DENVER — Event planners had it scheduled for later, but Erik Johnson saw no need to wait. As he wrapped up his speech to Avalanche fans Thursday, he asked for a favor: a little help singing blink-182’s “All The Small Things,” which became the team’s anthem en route to the third Stanley Cup in franchise history.

“All the / small things …” he started, prompting the thousands of fans in front of him to join in.

For Johnson and the Avalanche, the championship parade marked a coronation and one of their final chances to celebrate together. And it had been a long time coming for Johnson, the longest-tenured Denver athlete. At one point on the stage, he, Nathan MacKinnon and captain Gabriel Landeskog — the three players who have been on the team longest — came together for a group hug with general manager Joe Sakic, the former team captain and connecting link between this championship team and the ones from 1996 and 2001.

“It’s my ninth year and I’ve finally won something,” MacKinnon said during his speech, appearing to reference his post-elimination interview last season in which he lamented not having “won shit” in his career.

How it started vs. How it's going

What a difference a year makes for Nathan MacKinnon. pic.twitter.com/inLjAXvocw

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 27, 2022

The event, of course, was about more than just the players. It was a chance to share the victory with fans, many of whom were already claiming spots along the 17th Street route at 8 a.m., around two hours before players were scheduled to pass. One couple wisely brought a deck of cards to pass the time. They had plenty to see once the procession began. Mikko Rantanen and Artturi Lehkonen poured beer into their shoes and drank from them. Cale Makar and Devon Toews took off their shirts, and Pavel Francouz’s daughter laid her head on his lap as the goaltender waved to the crowd.

The parade culminated with a rally outside the Denver City and County Building in Civic Center Park, and near the end of the route, one fan wore a Toronto-turned-Colorado jersey with Nazem Kadri’s name on the back. Over the Maple Leafs logo, he had pinned a piece of paper with “Avalanche” written on it.

“Upgrading sweaters is tough in this economy,” he joked.

“I’ve gotten more Avs shit in the last week than I ever have in my life,” another fan said while buying — you guessed it — more gear from a vendor.

Kadri and his wife, Ashley, wore shirts that read “Too Many Men,” with a drawing of Nazem and his teammates celebrating his overtime winner in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, which Lightning coach Jon Cooper said shouldn’t have counted. The shirts were designed at Kadri’s request by Adrienne Ruth, who also had printed hundreds of “Stand with Naz” ones for Game 5 of the St. Louis series. (That game came on the heels of Kadri receiving racist messages and threats.)

Kadri’s 2-year-old daughter, Naylah Kadri, also got to enjoy the festivities. She was thrilled to receive a plastic fire hat and donned a shirt featuring Bernie the dog, the Avalanche’s mascot, with whom she got to hang out inside the City and County Building.

The 31-year-old Kadri said he’s been watching championship parades his whole life, and the one through Denver on Thursday lived up to his expectations.

“We’re just going to enjoy it with each other, and that’s the most important part of this,” Kadri said. “The guys who are in the thick of it with you, you’ve got to enjoy it with them first and foremost.”

City employees lined indoor barriers to watch players enter the building after getting off their floats. Nico Sturm ran over to them, arm outstretched. “Let’s get some high-fives!” he said. An exuberant Bowen Byram, who earlier enjoyed a beer shower standing below some of his teammates’ parade trucks, saluted the fans as he walked in. He estimated he’s slept “no more than 12” hours since Colorado won the Cup on Sunday, adding that, “the last four days, I don’t remember much.”

When asked if winning one championship is motivation for the future, Byram told reporters his first title has been unbelievable, and he’s soaking it in.

“But every guy in this room knows we have a chance to hopefully win a couple more,” the defenseman said. “Next year at training camp, we’ll refocus and get ready to go, because this has been very special. We want to do this as much as possible.”

The crowd got a chance to cheer for every player as he was introduced. Samuel Girard, broken sternum and all, entered the stage with a cartwheel, then walked to Erik Johnson for a hug. Valeri Nichushkin, who was in a wheelchair for part of the event because it hurt to put pressure on his injured foot, managed to walk onto the stage. Alex Newhook and Nicolas Aube-Kubel got down on a knee together and chugged their drinks, and Rantanen attempted to moonwalk across the stage.

MIKKO MOONWALK 🕺@Avalanche | @AltitudeTV pic.twitter.com/Dw163SUsGn

Once the rally began, MacKinnon pumped up the crowd as Jared Bednar walked to the microphone. The coach cried thanking his players, as well as the organization that took a chance on him.

“These guys, everyone has a story,” Bednar said of his players, his voice catching multiple times. “I can go through every guy and the sacrifices they made for our team. I’m amazed by everyone.”

The normally hyper-focused MacKinnon, who had signed autographs for fans inside the building, danced to Kool & The Gang’s “Celebration” on stage.

Nathan MacKinnon vibing pic.twitter.com/B9TN0nZOl4

— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) June 30, 2022

The rally featured multiple players speaking after they’d seemingly had a couple of drinks. Landeskog pulled off his shirt before addressing the crowd, dropping three F-bombs, one of which he used to introduce Johnson. “I’ll let you listen to the old f— on the team,” he said. Rantanen, who is from Finland, said he’d probably be unable to speak English after all the drinks he’d had, so he planned to speak to only Lehkonen, his fellow countryman, that night. He also hoisted Makar, the Conn Smythe Trophy winner, onto his shoulders.

At one point during the rally, Landeskog picked up the Cup and, after hoisting it for the fans to see, hastily put it back on the table. For a moment, it looked like the cherished trophy might tip over. Fortunately for the Keeper of the Cup’s heart rate, Altitude Sports Radio broadcaster Conor McGahey leaped in and planted it more firmly on the table.

Midway through the ceremony, the sky darkened and rain drops began to fall. McGahey noted that there might be lightning in the forecast and used the weather to make a pun at the expense of the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team Colorado defeated to win the Cup.

“They did not ruin our Cup chances, and it’s not going to ruin our celebration,” the broadcaster said.

The event ended with Craig Turney — better known as DJ Triple T, the Ball Arena disc jockey — playing “All the Small Things,” to which the crowd happily sang along for a second time. After the sing-along, players took their time leaving the stage, with some walking toward the crowd to let the city in on the celebration. Aube-Kubel jumped onto the barrier so fans could hug him, and J.T. Compher brought the Cup down, holding it out for people to touch. Lehkonen greeted supporters with a lit cigar in one hand and a black cherry White Claw in the other. And, for the record, he was wearing the same shoe out of which he drank.

The NCAA championship-winning University of Denver hockey team also attended the event, and alum Logan O’Connor posed for a picture with some of the players. He held the Stanley Cup, and Pioneers coach David Carle held the NCAA trophy.

Slowly, the crowd dispersed, and so did the group of players on the stage. Remaining fans, though, shouted toward the stragglers. They called for Newhook to “chug, chug, chug” — the rookie obliged — and also chanted Darcy Kuemper’s first name until he saluted them.

“Our fans have been unbelievable all year,” Byram said. “We really wanted to give back to them. … To have everybody out here supporting us, we just thank everybody so much.”

Though the day was a celebration, it also marked a goodbye. In the coming days, players will head to their offseason homes, or maybe take a vacation. Some won’t come back to Denver as members of the Avalanche. Come next season, the roster will be different. So in front of the screaming fans, the Colorado players shared some of their final moments as a full, Stanley Cup-winning group.

“Whenever a team wins a Cup, there are guys who are going to be gone,” Byram said. “But right now we’re not really worried about that. We’re still a team.”

(Top photo of Gabriel Landeskog: Ron Chenoy / USA Today)