Looks more like Adams Division matchup from pre-1993 NHL days at Ball Arena Thursday
Wait, what year is it exactly?
The Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes celebrated Heritage Night at Ball Arena on Thursday.
Both teams went with throwback jerseys — the Avalnche wore Quebec Nordiques colors and the Hurricanes donned their popular Hartford Whalers unis, conjuring up nostalgia for pre-1993 NHL hockey.
Everything from the scoreboards to the pregame hype videos were treated to look like a time three decades prior, even before high definition screens.
The @Canes and @Avalanche are turning back the clock tonight with a classic Adams Division matchup! 🕰️ pic.twitter.com/dqnlWIhfew
The matchup on Thursday night brought back memories of their classic Adams Division rivalry in the former Prince of Wales Conference. Both teams had their fun on social media with it, with the Hurricanes putting old school hairstyles on their forward Seth Jarvis and Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon.
A clash of the classics pic.twitter.com/pneMKyraEV
The Avalanche also went down to the last detail, even using Nordiques skate blade covers.
The calm before the storm. pic.twitter.com/i9vYJxAlti
Ball Arena was decked out with Nordiques logos in a respectful nod to the franchise’s roots.
Arrivals look a little different tonight 🤩 pic.twitter.com/cAFtTHTjF8
After the 1973-74 season, the NHL went from two divisions (East and West) to four divisions within two conferences. The Adams and Norris Divisions were in the Prince of Wales Conference (formerly the East) and the Patrick and Smythe Divisions were in the Clarence Campbell Conference (formerly the West).
The ultimate throwback Thursday pic.twitter.com/OgN7aogeVu
For the 1993-94 season, the League renamed the Conferences Eastern and Western but with four divisions. The 2013-14 season was the first played under the modern Atlantic, Metropolitan, Central and Pacific Divisions we have today.
An Adams Division matchup returns 👊
Projected Lines » https://t.co/7lTmRMQKrI pic.twitter.com/J2kAYtT3OR
The Nordiques relocated to Colorado for the 1995-96 season and immediately won the Stanley Cup, while the Whalers moved to Raleigh for the 1997-98 season. The Hurricanes won the Cup in 2006.
The Avalanche and Whalers last played on May 3, 1995. It was the final regular season game for the Nordiques and the final game at Quebec Coliseum. The Nordiques won, 4-1, getting two goals from Andrei Kovalenko, a power play goal from Joe Sakic and a goal from Sylvain Lefebvre.
Nordiques goalie Stephane Fiset stopped 20 of 21 shots. Peter Forsberg and Owen Nolan each had two assists for Quebec. Darren Turcotte scored the lone Whalers goal, assisted by Jim Storm.