Colorado Avalanche: Top 5 Nathan MacKinnon Moments

First Fight

Needless to say, Nathan MacKinnon is a skill player, not an enforcer or even “energy player.” However, he has a power forward style to him.

During his rookie year, St. Louis Blues captain David Backes mistook MacK for the prize steer at the rodeo. He dropped his gloves and jumped on our young rookie, taking him down before Nate even knew what was happening.

That doesn’t count as his first fight. Instead, MacKinnon learned from leaders Jarome Iginla and, of course, Cody McLeod how to fight in the NHL. In his second season, he put those new skills to work against the most hated team in Colorado Avalanche history — the Detroit Red Wings. Specifically, he fought a legit “energy player” — Jonathan Ericsson:

No, MacK did not win that fight. And he hasn’t scrapped since. However, Nathan MacKinnon made a statement with that fight — no one was taking advantage of him ever again.

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