The first clue Joe Sakic had that Pierre Lacroix would tolerate nothing less than the best came in 1994, after the Quebec Nordiques’ first preseason road game.
“We were flying those little propeller planes,” Sakic said, “and he came with us on the flight. That was the last time we ever flew one of those planes. After that, we were sharing the New York Knicks’ plane.”
From the best available modes of travel to the best available personnel, Lacroix, Sakic said, “really changed the whole environment of this organization when he came along. He wanted everything first class, and he ran this organization that way from that first day he came along.”
Lacroix, the Avalanche’s president and former general manager, was one of six people named Tuesday to the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame class of 2008, becoming the first Avs executive to achieve the honor. Not bad for a man who never played the sport professionally, whose English is his second language and who never advanced beyond a high school education.
“(The honor) overwhelmed me with great pride and a sense of accomplishment,” Lacroix said. “We moved to Colorado in 1995 with a vision of establishing our franchise with an identity which would not only be competitive and exciting, but would be representative of our commitment to excellence and winning for years to come. I can say with enormous gratitude that this vision has been accomplished over a dozen years later.”
Tough and sometimes combative with his hockey rivals and the media in business matters, Lacroix is a soft-spoken man who likes a good laugh when the workday ends. Even some of his adversaries say Lacroix is a gentleman off the job, one who especially loves kids. One hockey agent, Kent Hughes, once endured a bruising arbitration hearing on behalf of an Avs client with Lacroix. After the no-prisoners contract session was over, Hughes remembers Lacroix reached into his pocket to give Hughes’ son a toy.
As a GM, Lacroix’s teams in Quebec and Colorado had a 473-259-106-30 (.623 winning percentage) in 11 seasons, with two Stanley Cup titles and six Western Conference finals. Only six other pro sports teams had a higher winning percentage in those years (1994-2006). He is known as a risk-taker, who loves making the all-or-nothing, blockbuster trades.
“He wasn’t afraid to pull the trigger, to give our team the best chance to win,” Sakic said. “You know what? It’s paid off. We’ve got two Cups. You always knew something was in the air around the trade deadline with him, but you never knew what would happen. It was exciting in a way.”
Avs winger Ian Laperriere chose Colorado from a number of suitors when he became a free agent in 2004, largely because of Lacroix’s reputation.
“You knew he would do anything to win. That’s why I wanted to come here,” Laperriere said. “He’s a tough negotiator, but once you play for him, he does everything in his power to help you win and everything is first class. I think it makes people want to play so hard here, because you know he’s working as hard or harder on the other end for you.”
All about winning
Best records in four major pro sports from 1994-2006:
San Antonio Spurs 642-310 .674
Detroit Red Wings 522-221-101-24 .673
Los Angeles Lakers 615-337 .646
Green Bay Packers 122-70-0 .635
Pittsburgh Steelers 121-70-1 .633
Denver Broncos 121-71-0 .630
Quebec/Avs 473-259-106-30 .623
Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com
