The 2000-01 NHL season was the 84th regular season of the National Hockey League. Thirty teams each played 82 games. The Stanley Cup winners were the Colorado Avalanche, who won the best of seven series 4–3 against the New Jersey Devils. The focus of Colorado's Stanley Cup run was on star defenceman Raymond Bourque who was on a quest to win his first Stanley Cup championship in his illustrious 22-year career. Two more expansion teams were added this season, both placed in the Western Conference, rounding the league to 30 teams: The Columbus Blue Jackets and the Minnesota Wild.