Avs' turnaround turning heads

With six games remaining, the Colorado Avalanche are on the verge of making the biggest one-season turnaround in Colorado pro sports history.
We judge this by the teams' overall place in their respective league standings, and a year ago, the Avs were well on their way to compiling the second-worst record (16-25-7, 39 points) in the NHL. This year, Patrick Roy's kiddie crew currently owns the fifth-best mark (49-21-6, 104 points) in the league -- a whopping 24-place improvement.

For comparison here are the top turnarounds for the Mile High City's other three major pro franchises:

• The John Elway-led 1991 Broncos finished 12-4 and lost to the Bills in the AFC Championship Game a year after finishing with the NFL's fourth-worst record at 5-11 -- a leap of 22 places in the standings.
• Todd Helton, Troy Tulowitzki and 2007 Rockies closed on a serious roll, posted the franchise's first 90-win season (90-73) and made it to the World Series a year after finishing 76-86 -- also a jump of 22 places in the overall MLB standings.
• The 2003-04 Nuggets, buoyed by No. 3 overall draft pick Carmelo Anthony, finished 43-39 to earn the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference and snap the franchise's eight-year postseason drought. The previous season, the Nuggets finished with the second-worst record (17-65) in franchise history to match the Cleveland Cavaliers for the worst mark in the league and setting the stage for a 17-place climb in the overall NBA standings.