High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Quebec Nordiques were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association (1972?1979) and the National Hockey League (1979?1995). The franchise was relocated to Denver, Colorado, in 1995 and renamed the Colorado Avalanche. The Quebec Nordiques formed as one of the original World Hockey Association teams in 1972. The franchise was originally awarded to a group in San Francisco, as the San Francisco Sharks.