The Colorado Avalanche are having a jolly ol’ time this season, boasting a 24-2-7 record, which is the best in the league right now. With Christmas just around the corner, let’s have some fun with a Christmas-themed article.
Ever wonder what some of your favourite hockey players enjoy at Christmas dinner? With various types of personality and tastebuds on the team, there is likely a wide range of items that each player would be interested in during every holiday meal.
From turkey to stuffing, potatoes and more, what would some of your Avalanche favourites be compared to? Here’s a fun activity. You can play along in the comments, too. There’s no right or wrong answer as everything is subjective to each person’s tastes.
Nathan MacKinnon — Turkey
Nathan MacKinnon and turkey have at least one thing in common: They are both the star of their respective show. MacKinnon is the on-ice leader of the Avalanche, who currently is a co-leader in overall points at 58 on the year (with Connor McDavid reaching that marker Thursday.
He is the reigning Hart trophy award winner from last season, as he put up 32 goals and 84 assists in 79 games last year. He is currently on pace for 69 goals and 74 assists for a total of 143 points for the 2025-26 season.
Very few people argue with the fact that MacKinnon is the best player in the game today. Similarily, very few people argue that turkey is the star of the show on not only Thanksgiving, but Christmas, too. You can have a big ham or a pot roast, but turkey is by far the classic move here.
Additionally, whether you are someone who separates their food and doesn’t like it touching the other things on your plate, or you don’t mind them touching, most of the things you would combine with turkey from your plate would work very well with it. Me? I’m a big cranberry sauce fan, and turkey is quite good when you combine the two!
Brent Burns — Prime Rib with a demi-glace sauce
It goes without saying that beef is the most flavourful protein of them all. I’m not sure if I have many hockey analogies when it comes to this one, but the simple truth is that Brent Burns just looks like a prime rib type of person.
Despite the gap in his teeth, I can imagine him taking a prime rib with the bone in and chomping down on it at Christmas dinner.
Burns is one of the most respected players in all of the NHL. Similarily, who wouldn’t want a big slab of prime rib on their plate? It is pretty versatile when it comes to flavouring. You can have a mustard bind, or you can go a traditional way of a coarse black pepper rub.
Some seasonings are perfect with beef, and Burns has been a nice fit with the Colorado Avalanche in his first season in the Rocky Mountains. Big, physical, not afraid of starting...beef… with other players.
(See what I did there?)
Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood — The Gravy
One of the most common items at a Christmas dinner is mashed potatoes. The most common thing with mashed potatoes? Gravy. It’s the perfect combination. You either have some very smooth mashed potatoes or some with lumps. That’s definitely a preference thing.
When it comes to topping the mashed potatoes, gravy is the choice because, well, it just tastes so good. It’s yet another thing that binds a meal together and just makes it that more exceptional.
The same goes for Mackenzie Blackwood, who has been outstanding with the Colorado Avalanche since arriving in a trade with the San Jose Sharks last season. With Blackwood in net, there isn’t much to worry about in any given night. Sure, the Avalanche have lost some games with him, but there’s not a single goaltender in NHL history that has gone undefeated while serving as the team’s goalie for an extended period of time.
Think of it this way: You can have plain ol’ mashed potatoes (or yorkshire pudding, if you’re into that) on its own. But once you add the gravy into the mix, you’re looking at something that is a thousand times better on the tastebuds.
The Avalanche found a perfect pairing with Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood as their goaltenders. They’ve got nothing to worry about for the forseeable future.
Name a better goalie duo. I dare you.
Cale Makar — The dish that everybody wants but there’s not enough of
This is one where you can go many different directions.
Makar is the best defenseman in the league, therefore, he is related to the best of the best when it comes to Christmas meal dishes.
You may be a huge fan of the classic turkey. You may be a fan of the stuffing or cranberry sauce. The point? There’s no wrong answer. As long as you’re happy with what you are eating at Christmas, nobody can tell you you’re wrong.
There’s no doubt that the majority of people would vote for Makar as the best in the NHL. You’ll have some diehard fans.
Think of this: You’re at someone else’s house for the celebration but the cook didn’t quite make enough of something you really wanted. That’s where Makar comes into play because there’s only one current player in the NHL that is Cale Makar. That’s, well, Cale Makar.
The Avalanche fans at the table are looking at the other people and thinking, “ha ha, no Makar for you! Too bad!”