could see the banner going into the rafters.

Jack Johnson was one of the players sitting in the distance. He was part of the team that won the title. He was on the bench for most of the ceremony, but took his place with his teammates. The banners from the 1995-96 and 2000-01 seasons were next to the banner that they stood arm in arm to watch.

Newhook said before the game that it would be cool to take it all in. We know that it's the end of celebrations and we have to be prepared.

The level of anticipation is different for every ceremony. It began at the morning skate for the Avs. The players walked into a new dressing room and were immediately asked questions about an evening that had been years in the making. After the players arrived at the arena, they walked down a red carpet surrounded by fans for a ceremony.

The same time Hoppus arrived at Ball Arena, that happened. He had a few double takes when he walked through the hallways while wearing a blue Los Angeles Rams hoodie. The entertainment and production team took Hoppus through his part in the ceremony.

Early in the season, the classic hit from blink-182 became an in-game tradition. The crowd kept singing after the song ended and it was played between sequence.

Hoppus said he became aware of it after a fan sent him a message saying he should check out how the team uses the song.

It's crazy." The song was written in 1999 and people are still singing it today. Tom De Longe's voice is mimicked by people. It's a big deal. We and our band have taken a life of its own. It makes me feel good.

Hoppus didn't get to watch the entire playoffs. He was able to watch the game when they won it.

During the Stanley Cup finals, the band's plane had mechanical issues and they weren't able to take off, according to Hoppus.

It all worked out after a few months. The NHL reached out to the band after seeing how much of a connection they had with the fans of the Colorado team. The league had a relationship with the band before the travel issues stopped the plans.

Hoppus was supposed to lead the crowd in singing the song when they flew to Denver for the fifth game of the series.

The plane was having mechanical difficulties when they called, but they were all on the plane at the time. We tried to locate another plane. We weren't able to find one. We did not announce it. We were really disappointed. We were so angry.

If there was a Game 7, there was a plan to have blink-182 play again. The strategy turned to the opener after that. The band reached back out to see if there was a way to do something in the fall.

The band members weren't able to be here. Mark is the main advocate of the song. He wanted to do it when we got in touch. It turned out to be a great moment.

The executive producer and executive for game presentation for Kroenke Sports & Entertainment said that the ceremony started shortly after the Stanley Cup was won.

The team immediately went to work after the Avs won the cup. It started producing the videos that were played during the ceremony while also working on other details like getting a special winch that allowed them to raise the banner over the nets and into the rafters.

There were some things that were sorted out later. Landeskog is still recovering from an injury, so how active he would be in the ceremony is one of the factors. The ceremony needed time to be prepared. The team only had one banner-raising rehearsal due to the busy schedule. The Hawks concluded their morning skate a few hours after it ended.

The 2001 banner was raised because we didn't want anyone to take pictures of the new banner just in case. This special night has been planned for the entire summer.