Nathan MacKinnon sends message to MVP voters after huge night

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon had a historic night at Ball Arena against the Washington Capitals.

Not only did MacKinnon score four goals for the second time this season, he also recored the second natural hat trick in Avs history. It hadn’t been done in more than 20 years, when Joe Sakic did it against Columbus back in 2003.

A natural hat trick is when a player scores three goals in a row, uninterrupted by his own team or the opposing team. MacKinnon netted three straight in the second period to take the score from 1-0 to 4-0.

And while the early projection from NHL writers looks good for MacKinnon to capture his first Hart Trophy as MVP, he’s not holding his breath. Asked after the game about the “MVP” chants coming from the Ball Arena crowd, MacKinnon shrugged them off in a playful way. But he also sent a meaningful message.

Asked MacKinnon if the “MVP!” chants mean anything to him, but he doesn’t want to get his hopes up. pic.twitter.com/qrS2fJRIEi

— Evan Rawal (@evanrawal) January 25, 2024

“I mean I’ve heard them before and I’ve never won MVP,” MacKinnon said with a smile. “It doesn’t mean much. But obviously, the fans are very supportive. Yeah, I’m not getting my hopes up.”

MacKinnon has been a Hart Trophy finalist three times in his career, but has never been given the award. He finished second in the 2017-18 season as well as well as the 2019-20 season. He was third in the 2020-21 season.

But this year could be different. MacKinnon is the first player since Alex Ovechkin in the 2007-08 season to have two four goal games in one campaign. He once again leads the league in points, jumping Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov with his effort against Washington. MacKinnon has 82 points on the year, Kucherov has 80 and the next closest is Boston’s David Pastrnak with 67.

Yes, MacKinnon was having a bit of fun after his unreal night. But he also probably really wants his first Hart Trophy. It’s not as sweet as the Stanley Cup (which he has already won), but it can’t be far behind.

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