Over a decade ago, the Colorado Avalanche and its affiliate system looked very different. It included a unique team which didn’t last too long: the Denver Cutthroats.

The Cutthroats were incorporated in 2012, playing in what was the Central Hockey League (CHL). Their founding couldn’t have come at a better time for hockey fans in the United States, and they sure had some fun with it.

Of course, the start of the 2012–13 NHL season was delayed because of a lockout. The emergence of a second professional hockey team in Denver benefited those missing out on the sport they loved in the fall of 2012.

Season One

The Denver Coliseum was home to the Cutthroats, and they hosted their first game against the Missouri Mavericks on October 9. It came in front of a crowd of 5,000 people and a wild 4–3 overtime win.

With the lockout, there were some NHL players who joined the fray. Particularly, Kyle Quincey was a formidable force on the blue line for 12 games with two goals and nine assists.

The leading man for “The Fish” was A.J. Gale in the first season. In 69 games, he scored 47 goals and 40 assists.

Once the NHL season did get underway, the Cutthroats kept on going their own pace. Their cheap get-in prices allowed fans to still enjoy some professional hockey without paying NHL prices.

Eventually, their first season ended with a record of 30–26–10, enough for a CHL playoff spot. However, they would fall in the first round against the Allen Americans.

Season Two

In season two, the Cutthroats fared much better – even without some NHL-caliber talent this time around. The leading scorer was Garret Bembridge, a veteran journeyman forward who played as high as the AHL.

In fact, his best career year came with the Cutthroats. In 83 games – both regular season and playoff games – he scored 58 goals and tallied 73 assists for 131 points.

A 38–17–11 record propelled Denver through the playoffs to the CHL Finals. However, they once again fell at the hands of the Americans.

The sad ending

Unfortunately, it would be all she wrote for the Cutthroats, as they folded after two years. The team cited a lack of funding, hoping to make a return for the 2015–16 season. That return never came.

Denver never found solid ground, especially playing in the Coliseum. The team had to leave every January for the National Western Stock Show and never got enough media attention to garner interest.

The CHL as a whole did not last long, with several teams also falling or rebranding. The ECHL would absorb the league in 2014 with several teams making the jump, like the Allen Americans.

Of course, the Avalanche found new affiliates with the Utah Grizzlies in the ECHL, and at the time, the Lake Erie Monsters in the AHL, before the Colorado Eagles.

But for some, myself included, there will always be a fond place in our hearts for the Cutthroats. While their time has passed, it’s a unique part of Colorado hockey history.