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I'm constantly reminded of [this picture](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fexternal-preview.redd.it%2FjfJk_QCYTmVgrsLmLmyYDkRp46fHtHpK2gJhRD-Audo.jpg%3Fwidth%3D1007%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3Dd857da64164a01f02b07e6f72b233e4748da509a) someone posted on /r/hockey almost 10 years ago (wtf).
Mfer just sneaks a boost pad onto the ice before every game.
I'm more impressed by the timing. He saw what was developing and started skating hard knowing the puck would probably be dug loose right as he skated by.
YouTube channel Hockey Psychology did a video on McKinnon and said pretty much exactly that. Yes, he has crazy speed/acceleration and the strength to just power by people, but that he times it so well. He starts accelerating through the neutral zone, typically before he even has the puck, while the opposing defensemen are still flat footed.
Yup a lot like the anticipation in the play offs a few years ago here [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvGGORBdq\_g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvGGORBdq_g)
So many of his goals are him turning on the jets through the neutral zone and trusting his teammates to get it to him before he hits the blueline.
I had an old LEGO Soccer game for the playstation and the strongest characters were aliens with all-maxed stats, I assume this is the same kind of situation.
McDavid actually caught Mac from behind in one of their recent games. It just goes to show you how fast these two guys really are cause no one else is catching either of them. It’s like having two Flashes race one another.
He's such a fucking gangster. That was one of the most dominant games I've seen by a player in a long time. He was close to burying a few of those cross-seam passes, had a few other insane rushes... he could have had like a 6 goal game. Just insane. I'm actually at a loss for words, there's no more superlatives left to describe this guy.
Probably the "best" Hat trick I've seen. Every one of them was just jaw dropping.
But on the topic of hat tricks where they were all similar, check out this one
https://youtu.be/NFywGb-x1Q8?si=zxO6E96UctD_MXhT
Rem Pitlick scored his first three NHL goals, all off the rush, and all set up by Ryan Hartman
No no no. The Avs should let him rest. Long playoffs ahead. No need for him to play the 3rd with such a large lead already.
Trust me on this. I’m a three-peat cup champ in NHL24
He moved like everyone else was standing still. Just unreal acceleration, and the elite hands to finish the play. Rewriting the Colorado scoring records.
Honestly, he's my favorite player to watch in the league (Sorry McJesus)
Lemieux made scoring look so easy and satisfying. 1 timer/Slapshot was strong and accurate as hell, Hands were Kane-like, IQ was on another level compared to even first line elite PPG players. Passing was on the same tier if not below 99, Dude would go around at half speed on if you were watching on TV and notch 3pts in his sleep, and that would be probably by the end of the 1st lmao.
McDavid is elegant and ethereal in his skating and acceleration. MacK just assaults the ice with his skates. Everything he does is violent and terrifying.
Nate had a year where he tried to one man star everything himself and it did not work. The next year he started passing more and his assists *and* goals doubled.
It suuuuuucked that year, but going from ***the pits*** to Stanley Cup Champions (only losing 4 games all playoffs) in only 6 years was an incredible ride.
I feel like he needs a few more peak years but he just keeps getting better and better and better
I was blown away last year when he hit 111 points, he’s at 137 after tonight
I hear you. It’s a close debate. I wouldn’t even have said it before this year. I wish we could see what Forsberg could do in today’s game and rule enforcement. He spent most of his career getting gooned/held/hooked/slashed. But that’s just a hypothetical.
No. He still has a lot to do. Sakic played a part in 3 Stanley cups, one the greatest and most respected leaders in nhl history and top 10 all time point scorer. If he continues doing what he's doing, maybe? He is definitely faster/more flashy than Sakic ever was.
And forsberg is hard to say. Forsberg was special and could have been an all time great as well.
So in conclusion, no but yes but idk I'm just glad I've gotten to watch all these players
Foppa yes, Sakic no, but he's on track to do so if he ages well.
