AVALANCHE ROLLS INTO CUP FINALS : COLORADO 4, DETROIT 1.

Byline: John Mossman Associated Press

The Colorado Avalanche are headed to the Stanley Cup finals. The Detroit Red Wings are headed home - again.

The Red Wings won more games this year than any team in NHL history. But now it is a lost season.

For all their victories, and all the octopuses thrown on the ice, their season ended Wednesday night in a blizzard of frayed white pompons at McNichols Arena.

``I had goose bumps at the end,'' Colorado goaltender Patrick Roy said. ``I couldn't concentrate.''

The Avalanche won 4-1, ending the Western Conference finals in six games and advancing to the championship round for the first time, and in their first season since leaving Quebec.

``This is my fourth time going to the big dance,'' said Roy, who won two titles with the Montreal Canadiens. ``There was no doubt in my mind we had the team. I'm playing with a great team and a great defense.''

It marked the second straight season the Red Wings were denied the Cup after winning the regular-season championship. Last year, they were swept in the Stanley Cup finals by the New Jersey Devils.

This year, they set an NHL record with 62 victories and were heavy favorites, but barely made it to the conference finals. The Red Wings haven't won the Stanley Cup since 1955 - the NHL's longest drought.

The crowd stood for the final two minutes, gave a deafening ovation the final minute and stayed in the arena long after the conference trophy was presented to Joe Sakic, the team captain who had two goals and an assist.

``It feels great,'' Sakic said. ``The building was electric tonight.''

The outcome sends the Avalanche into the finals against the winner of the Pittsburgh-Florida series. The Penguins lead the Eastern Conference finals 3-2 with Game 6 in Miami tonight.

The Stanley Cup finals begin Tuesday in Denver.

``We couldn't beat all the elements,'' Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman said. ``Sakic was one. He has been in a zone. We had guys beat up. The second period really hurt us.

``We lost to a very good team. They went neck-and-neck with us for two years, and they have a goaltender playing (well), like Patrick Roy is.''

Roy, winning his sixth straight after a loss in the postseason this year, had 23 saves.

Also scoring for Colorado were Mike Ricci and Peter Forsberg. Paul Coffey scored for Detroit in the first period to make it 1-1 before the Avalanche struck for three goals in the second period.

The Colorado franchise played its first 16 seasons as the Quebec Nordiques before moving to Denver last spring.

The Red Wings fought off elimination in three previous games, two against St. Louis in the second round. After only losing 13 games during the regular season, the Red Wings lost nine in the playoffs.

Sakic, the leading scorer in the playoffs, got his 16th and 17th goals - leaving him just two shy of the NHL playoff record shared by Philadelphia's Reggie Leach and Edmonton's Jari Kurri - to give Colorado a 1-0 lead in the first period and a 2-1 advantage in the second.

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Photo

Photo: Colorado's Peter Forsberg is congratulated by Jon Kl emm after his second-period goal. The Avalance would do a lot more celebrating.

Associated Press