A shrine for Sakic

The Colorado Avalanche certainly did it up big Thursday night for former captain Joe Sakic, whose No. 19 jersey was officially retired at the Pepsi Center before the season-opening 5-2 win over the San Jose Sharks.

A banner with the digits was raised to the arena's rafters to conclude the 45-minute tribute, joining those of Patrick Roy (No. 33) and Ray Bourque (No. 77).

"To see it up there with Patrick and Ray, it's a tremendous honor," said Sakic, who was accompanied by his parents, his wife Debbie and their three children.

Not only that, the Avalanche surprised Sakic by creating a shrine at his old corner locker.

Here's a picture I snapped -- not bad for a fairly no-frills cell phone -- after the game. Sakic's jersey, helmet, skates, stick and other equipment have been encased in plexi-glass, to be viewed by present and former Avalanche players as inspiration.

"They didn't even give me a heads-up on that," Sakic said. "When I walked in the room and saw that, I did a double-take. Honestly, when I saw that, I almost broke down. I got a chance to really look at it (after the ceremony). Never in my life or in my dreams could I imagine that. That's something I really appreciate."

During his tribute, Sakic teased the sellout crowd during his speech that he was "kind of getting that itch" to play again. The fans roared with approval.

But Sakic, who retired on July 9, later told reporters he wasn't really serious about pulling a Brett Favre.

"It was in the moment," he said. "You do look forward to opening night, especially at home. When I played and trained, you couldn't wait for the game to start. I know I'll be up in the stands watching and there are going to be parts of me saying, 'I wish I was out there.' But, no, there's actually no itch to come back."

Sakic, 40, began his NHL career in 1988 with the Quebec Nordiques, who moved to Denver in 1995 and were renamed the Avalanche. He leaves as the owner of practically every significant offensive record in franchise history, including 625 goals, 1,641 points, 84 playoff goals and 188 playoff points.

Sakic won two Stanley Cups with the Avalanche and an Olympic gold medal for Canada in 2002. He captured the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP in 1996 when the Avalanche won its first Cup, along with the Hart and Lady Byng trophies in 2001 when Colorado collected its second league championship.