Crosby and MacKinnon bring out the best in each other as teammates internationally or rivals in NHL
DENVER — Nathan MacKinnon's childhood idol and role model has turned into a training partner and an offseason neighbor back home in the Halifax area of their native Nova Scotia.
One of his closest friends, too.
MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby have developed a tight bond, which made winning the 4 Nations Face-Off title together with Canada even more special. They just bring out the best in each other, whether it's as teammates internationally or as rivals in the NHL.
Crosby, though, showed MacKinnon he still has some tricks up his sleeves when they met in Colorado's 4-1 win over Pittsburgh on Tuesday. The Penguins center got the better of his Avalanche counterpart on several faceoffs.
Now, they go their separate ways — MacKinnon to chase a playoff spot and Crosby on his way to likely missing the playoffs for a third consecutive season.
“Still one of the best players in this league at 37," MacKinnon said of his mentor who has spent all 20 of his NHL seasons with the Penguins. "It’s amazing to see his longevity and definitely very grateful to play with him (at 4 Nations).”
Rumors being rumors, and Friday's trade deadline looming, there has been some speculation about a possible reunion between the two in Colorado. Much like he does a defenseman, Crosby scurried around the topic.
“I’m sure there’s a lot of hypotheticals out there,” Crosby said.
It has been a roller-coaster season for the Penguins, who are eight points out of the last wild-card spot with 18 games to go. That's a lot of ground to make up, which made Tuesday's loss all the more costly. The Penguins are 1-5-1 since their return from the break, and general manager Kyle Dubas could sell at the deadline.
“We’ve put some really good games together and feel like we deserve better,” said Crosby, who has 19 goals and 47 assists this season. "You don’t get participation points, so you’ve got to find a way to win games.”
Meanwhile, MacKinnon has the Avs in the thick of a playoff race — two points behind Minnesota for third place in the Central Division — as they try to win the Stanley Cup for the second time in four seasons.
Crosby spoke glowingly about the play of MacKinnon, the league's reigning MVP. The 29-year-old MacKinnon has 93 points (23 goals, 70 assists) this season, entering Wednesday leading Leon Draisaitl (92), Nikita Kucherov (90) and fellow Team Canada members Connor McDavid (77) and Mitch Marner (76).
Not bad for someone Crosby took under his wing.
“It’s funny how things work, just meeting him as a young guy, and seeing him develop and get to know him, becoming neighbors,” Crosby said of MacKinnon, who is eight points shy of reaching 1,000 in his career. “It’s crazy how fast time goes. He’s a great friend. I’m happy to see him have success. That means a lot.”
The respect for Crosby — a three-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time MVP winner — is immense from MacKinnon. He proudly pointed out that Crosby grew up a few minutes from his house.
“Just across the main street and right there,” MacKinnon said.
He added that Crosby — along with Boston's Brad Marchand — paved the way “for a Maritime kid like myself," he said.
“It wasn’t like we were a hockey factory growing up,” MacKinnon continued. "So having those two guys to look up to was pretty cool.”
This was a cool moment, too — sharing ice time with Crosby at the 4 Nations Face-Off. MacKinnon joked it was the first tournament in which Crosby got to play with teammates who were big fans of his as kids.
“He’s an amazing person," said MacKinnon, who squared off against Crosby on Tuesday for the 19th time, with MacKinnon improving to 10-6-3 over his friend. "He’s fun to be around. He’s just a great guy. He’s like your friend — whatever you like about your best friend.”
For Crosby, playing on the same line as MacKinnon at 4 Nations was equal parts exhilarating and exhausting.
"Just trying to catch up to him, basically, playing the wing, dishing it to him, and then having to get up in the play wasn’t easy,” cracked Crosby, who was the top pick in 2005 and MacKinnon the No. 1 selection in 2013. “He’s an unbelievable player, and obviously I see that all summer. It’s nice to play (alongside) him.”
Or any of Canada's superstars. Its All-Star lineup also boasted McDavid, a three-time league MVP and, in MacKinnon's opinion, the best player in the game.
“He’s not someone who’s going to announce he’s the best,” Crosby said of MacKinnon. “He tries to let his actions speak for that. Between those two guys (MacKinnon and McDavid), Kucherov, they’re always the three guys that are among the talks when you’re having that conversation.
“Probably have an appreciation (of MacKinnon), just because I see it first-hand all summer and things like that. He’s an incredible player.”
