By Russ Cohen
I first saw Nathan MacKinnon live at a game in Quebec. He was a star with the Halifax Mooseheads and I was struck by his maturity and speed through the neutral zone. I knew he was going to be a star. When his team won the road game, the home team fans littered the ice with water bottles and other things they were throwing from the stands. MacKinnon laughed about it and acted as if this was a normal occurrence. He was the eventual first-overall pick in 2013.
Fast forward to his four-point performance against the Flyers. That was something to see. Again, he blew through the neutral zone, and nobody could cover him and he’s as strong as an NFL linebacker. He was setting up his linemate. MacKinnon makes them better, another sign of a star player.
He’s won a Calder Trophy, A Lady Byng, a Stanley Cup, and this year, he may finally win a Hart Trophy. I think he will reach the 500-goal mark around the age of 32 or 33 depending on his health.
