Forward Nathan MacKinnon “hungry for more” with Avalanche after Stanley Cup victory
Nathan Mackinnon
Between the training camps and the 2022-23 NHL season, the Avalanche have a lot to do. They are heading towards the storm with full reinforcement. Forward Nathan MacKinnon recently voiced his intention and expectations he has from his team.
Sure the summer with Stanley Cup has been a thrilling experience for all, but with the training camp starting on Wednesday ‘the bar’s been set high.’ Winning the Cup for the first time since 2001 has been a “dream come true” for all Avalanchers, but it has not quenched their thirst for more.
“Just want to do it again” – Nathan MacKinnon’s take on the upcoming season
On Thursday, MacKinnon was at NHL North American Player Media Tour at Lifeguard Arena. He said he’s ready, confident, and excited to begin the regular season games, “This day is all like: ‘Oh, are you going to relax now? Are you going to chill?'” “I’m just going to keep being myself. I don’t feel any different.
“Like, I’m really happy we won. It definitely takes the thing out of the back of your mind: ‘Will I ever win one? What if this? What if that?’ Now you don’t have that. But you’re still the same guy. I don’t feel any different,” he stated, “I’m hungry for more, for sure.”
During the off-season, the Avalanche traded and signed several players. Some of the players who were traded include forwards Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Andre Burakovsky, Nazem Kadri, defenceman Jack Johnson, and goalie Darcy Kuemper.
They signed-up goalie Alexander Georgiev in a deal with New York Rangers and forward Evan Rodrigues. With them in the lineup, the Avs are shaping up and reforming their elite core. Cale Makar commented about Nathan MacKinnon, “I think he’s already in better form than he was last year”.
“It’s amazing to see that, and that’s why he is who he is. He pushes other guys to get to that level. We take great pride in that in Denver, just being able to have guys that are able to push other guys to be better every single day,” he said.
With the training camp approaching, MacKinnon stated, “We’re not going to think we’re going to wait till the playoffs to start playing hard. Day One of camp, we’re going to be flying, and there’s no passengers. There’s none of that.” “If you don’t work hard, you’re the loser.”
“It’s not like you’re the cool guy if you’re not working hard. So that’s the culture we have, and even the skates we’re doing now, they’re fast. They’re intense. It’s very competitive, and guys are getting frustrated if they mess up. It’s all the same. You win once, you just want to do it again.”
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Kaushani Chatterjee
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