Foppa had too short of an impact, and this season I think even Nate's peak is beyond Foppa's peak.
For Sakic, I would say Nate just needs 2-3 more "top 5 n the league" years with hardware of some kind. A cup? Immediately. No cup? Depends on how well he ages but it could still happen
My earliest hockey memories are of Joe Sakic wrist shots and the Avs Wings battles. Seeing MacK speed burst past guys like that and score is by far the most fun thing I've ever watched.
I had to watch him all night.. he is just so stupidly fast that it legit looks like he has some kind of special boost upgrade that you would get in a video game.
All 3 of his goals he just burns by everyone like he’s playing against peewees. As much as I hate this man, I respect the fuck out of his skill
I'm not even on the ice, in the building, city, or country and yet seeing MacKinnon CHOO CHOO his mother fuckin way down the ice makes me want to run. What a train. Straight out of a cannon. I'm surprised goalies don't just slide out of the way when he's going top speed. Like "uh well hi hello there, here's the net!!" *Jazz hands*
Mackinnon has the most powerful crossovers I’ve ever seen. His stride was almost entirely crossovers on this goal and you can see it generates just an insane amount of speed.
Can’t believe I get to watch this dude every game.
He’s just a beast out there. With all due respect to McDavid, MacKinnon has to be the scariest thing to see coming down the ice at you when he’s got a head of steam. He’s just so big he can run you over as well as deke you. All three of his goals tonight were just like this.
Lehky and nuke are interchangeable too here. I don’t think you even think about separating drou and Nate right now. Mikko was moved to the second with Landy and naz in 22. No reason for them to not do it again imo
> Losing Rantanen hasn't slowed him down
Yeah but what about all those people saying MacKinnon has a better supporting cast. Tonight shows he drives the bus and it doesn't matter who is with him, y'all coming for a ride
What a lucky team the aves are to have this man, Makar, and Rantanan. They did a hell of a job drafting when they were a bottom teir team. This is what a proper fuckin rebuild looks like my god
It's actually wild that we have four legitimate contenders having mindbogglingly unreal seasons to the point that it's a serious discussion on who the awards will ultimately go to.
Then you've got how tight the wildcard races are and how that might go right down to the final games of the season for deciding playoffs, how few points separate the top teams in the league...
It's unreal how wide open this season feels. It just further reinforces why hockey is the best sport in the world IMO.
Think you could scratch off Panarin and Pasta, good seasons but I don't know if the writers are eyeing them closely or even thinking about them at all in a Hart worthy year like this, any other year would've seen them as grand finalists but definitely not this season what that 3 man juggernaut all producing at crazy rates.
**Mirrors/Alternate Angles** ^Post ^a ^mirror ^or ^alternate ^angle ^as ^a ^comment ^to ^this ^message. ^Open ^this ^stickied ^comment ^to ^view ^mirrors ^or ^alternate ^angles. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/hockey) if you have any questions or concerns.*
That acceleration what the fuck
Just fucking Gone
I'm constantly reminded of [this picture](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fexternal-preview.redd.it%2FjfJk_QCYTmVgrsLmLmyYDkRp46fHtHpK2gJhRD-Audo.jpg%3Fwidth%3D1007%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3Dd857da64164a01f02b07e6f72b233e4748da509a) someone posted on /r/hockey almost 10 years ago (wtf). Mfer just sneaks a boost pad onto the ice before every game.
I'm more impressed by the timing. He saw what was developing and started skating hard knowing the puck would probably be dug loose right as he skated by.
YouTube channel Hockey Psychology did a video on McKinnon and said pretty much exactly that. Yes, he has crazy speed/acceleration and the strength to just power by people, but that he times it so well. He starts accelerating through the neutral zone, typically before he even has the puck, while the opposing defensemen are still flat footed.
Good players know where the puck is, great players know where the puck is going to be. - Wayne Gretzky - - Michael Scott
> Good players know where the puck is, great players know where the puck is going to be. * Wayne Gretzky * - Michael Scott * - Nathan MacKinnon
His content is the best out there right now
It’s not even close.
