Colorado Avalanche
Story Emerges Showing Nathan MacKinnon’s Intensity as Avs Leader
Nikita Zadorov, a former teammate of Nathan MacKinnon’s, gave multiple examples of just how intense the superstar forward is.
It is no secret that the NHL’s truly elite players, both today and throughout history, are the best of the best for a reason. Current players like Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid are said to have otherworldly training regimes, and are focused on hockey 100 per cent of the time. Another name who can be added to that category is Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon.
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Recently, Nikita Zadorov, who played with MacKinnon from 2015-2019, was on record stating both MacKinnon’s drive to be the best, as well as the expectations he puts on his teammates. It’s certainly not for everyone, but it could explain why the Avalanche have emerged as one of the NHL’s best teams and MacKinnon one of its best players.
According to Zadorov, the superstar 25-year-old spends $50,000 per year on a dietologist, has a physiotherapist with him every day during the regular season who he both pays $1,000 and also rents him an apartment, and also has his own personal chef who he pays $100,000 per year.

Zadorov also said that MacKinnon doesn’t drink, and is also very into what his teammates are putting into their bodies as well. He apparently god rid of all pop, ice-cream and deserts from team meals, and also got rid of carbonara sauce for pasta during pre-game meals.
He is also known to be very hard on his teammates, according to Zadorov, but only because he wants the best for both them and the team. He reportedly has nothing but respect from everyone in the Avalanche dressing room, and brings a leadership quality that Zadorov compares to Michael Jordan during his time with the Chicago Bulls.
This style of leadership, which sometimes includes MacKinnon yelling at his teammates for bad plays, even in practice, isn’t for everyone. Zadorov mentioned that for those who can’t accept it, they won’t be on the team for very long. And while some may question the lengths he goes to, Zadorov contributes the team really turning things around in recent years to MacKinnon’s high standards.
Most wouldn’t be able to put this type of pressure on teammates like MacKinnon supposedly does, but given just how good of a player he is, it works. Aside from McDavid, MacKinnon is the best player in the world, and had yet another great season in 2020-21 with 20 goals and 65 points in just 48 games. The Avalanche are in great hands for as long as he remains with them.
It might lead to a little joking on Twitter and it certainly creates an opportunity use memes and gifs to recreate imaginary moments of the players trying to sneak sugar, but would you rather have MacKinnon constantly hounding you to be better or not caring at all?
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