TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Andrew Cogliano shouted at Nathan MacKinnon in the midst of the Colorado Avalanche’s Stanley Cup celebration.
“87!” he bellowed.
It was a reference to the ultimate two numbers of MacKinnon’s resort space, which Colorado’s star ahead thought was a good omen when he checked in forward of Sunday night’s Recreation 6 in Tampa. Sidney Crosby, like MacKinnon a native of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, is identified for currently being No. 87.
Now MacKinnon is a Stanley Cup champion, just like Crosby.
“We just felt like it was fate,” MacKinnon mentioned. “We just knew we were heading to earn when I received that home variety.”
Fate did not assist MacKinnon sneak a great shot previous 2021 playoff MVP Andrei Vasilevskiy for Colorado’s initially goal or aid him established up Artturi Lehkonen for the next. And destiny didn’t make him slide his system in entrance of photographs to maintain them from obtaining to the net or acquire a huge strike from Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos that knocked him to the ice.
No, it was skill and sheer perseverance for a participant seeking a championship that had eluded him for numerous many years amid playoff disappointments. He was at his ideal in the Cup-clinching 2-1 victory Sunday night time. After a relatively tranquil performance in the sequence until eventually that point, MacKinnon picked the great time to be a distinction-maker and drove the bus for the Avalanche.
Common supervisor Joe Sakic, who drafted MacKinnon with the initially select in 2013, claimed this suggests almost everything to his to start with-line centre.
“He’s a person of the very best gamers in the planet, and he needed this much more than anybody, and you can notify,” Sakic reported. “He’s open about it how a great deal he wishes to win, and I was truly happy for him. He’s been large appropriate from when he started as a rookie. He’s gotten far better and improved just about every 12 months. A dynamic participant, and you observed it currently. He checked as really hard as when he had the puck.”
MacKinnon at times played like a person possessed all through this operate, leading the Avalanche with 13 targets, tied for the playoff direct.
“The maturity of his sport in excess of the last couple of seasons and in heading as a result of what we went by way of in the playoffs previous year has form of pushed him to a different position this calendar year,” coach Jared Bednar claimed. “He has a greater comprehension and a rising knowledge of all the things that is happening all-around him and that other men participate in an essential position in our team’s results and it does not have to always just appear back on him.”
MacKinnon blazed and bulldozed by means of and dangled all around a lot of opponents to get his initial championship, incorporating a intention in the title-clinching acquire.
“Nate’s like a bull in a china store,” mentioned Lightning mentor Jon Cooper, whose workforce arrived two victories absent from the NHL’s initially a few-peat considering the fact that in the early 1980s. “He plays the power sport. He’s variety of received that double-edged sword simply because he’s truly rapid and he’s genuinely strong, so it is tricky to neutralize him when you truly permit him go.”
The Avalanche unleashed MacKinnon on Nashville, St. Louis and Edmonton prior to that — sweeping the Predators in the initially spherical and the Oilers in the Western Meeting last sandwiched around beating the rival Blues in 6. And then arrived the Lightning, who had been vanquished in a great collection that noticed four one-goal games (two won by Colorado in overtime) and a blowout acquire for each group.
At the conclusion, Colorado experienced the Cup and MacKinnon this time did not have to respond to queries about what went completely wrong or whether or not he’d will need to improve his method to win in the playoffs.
Alternatively of doing that, MacKinnon ratcheted up his game. Even before he scored his to start with objective of the ultimate, he danced all around defenders with moves much more reminiscent of video sport hockey than genuine existence.
Dealing with famous Tampa Bay shutdown centre Anthony Cirelli in the ultimate, MacKinnon was far more than up to the problem.
“He embraces some of individuals matchups,” Bednar stated. “Nate, he’s not worried or intimidated to go in opposition to any person.”
As a consequence, MacKinnon now trails Crosby by two Stanley Cup titles, supplying the 26-calendar year-aged even additional to shoot for outside of this championship.
“It’s mad,” MacKinnon claimed. “Can’t hold out to hug my relatives. It is challenging to describe. I didn’t genuinely know what it would be like to in fact win it, just seeing all these warriors battle, it just feels unbelievable.”
— Stephen Whyno, Related Press Hockey Author