Avalanche Over Blues

Colorado vs. St. Louis
series

"You go into every game with pressure, but it's a lot of fun," Ray Bourque said. "After you've won the game, it's a lot of relief and a lot of satisfaction. There was a lot of emotion at the end."

The Avalanche returned to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since winning the championship in 1996. They will host Game One against the winner of the Eastern Conference finals between the New Jersey Devils and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

"I didn't think it would take this long to get back to the finals," said forward Stephane Yelle. "We had some great teams in the past. It took six years, but now we're here."

"This is huge," Colorado defenseman Adam Foote said. "It's so hard getting there. We've been close a lot and now it's just the beginning. We've got a job to do and this is just the start of it. We can enjoy this for a couple hours and then move on and stay focused for the next series."