MacKinnon shines, helps Avs win Cup
Andrew Cogliano TAMPA, FLA. — shouted at Nathan MacKinnon in the midst of the Colorado Avalanche’s Stanley Cup celebration.
“87!” he bellowed.
It was a reference to the final two numbers of MacKinnon’s hotel room, which Colorado’s star forward thought was a great omen when he checked in ahead of Sunday night’s Game 6 in Tampa. Sidney Crosby, like MacKinnon a native of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, is known for being No. 87.
Now MacKinnon is a Stanley Cup champion, just like Crosby.
“We just felt like it was fate,” MacKinnon said. “We just knew we were going to win when I got that room number.”
Fate didn’t help MacKinnon sneak a perfect shot past 2021 playoff MVP Andrei Vasilevskiy for Colorado’s first goal or help him set up Artturi Lehkonen for the second. And fate didn’t make him slide his body in front of shots to keep them from getting to the net or take a big hit from
Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos.
No, it was skill and sheer determination for a player seeking a championship that had eluded him for several years amid playoff disappointments. He was at his best in the Cup-clinching 2-1 victory Sunday night. After a relatively quiet performance in the series until that point, MacKinnon picked the perfect time to be a difference-maker.
General manager Joe Sakic, who drafted MacKinnon with the first pick in 2013, said this means everything to his firstline center.
“He’s one of the best players in the world, and he wanted this more than anyone, and you can tell,” Sakic said. “He’s open about it how much he wants to win, and I was really proud for him. He’s been tremendous right from when he started as a rookie. He’s gotten better and better every year. A dynamic player, and you saw it today. He checked as hard as when he had the puck.”
MacKinnon at times played like a man possessed during this run, leading the Avalanche with 13 goals, tied for the playoff lead.