Colorado Avalanche heart Nathan MacKinnon (29) celebrates his aim towards Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) with teammate Josh Manson (42) within the third interval throughout Sport 5 of the second spherical of the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on the American Airways Heart in Dallas, Texas on Wednesday, Might 15, 2024. (Picture by Andy Cross/The Denver Put up)
LAS VEGAS — At one level in the course of the 2023-24 season, Mikko Rantanen mentioned Nathan MacKinnon deserved to be on the “Mount Rushmore” in Colorado Avalanche franchise historical past.
That was chiseled in granite Thursday night time.
MacKinnon received the Hart Memorial Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award on the 2024 NHL Awards Present, gathering each NHL most beneficial participant honors for the primary time in his profession. He joins franchise legends Joe Sakic (2001) and Peter Forsberg (2003) as Avs gamers who’ve claimed league MVP honors.
“It’s actually cool. I truthfully by no means thought I’d win these,” MacKinnon mentioned. “Each participant I grew up idolizing has their title on these items. To be part of that firm, it’s surreal. It hasn’t actually sunk in but. It’s undoubtedly a particular factor.
“I do know it’s a person award, however you do really feel such as you’re related to those all-time greats.”
Avs defenseman Cale Makar was additionally a finalist for the James Norris Trophy for the fourth consecutive season. The 2022 winner, Makar completed third within the voting. Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes received for the primary time, and Nashville’s Roman Josi completed second.
MacKinnon was additionally named to the NHL First All-Star Group for the primary time in his profession. He had beforehand been named to the second group twice. Makar earned NHL Second All-Star Group honors. He’s made the primary group twice and second group twice in his five-year profession.
A runner-up for the Hart Trophy twice earlier than, MacKinnon completed this previous season with a career-high 51 targets and a franchise-record 140 factors. He led the NHL in photographs on aim (405) and even-strength factors (92).
“It in all probability has so much to do with me successful (the Hart) is simply form of letting go of issues and outcomes and totally different accolades,” MacKinnon mentioned. “It’s undoubtedly a part of it, simply letting go of (worrying about) all that stuff.”
MacKinnon mentioned he obtained telephone calls from his childhood hero turned shut buddy Sidney Crosby and from Wayne Gretzky shortly after successful the awards.
MacKinnon had a minimum of one level in 35 straight residence video games to begin the season, the second-longest such streak in NHL historical past. He turned the primary participant in league historical past to have a number of 19-game level streaks, no matter venue, in a single season.
“I used to be doing the weirdest issues earlier than video games,” MacKinnon mentioned of his superstitious nature in the course of the home-point streak. “My automobile was soiled the entire yr. I wouldn’t clear it, in and out. Simply dumb issues that I might put on. Actually, when it was over, I used to be form of completely happy.”
This was arguably the very best discipline of MVP candidates the NHL has seen up to now, however the Hart voting wasn’t that shut ultimately. MacKinnon garnered 137 of the 194 first-place votes, 87 greater than Nikita Kucherov, who completed second. MacKinnon had 47 second-place votes, eight third-place votes and one voter positioned him fifth. One of many voters didn’t have him on their poll.
Kucherov led the league with 144 factors. He and MacKinnon turned the second and third gamers to achieve 140 factors since 1996, becoming a member of Connor McDavid from 2022-23.
McDavid and Kucherov each reached 100 assists, becoming a member of Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr as the one gamers in league historical past to achieve that milestone. And all Auston Matthews did was rating 69 targets, essentially the most by anybody since 1996, whereas additionally ending third within the Selke Trophy voting for the league’s prime defensive ahead. He wasn’t even a finalist for the Hart, ending fourth with a resume that would have simply received in plenty of years.
MacKinnon now has a Calder Memorial Trophy, Girl Byng Trophy, Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay on his resume, together with the Stanley Cup ring from 2022. He’s one in all 5 energetic gamers to have received the Calder as prime rookie and MVP, becoming a member of Matthews, Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and Patrick Kane. The Hart is voted on by the Skilled Hockey Writers Affiliation. The Lindsay award is chosen by the NHL Gamers Affiliation.
There have been quite a few unbelievable performances alongside the best way this season for MacKinnon. He had the primary four-goal recreation because the franchise moved to Colorado, then added the second 34 days later. He had the primary Avalanche pure hat trick since Sakic had one in 2003.
He additionally had a number of signature video games or moments on the highway in among the NHL’s greatest markets, together with a game-winning aim to assist erase a three-goal lead in Toronto, a highlight-reel aim in New York, a four-point recreation in Philadelphia and a game-winning help with one second left in Edmonton in arguably the very best regular-season recreation of the NHL season.
Alongside the best way, he helped hold the Avalanche among the many greatest groups within the NHL and on the quick checklist of Stanley Cup contenders. And he has additional etched his title into hockey lore due to it.
“I simply love the day-to-day grind of the NHL and I believe that’s why I’m sitting right here proper now,” MacKinnon mentioned. “I do like to work and I really like the method of issues.”
Hart Trophy voting outcomes
(Can’t see chart in cellular? Click on right here)
Participant, group | 1st | 2nd | third | 4th | fifth | Factors |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado | 137 | 47 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1740 |
Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay | 50 | 77 | 30 | 23 | 11 | 1269 |
Connor McDavid, Edmonton | 1 | 28 | 86 | 67 | 8 | 845 |
Auston Matthews, Toronto | 2 | 33 | 53 | 73 | 21 | 756 |
Artemi Panarin, N.Y. Rangers | 3 | 1 | 7 | 15 | 58 | 175 |
Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg | 1 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 30 | 104 |
Quinn Hughes, Vancouver | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 26 | 62 |
David Pastrnak, Boston | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 41 |
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 38 |
Roman Josi, Nashville | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 |
J.T. Miller, Vancouver | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
Sebastian Aho, Carolina | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Charlie Lindgren, Washington | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Sam Reinhart, Florida | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
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