Colorado Avalanche Decade in Review: 20 Memorable Moments

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DENVER, CO – NOVEMBER 16: Nathan MacKinnon #29 of the Colorado Avalanche skates prior to the game against the Washington Capitals at the Pepsi Center on November 16, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images) /

18. Memorable Moment: Nathan MacKinnon Loses Hart Trophy

The Colorado Avalanche went from being a 48-point team to one that made the playoffs. Granted, they were never as bad as that 48-point season led us to believe. And, granted, they didn’t clinch until Game 82, but that’s still an amazing turnaround.

Hockey is a team sport, and, like I said, both Rantanen and Landeskog had career seasons. But it’s no secret that MacKinnon put the team on his shoulders and carried them to a winning record.

I mean, you only have to look at his stats from the season. He led the team in goals, assists, and points. He scored 15.1% of the Avalanche’s goals, and 12 of them were game-winners — the most in the NHL.

And he lost out to Taylor Hall. He scored two more points than Hall in fewer games, but Hall still walked away with the Hart Trophy.

We don’t need the Hart to know how much Nate means to this team. It’s his team. The Colorado Avalanche go as Nathan MacKinnon goes.

And when MacKinnon caught fire, he carried the Avs to success. But, yes, it would have been nice for the NHL to acknowledge that.

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