This team almost took a turn for the worst at one point though when Hall of Fame team captain Joe Sakic accepted an offer sheet from another team.
At the time, Joe Sakic was 28 years old and received a 3 year offer from the New York Rangers, worth $21,000,000, which he agreed to. The Colorado Avalanche had the opportunity to match the offer, but they were in some financial troubles and the Rangers took advantage of that, by giving Sakic $15,000,000 of the $21,000,000 in a signing bonus.
25 years ago today, the @Avalanche matched the offer sheet Joe Sakic had signed with the Rangers. The new contract, which would pay Sakic $21 million over the next three years, included $15 million upfront as a signing bonus #Hockey365 #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/y9lURnhvLA� Mike Commito (@mikecommito) August 13, 2022
What many people didn't know though was the reason that the Avalanche were able to match this deal.
A key reason Colorado was able to match the offer was because of the blockbuster success of the film Air Force One. It was produced and co-financed by Beacon Communications, part of the Avs parent company, Ascent. So, Avs fans should thank Harrison Ford today for making it happen https://t.co/WBwZ9nygJn pic.twitter.com/WUl7Vx5eGa� Mike Commito (@mikecommito) August 14, 2022
The movie Air Force One went on to wrack in $315,268,353 at the box office worldwide, which gave the Avalanche the money to match the Rangers offer.
Thanks to Harrison Ford, the Avalanche were able to win 3 more Stanley Cups with Sakic in the organization.
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