Now-GM Sakic has 'green light' from ownership to make Avalanche a winner

You're not going to hear the Colorado Avalanche cry poor.

The Kroenke family, which has owned the team since 2000, awarded general manager Joe Sakic (made official over the summer with Greg Sherman moving to the assistant position) the wherewithal to increase the team's payroll by nearly $15 million this summer despite placing in the bottom-five in ticket revenue. 

"No one wants to win a championship more than Stan and Josh (Kroenke)," Sakic told the Denver Post. "We're a cap team now, despite us being in the bottom five of the league in ticket revenue.

"Even knowing that, they still want to win a championship and gave us the green light to do whatever we can to make this team win."

The Avalanche should improve on their 22nd-ranked attendance last season. From worst to first in the Central Division; Jarome Iginla and the padded payroll; Nathan MacKinnon's sophomore season; and another year with polarizing bench boss Patrick Roy, all signs point to a jam-packed Pepsi Center.

Or at least it should be, in appreciation of ownership alone.