Nathan MacKinnon has done a lot of thinking this summer.
The Colorado Avalanche were ousted in the second round of the NHL playoffs last spring – a result that continues to haunt the Hart Trophy winner.
MacKinnon is also, obviously, focused on next season, as his team attempts to return to the top of the NHL by hoisting the Stanley Cup.
Among the other things that have occupied the thoughts of the star center player is obviously the prospect of realizing a childhood dream by participating in the Four Nations Cup in February 2025.
MacKinnon was one of six Canadian players named last June to the national team that will participate in the first international ice hockey competition involving the NHL since the 2016 World Cup.
The 29-year-old from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, will likely play with Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby, who grew up in the same community as him, for the second time in his career – and the first time on one of hockey’s biggest stages.
“I think about it a lot,” MacKinnon agreed of the Four Nations Cup during the joint NHL-Players’ Association media tour last month in Las Vegas. I’m sure I’ll forget about it during the campaign, because my team is all my thoughts, but it’s a lot of fun to think that you’ll be able to play with the best players in your country. »
Also among the first six players named to the Canadian team are Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid, Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar, Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand – who also comes from New -Scotland – and Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point.
MacKinnon and Crosby are good friends off the ice, and they have discussed possible trios for the event that will bring together Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland playing golf together this summer.
“‘Sid’ was my idol growing up,” noted MacKinnon, who also played with Crosby at the 2015 World Championship. “Everyone knows that. And I wasn’t the only one. »
Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel, who is among the first six players selected by the United States, said the event, which will take place from February 12 to 20 in Montreal and Boston, will be overflowing with talented players.
“Super competitive,” he said. As an amateur, I am sure that it will be a very attractive and unifying event. As a player, this will be the first time in a very long time that we will have the opportunity to face the cream of the crop in an international competition. »
Technically, the Four Nations Cup will not bring together “the best players in the world”, since Russia – excluded because of the war in Ukraine – and the Czech Republic are conspicuous by their absence. On the other hand, it will be a nice preview of what will await hockey fans at the Olympic Games in Milan/Cortina, Italy, in 2026.