Avalanche to wear Nordiques jersey against Canadiens

The Battle of Québec is making a comeback. 

On Tuesday, Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reported that the NHL had approved the request for the Colorado Avalanche to wear their alternate Québec Nordiques jerseys when they visit the Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 29, 2026, pitting the Nordique blue against Canadiens red at the Bell Centre. 

The Avalanche have embraced their Nordiques history in recent seasons, with a maroon Nordiques jersey as part of the NHL’s reverse retro project, before bringing back the full baby blue look for the club’s 30th season in 2025-26. 

They were initially set to wear them for seven games across the season, but seeked NHL approval to wear them an additional time for their clash in the team’s former province, against the Canadiens. 

Canadiens CEO Geoff Molson responded to an initial report that the Avalanche had requested to wear the alternates, saying he would happily approve. Previously, Colorado wore the jerseys when they hosted the Canadiens on Nov 29, after debuting them against the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 23, who wore their throwback Hartford Whalers jerseys. 

Through the 1980s and 1990s, the Nordiques and Canadiens had one of the fiercest rivalries in hockey, before the Nordiques eventually moved to Denver in 1995. Since then, there have been attempts to bring the Nordiques and the NHL back to Québec City, but all have been futile. 

In total, the Avalanche will wear the Nordiques jerseys six more times this season, next wearing them away from home on Jan. 3 when they visit the Hurricanes. Following that, they will wear them against the Canadiens, as well as at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver Canucks and Vegas Golden Knights.

As for hockey’s future in Québec City, the team’s best chance at a professional franchise likely comes in the PWHL, who are set to visit as part of the PWHL Takeover Tour for the second year in a row. The league is expected to add between two and four teams for the 2026-27 season.