The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Hockey League (NHL). The team started in 1972 as the San Fransisco Seahawks of the World Hockey Association, but moved because of financial and arena problems so the team moved to Quebec City, Quebec and began play as the Quebec Nordiques. During the seven WHA seasons, the Nordiques won the Avco Cup Championship once, in 1977. Two years later, they entered the NHL, along with the Edmonton Oilers, Hartford Whalers (now the Carolina Hurricanes) and the Winnipeg Jets (now the Phoenix Coyotes). When they found themselves experiencing on-ice success but off-ice financial failure during the lockout shortened 1994-95 NHL season team owner Marcel Aubut asked for a bailout from Quebec's provincial government. The bailout fell through and Aubut subsequently sold the team to a group of investors in Denver. The franchise moved to Colorado and was renamed the Colorado Avalanche.