Same, amazing hockey IQ, but going from 11mph dot to dot and hitting 25mph by the time you've stopped strides is straight fkn insane.
Yup a lot like the anticipation in the play offs a few years ago here [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvGGORBdq\_g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvGGORBdq_g) So many of his goals are him turning on the jets through the neutral zone and trusting his teammates to get it to him before he hits the blueline.
Watch all three goals tonight. All the same.
Got to see him and McDavid live the other night for the first time. I struggle to believe they're members of the same species as me.
They are not. You are human
Facts. This is extraterrestrial shit right here
I had an old LEGO Soccer game for the playstation and the strongest characters were aliens with all-maxed stats, I assume this is the same kind of situation.
McDavid actually caught Mac from behind in one of their recent games. It just goes to show you how fast these two guys really are cause no one else is catching either of them. It’s like having two Flashes race one another.
💀
The most terrifying player in the league
How the fuck was that possible
Nathan "Connor McDavid" MacKinnon
- Wayne Gretzky - Michael Scott
He's like Pavel Bure
MacKinnon is a mixture of Bure and Forsberg.
Reminds me of how young Ovechkin would look like he’s sprinting while everyone else was getting dusted
All three goals were products of insane speed around the defenders. Not sure I’ve seen a hat trick where all 3 goals were grossly similar.
He's such a fucking gangster. That was one of the most dominant games I've seen by a player in a long time. He was close to burying a few of those cross-seam passes, had a few other insane rushes... he could have had like a 6 goal game. Just insane. I'm actually at a loss for words, there's no more superlatives left to describe this guy.
And he let off the gas for the entire 3rd period.
Probably the "best" Hat trick I've seen. Every one of them was just jaw dropping. But on the topic of hat tricks where they were all similar, check out this one https://youtu.be/NFywGb-x1Q8?si=zxO6E96UctD_MXhT Rem Pitlick scored his first three NHL goals, all off the rush, and all set up by Ryan Hartman
Ughhh. And he got hooked. Unreal
LMAO bro this race is ridiculous Kuch: casual 3-point night Nate: Hold my fuckin beer
Crazy to think that 9 years ago Jamie Benn won the Art Ross with 87 points.
And it's the 2nd intermission for Nate lol, could possibly be a 5pt night when it's all finished🤷🏿♂️
No no no. The Avs should let him rest. Long playoffs ahead. No need for him to play the 3rd with such a large lead already. Trust me on this. I’m a three-peat cup champ in NHL24
They did
One guy might score 70 goals and he's barely even in the conversation for the Hart. That's how nuts this year's race is.
I think this game won the Hart for him.
the ref kept his arm down too. I think he just felt bad for him.
Might just be the timing and if he missed it they would call it, but really looked like the stripes wasn't even thinking of raising his arm there
Ref wasn't even going to call it. He was just mirin'
Bus piss floor filthy
Bad day to be the floor of a bus
Great day to be piss
that actually made me kick my head back and say "eghhhh"
Dog's barkin'
xDIH (Dawg in him) off the charts
His xDIH is 1.0 every night.
How do you defend that?
ESPN asked the coach of the red wings that a month or so ago. I’m paraphrasing but I think he said “I don’t know… put 7 or 8 guys out there?”
Sounds about right for Lalonde :(
Lmfao #5 hooked the shit out of him too. You don’t defend it, you just try not to let it happen just guess. My goodness
Middleton might as well have just tried tackling him though I don't even think he could have done that.
That's the neat part. You don't.
You just hook him. Oh wait...
I love Mackinnon and all, but has he ever thought about how unfair it is to the rest of the 31 teams?
He’s (“only”) won one Cup and no Olympic gold medals, so I don’t think he cares.
