Hundreds of thousands of Colorado Avalanche fans filled the streets of downtown Denver on Thursday to celebrate the team’s third Stanley Cup victory.

Some fans came from as far as Albuquerque.

By 6:30 a.m., burgundy-, blue- and white-clad fans started staking their spot near the front of the rally site across from the Denver City and County Building.

“This is the first time we’ve gotten a chance to see an Avalanche parade,” said Eddie Mcrorie, 35, of Littleton, who staked out the space with his boys Terrell, 8, and Liam, 8.

“I’m so happy the Avs won the Stanley Cup,” said Terrell.

Many fans hit the road before 8 a.m. and took the light rail to get downtown.

Barry Rabinovich was one of the fans eager to get downtown to celebrate the Avs’ victory.

“I’ve been a die-hard fan since they moved here in 1996, so to be able to celebrate the team’s hard work and success again is an unbelievable feeling,” Rabinovich said while riding a packed E Line train.

Ben Gilardino of Aurora said he was only 5 months old the last time the Avalanche won the Cup, and he was ready to celebrate with the rest of the town.

“I cried when the Avs won it all on Sunday,” Gilardino said. “I haven’t been able to take the smile off my face since.”

City officials estimated that a half-million people attended Thursday’s festivities. At Civic Center Park, throngs of fans cheered on the Avs during a rally after the parade.

“It’s been a long road coming to this point,” team center Nathan Mackinnon told the crowd. “We couldn’t be luckier to have a group of fans like we have.”

“The group of guys behind me, I can’t even begin to tell you the resiliency, the commitment to win, the determination to win, the attitude,” Gabriel Landeskog, the Avs’ captain, said of his teammates. “These guys are the best people you will ever meet.”

“The fans of Denver, my teammates, management, everybody involved — this is a dream come true, and you guys are a part of it,” center Nazem Kadri said.

“This is one of the best parades I’ve ever seen: Lightning, thunder, it doesn’t matter. We come with the avalanche, baby,” Kadri shouted as the crowd erupted in cheers.

Vendors selling T-shirts out of duffel bags roamed the crowds, as did Max Martinez, 40, of Aurora.

Martinez was selling bottles of water out of a cooler for $2. He works large events like baseball tournaments or other festivals downtown.

“I haven’t done a parade before,” Martinez said. “I think there’s going to be 650,000 people here. I hope there’s more. I want to get rid of my stock so I can watch the parade.”

The last time the Avalanche won the Cup was the year Skyler Bontempo, 21, of Denver was born. She and her dad, Bill Bontempo, had claimed

“The group of guys behind me, I can’t even begin to tell you the resiliency, the commitment to win, the determination to win, the attitude.”

Gabriel Landeskog, Avalanche team captain

a spot in front of a fenced-off area to get the wide view.

“We love the Avalanche. My son plays hockey, so we’ve always been big fans since we moved here in 1996,” Bill Bontempo said.

1996, of course, was the year the Avalanche moved to Colorado from Canada and first won the Stanley Cup.

“They’re just such a fun team to follow, and I wasn’t able to go last time, so I took the whole day off,” Bontempo said.

Across downtown, fans lined 17th Street hours before the parade began. Some waved burgundy flags, others held signs over the barricades, and a few climbed nearby trees to get a better view.

The last time a championship parade was held in honor of the Avalanche, Sean Byrne was still in school. In fact, his father pulled him out of class in 2001 so they could celebrate the franchise’s second Cup together.

Now Byrne, a partial season ticket holder, is back in downtown Denver celebrating his beloved Avalanche. But this time he was with his daughter, Riley.

“I knew I had to be at this when we won,” Byrne said. “It’s just so amazing to be here celebrating with my family and being with an entire community who loves this team.”

In front of Union Station, Kent Johnson was carrying his personal Stanley Cup. He made it just before the playoffs and said it’s gone with him to the grocery store, to the park, and anywhere he’s gone since the playoffs began on May 2.

“Even my wife had to be the one carrying it around sometimes. It was our good luck charm,” Johnson said.

Johnson said the greatest thing about the parade was how it crossed generations and brought everyone together.

“Every age group, every ethnic group is here,” Johnson said. “This team has truly touched this community, and it’s great to see so many people come together for a good reason.”

Near Colfax Avenue and Broadway, fans poured into any available space to get a view of the parade.

“This is the first Cup they’ve won in my lifetime, so I’m soaking the experience all in,” said Zakkary Trader-gough, 20, of Castle Pines.

Trader-gough and his mom, Dana Trader, 53, grabbed a viewing spot on the concrete barricades .

“I saw the 2001 Stanley Cup playoffs in Denver, but I was pregnant with Zakkary, so there was no way I could attend the parade then,” Trader said.

Some dedicated fans drove long distances to witness the parade and party downtown.

“I drove here from Albuquerque,” said Gerard Munoz, 45, who was born in Denver. “I’ve been a fan since 1996. I just wanted to see them up close, like (Cale) Makar and (Joe) Sakic. I’m hoping some older players show up, too, like (Milan) Hejduck and (Peter) Forsberg.”