Avalanche take Stanley Cup

Bourque (second left) and co celebrate with the trophy

Colorado Avalanche 3-1 New Jersey Devils
Colorado Avalanche win series 4-3

The Colorado Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils 3-1 on Saturday to win the National Hockey League championship series 4-3 and claim the Stanley Cup.

It is the second time the team has won the Stanley Cup, the first being in 1996, the club's first year in Colorado.

It was only the third time in 30 seasons that the cup has gone to a seventh and deciding game.

Roy won the Conn Smythe trophy for the final's MVP

Alex Tanguay scored twice to help defenseman Ray Bourque, a veteran of a record 1,825 games without ever winning the cup, to realise his dream.

Joe Sakic set up Tanguay once and scored himself as the Avalanche opened a 3-0 lead.

Patrick Roy, back on form, turned aside 25 of 26 shots to win his fourth cup over three decades, following up those for Montreal in 1986 and 1993 and Colorado's 1996 cup.

Colorado got off to the ideal start as the Devils' Brian Rafalski and Bobby Holik collided in front of the net, causing Rafalski's stick to jam inside goalie Martin Brodeur's jersey.

It left Tanguay to carry the puck from behind the net and powered a wrist shot into the top of the net at 7:58 of the first period.

Colorado kept its early surge going to score twice in the space of 79 seconds of the second period.

Victory sealed

Defenseman Adam Foote threaded an excellent breakout pass along the boards to Sakic, who saw his effort saved by Brodeur only for Tanguay to net the rebound.

A high-sticking penalty on Devils defenseman Sean O'Donnell set up what proved to be the all-important third goal.

O'Donnell poked his stick in Shjon Podein's face well after the play, the kind of retaliation penalty that got New Jersey in trouble earlier in the series.

Only 25 seconds into the power play, Sakic scored his playoff-leading 12th goal to put Colorado in control.

Petr Sykora pulled a goal back midway through the period, on a power play resulting from Eric Messier's penalty, but the Devils wasted further chances.