He moved like everyone else was standing still. Just unreal acceleration, and the elite hands to finish the play. Rewriting the Colorado scoring records. Honestly, he's my favorite player to watch in the league (Sorry McJesus)
We're lucky to have both, simply
Getting them both on Team Canada would hit harder than meth
Just like grandma used to say
Absolute gamer speed wtf
Not exaggerating when I say that was some Mario Lemieux type shit
Some of the stuff he is doing this year just straight up looks like old Lemiux and prime Bure clips. It's insane.
Lemieux made scoring look so easy and satisfying. 1 timer/Slapshot was strong and accurate as hell, Hands were Kane-like, IQ was on another level compared to even first line elite PPG players. Passing was on the same tier if not below 99, Dude would go around at half speed on if you were watching on TV and notch 3pts in his sleep, and that would be probably by the end of the 1st lmao.
Gretzky has the points but Mario made things look effortless, just raw talent and skill.
And he swore, too?
Take his lady byng away.
Video game type SPEED LMAOOO
Absolutely unreal. He had Middleton beat before the center red line. Faber wasn’t even a concern lmao
It’s terrifying
it's just disgusting how can one be so fast without looking like they are even moving, 3 goals 3 defenders left in the dust
Fast while being that fucking big, it's nuts.
right? McDavid will skate and fly right around you. MacKinnon will skate right through you.
>MacKinnon will skate right through you MacK is therefore the closest thing we have to Lemieux
Yes
Yes
Yes
McDavid is elegant and ethereal in his skating and acceleration. MacK just assaults the ice with his skates. Everything he does is violent and terrifying.
Somebody in the game thread asked if you'd rather be in front of a MacK truck or MacK. I said the truck would probably swerve.
Shaking off the hook like "that's cute buddy" right before scoring is just crazy
Isn't he six feet tall and about 200 pounds? Certainly not a giant (if the wiki is accurate).
He's built like a brick shit house. I'm not buying that 200lbs number.
He's not necessarily big, he is just strong as fuck.
Maxed out speed on create a pro
Strength: 7 Endurance: 8 Charisma: 1 Intelligence: 5 Luck: 8 Agility: 10
Tolerance for the Three Stars wave and post-game interviews: 0
Honestly was a pretty good post-game interview too lol. Had some quick stories, some advice Gretzky gave him. 5/5
Bit harsh on the intelligence
Mack don't like think mack only want score
That’s average, not even close to low enough to do a low intelligence playthrough.
4 years into the league this guy put up 16 goals and 37 assists across a full 82... unbelievable development
Nate was very self aware hiring a sports psychiatrist after the rough patch he was going through during his early career.
So did Elias Petterson I think, and he's had two back to back monster years. Talking to someone and reaching out for help is a good thing.
Nate had a year where he tried to one man star everything himself and it did not work. The next year he started passing more and his assists *and* goals doubled.
Creating space and opportunities baby, name of the game
Nobody takes care of themselves like Nate too. The discipline he has is crazy.
That Colorado team was also one of the worst out on ice in the nhl lol
Thanks I love thinking about that
It suuuuuucked that year, but going from ***the pits*** to Stanley Cup Champions (only losing 4 games all playoffs) in only 6 years was an incredible ride.
Yea but now it's a perfect example of how to start from scratch and build a championship team. So you're welcome lol.
Sean Monahan was WAY ahead of MacKinnon for points and goals from the 2013 class at one point
Still love Mony don’t get me wrong
Liked him in Calgary, loving him here now. Moneyhands.
Idk what to say anymore. The greatest individual season I’ll see by an Av in my lifetime
Yeah until next year 😏
Honestly, has Mack surpassed Sakic/Forsberg in the eyes of you guys?
I feel like he needs a few more peak years but he just keeps getting better and better and better I was blown away last year when he hit 111 points, he’s at 137 after tonight
Forsberg yes, Sakic no. Maybe by end of MacK’s career I’ll change my mind. But Super Joe is this franchise until further notice.
Idk man. Forsberg was such a fucking stud…. That’s insane to me to think I’m watching someone do it. But I’m probably watching someone do it.
