Nathan MacKinnon has long been the face of the Colorado Avalanche, and on Thursday night in Ottawa, he made it clear why the team revolves around him. As he stepped onto the ice for his 200th consecutive game, the Avalanche superstar sent an unmistakable message: the team cannot function without him.
“I’ve been here for over a decade, and every night I step on the ice, I show why I’m the guy,” MacKinnon said after the game. “This team goes as I go.”
MacKinnon’s confidence is well-earned. He recently became just the 100th player in NHL history to reach 1,000 career points, and he currently leads the entire league with 105 points, four ahead of Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl. Despite winning the Hart Memorial Trophy last season with a dominant 140-point performance, he has yet to capture the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s top scorer—a feat he is on pace to accomplish this season.
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His impact isn’t just in the numbers. Since returning from an upper-body injury in December 2022, MacKinnon has played every single game for the Avalanche, proving to be the team’s ironman. His 200-game streak, while impressive, is still far from the franchise record of 312 consecutive games set by Dale Hunter in the early 1980s. However, MacKinnon isn’t concerned with records—he’s focused on winning and proving that the Avalanche’s success hinges on his presence.
“The numbers speak for themselves,” MacKinnon added. “I don’t need anyone to tell me what I mean to this team.”
With the playoffs approaching, MacKinnon is determined to carry Colorado toward another Stanley Cup run. Whether it’s leading the league in points, dictating the team’s offense, or simply showing up every night, he has made it clear: the Avalanche are his team, and without him, they wouldn’t be the same.
