John Elway knows a thing or two about winning in Colorado.
The NFL Hall of Fame quarterback joined the “NHL on TNT” pregame show before Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals at Ball Arena on Tuesday.
Elway talked about his NFL career with the Denver Broncos, who he played for from 1983-1998, and how the Colorado Avalanche’s playoff runs are similar to his own.
Elway lost three Super Bowls (1986-87, 89) until he won back-to-back championships in 1997-98 in the last two seasons of his career. He told the TNT crew he related to Nathan MacKinnon‘s career path in Colorado.
“I think as an athlete what you want to do, you want to be a world champion no matter what sport you are playing,” Elway said. “I think in football that was my goal… That is why you play a sport is to hoist that trophy, whatever sport you are playing.”
Elway, who is the current president of operations for the Broncos, also talked about his relationship with Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic, who is also a former player who transitioned to a front office role.
“I got so much respect for Joe and he has done a tremendous job,” Elway said. “When he first started getting in, we had some conversations and then he got at it and things weren’t going very well and he says, ‘Why did you ever get me into this?’ But he has come back and done an excellent job.”