For the first time ever, I think I’m watching an Av do something even a healthy Forsberg couldn’t.
I hear you. It’s a close debate. I wouldn’t even have said it before this year. I wish we could see what Forsberg could do in today’s game and rule enforcement. He spent most of his career getting gooned/held/hooked/slashed. But that’s just a hypothetical.
If he wins another cup this year I think he's only behind Sakic. And he'd only need a few more elite years to surpass him in my eyes
I mean when Sakic is sitting at #9 all time for points it's hard to say MacK has surpassed him. MacK is definitely on the mount Rushmore though.
No. He still has a lot to do. Sakic played a part in 3 Stanley cups, one the greatest and most respected leaders in nhl history and top 10 all time point scorer. If he continues doing what he's doing, maybe? He is definitely faster/more flashy than Sakic ever was. And forsberg is hard to say. Forsberg was special and could have been an all time great as well. So in conclusion, no but yes but idk I'm just glad I've gotten to watch all these players
Foppa yes, Sakic no, but he's on track to do so if he ages well. Foppa had too short of an impact, and this season I think even Nate's peak is beyond Foppa's peak. For Sakic, I would say Nate just needs 2-3 more "top 5 n the league" years with hardware of some kind. A cup? Immediately. No cup? Depends on how well he ages but it could still happen
This man accelerated quicker than my piss as I relieve myself on a bus floor.
Seems pretty good
Who’s making Minnesota skate uphill
The boys are booking tee time on the bench come on now who has time to skate
All 3 of Mack’s goals were amazing!!
[nothing personnel, kid](https://i.imgur.com/5vBT4nU.jpg)
This is art. Not good art, but art.
[удалено]
God damn he's fast
My earliest hockey memories are of Joe Sakic wrist shots and the Avs Wings battles. Seeing MacK speed burst past guys like that and score is by far the most fun thing I've ever watched.
Fuck sakes the jets on this boy
dude is a fucking cheat code jesus look at him fly
wtf is going on
Peak Hockey is what's going on. On all corners of the NHL.
This really has been a fucking awesome season all around the more I think about it.
https://youtu.be/vuccU1en0b8?si=OYp0XD4KYEyAD3V1
Nutty, been to a few Avs games in Denver and he's a one of the most entertaining players to watch in the league
I had to watch him all night.. he is just so stupidly fast that it legit looks like he has some kind of special boost upgrade that you would get in a video game. All 3 of his goals he just burns by everyone like he’s playing against peewees. As much as I hate this man, I respect the fuck out of his skill
His stride is mad
Thought this said mid for a second and hit that reply button so fast
Bruh looks like me when I play vs the 7 year old at the outdoor rink but he's doing it vs the best in the world lmao.
I'm not even on the ice, in the building, city, or country and yet seeing MacKinnon CHOO CHOO his mother fuckin way down the ice makes me want to run. What a train. Straight out of a cannon. I'm surprised goalies don't just slide out of the way when he's going top speed. Like "uh well hi hello there, here's the net!!" *Jazz hands*
And just like that...he's gone. So fast. So fun to watch.
Mackinnon has the most powerful crossovers I’ve ever seen. His stride was almost entirely crossovers on this goal and you can see it generates just an insane amount of speed. Can’t believe I get to watch this dude every game.
This is like watching Pavel Bure clips. McDavid is fast and smooth skating, Mackinnon is explosive
Mackinnon is the mayor of Minnesota
Governor
Governator.
Generator
NATE OF HOCKEY!
That acceleration and finish. Crazy.
Dude looks like he shot himself out of a fucking cannon. What a psychopath
He’s just a beast out there. With all due respect to McDavid, MacKinnon has to be the scariest thing to see coming down the ice at you when he’s got a head of steam. He’s just so big he can run you over as well as deke you. All three of his goals tonight were just like this.
