"The Avalanche announced today that the organization will retire number 19 in honor of team captain Joe Sakic. The club will raise Sakic's number 19 in a ceremony before the start of the club's 2009-10 season opener. "It is appropriate and deserving that we launch the season by honoring Joe's accomplishments," Avalanche president Pierre Lacroix said in a team statement. "It will be a tremendous event for a very special person and hockey player. We can't put into words what he meant to this franchise and to our hockey fans."