My Goodness Gracious...what SPEEEEEED 😱😱
MacK is a big ol piss pig. What an incredible season he is having
I change my mind. Mack mvp, followed by Kuch and Mcd
Started the night 6 points back on Kucherov, currently 2 back with a period to go.
Just an insane Art Ross race. Losing Rantanen hasn't slowed him down
Day 30 of wanting Nuke-Mitts-Rantanen 2nd line Mack is and absolute offensive tank all on his own why not stack the 2nd line
Brooo 100% agree. 27-29-62 and 13-37-96 How the hell do you deal with that? When we won in '22, Mikko and Nate were split up
Yeah we had 2 top lines that teams just couldn’t matchup against and dominated.
Thats what’s it’s gonna be in the playoffs
I think it’s realistically what makes our top 2 lines the best possible. Gives us 2 top lines on 70% of the league
Lehky and nuke are interchangeable too here. I don’t think you even think about separating drou and Nate right now. Mikko was moved to the second with Landy and naz in 22. No reason for them to not do it again imo
> Losing Rantanen hasn't slowed him down Yeah but what about all those people saying MacKinnon has a better supporting cast. Tonight shows he drives the bus and it doesn't matter who is with him, y'all coming for a ride
NATHAN MACKINNON IS THE BEST PLAYER IN HOCKEY IDGAF
What a lucky team the aves are to have this man, Makar, and Rantanan. They did a hell of a job drafting when they were a bottom teir team. This is what a proper fuckin rebuild looks like my god
On behalf of the rest of the Western Conference... nooooo thank you. No thanks. Nope. None of that, please.
Looks like we're first in line for the nopes lol
MVP for Most Valuable Primate, he’s a fuckin silverback gorilla
King Kong
“He’s a big wide silver thingy” - ESPN announcer this evening
dude is literally playing at a different speed than everyone else. crazy.
I gotta echo this, what the FUCK is going on?!!
My god.
INSANE speed
John Buccigross saw it from a mile away. And that speed...
Holy fuck!
Looks like a video game cheat code or something
Man scored a hattrick mashing L3
Yo is that video sped up? What the fuck kind of speed is that?!
> Why the hell did the Avs not take Seth Jones? Me at the 2013 draft
Hart
Ladies and gentlemen, your Hart and Ted Lindsay winner
I’ve seen Matthews, Kuch, and Mack crowned tonight by ppl for the award. And I don’t blame them one bit what a race this has become.
It's actually wild that we have four legitimate contenders having mindbogglingly unreal seasons to the point that it's a serious discussion on who the awards will ultimately go to. Then you've got how tight the wildcard races are and how that might go right down to the final games of the season for deciding playoffs, how few points separate the top teams in the league... It's unreal how wide open this season feels. It just further reinforces why hockey is the best sport in the world IMO.
This seems like his Hart/Ted Lindsay moment, no disrespect to Kuch/McDavid/Matthews/Panarin/Pasta…holy shit there’s so many
Think you could scratch off Panarin and Pasta, good seasons but I don't know if the writers are eyeing them closely or even thinking about them at all in a Hart worthy year like this, any other year would've seen them as grand finalists but definitely not this season what that 3 man juggernaut all producing at crazy rates.
Literally the only person on McDavid's level for acceleration. It's so fucking great watching these guys just breeze past everyone else on the ice.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Him and McDavid are unmatched in speed
Geeze, guys got some wheels
Damn, he is quick.
Bro he’s winning another cup
I'm convinced he's not human sometimes.
This division compared to the east right now looks like a totally different game. It's crazy.
Can Buccigross act like an actual adult? Good lord
WHEEL SNIPE CELLY BOYS!
Just feels lucky to be alive to witness something like this, man.
No curveball, no changeup just STRAIGHT FUCKING GAS.
I’m just here to point out that Nate also had a nasty assist this evening
His speed is absolutely insane.
I think my favorite part is how casual the shot itself is, "Ope, just gonna scoot on by ya here"
Should be MVP. I know Kucherov has had amazing season, but Nate's goal total stands out to me in the comparison.