Torrid Nathan MacKinnon makes Avalanche franchise history

Peter Stastny had a Hall of Fame career, retired—the team he was known for moved cities, his son Paul Stastny played over 1,000 NHL games mostly for that relocated team now called the Colorado Avalanche and retired and that whole time the elder Stastny’s most coveted record stood.

For 42 years Peter Stastny skated alone atop the Avs record book for his 139-point season in 1981-82. That record was broken in the final game of the regular season by Nathan MacKinnon on Thursday night.

In playing a meaningless game for the standings against the Edmonton Oilers, Colorado put up a 4-1 first period where MacKinnon made the game mean something in his club’s record books. He tallied an assist on Mikko Rantanen’s 42 goal of the year six minutes in, his 139th point of the year. About 110 seconds later MacKinnon dished out another, getting a helper on Valeri Nichushkin’s 28th goal of the season, recording 140. The first pass tied Stastny’s mark and the second set the franchise’s new record for points in a season.

Nathan MacKinnon has broken the franchise record for the most points in a single season, a mark that has stood for 42 years

How can something be so disgusting, yet beautiful?#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/gCzLCSxikV

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) April 19, 2024

MacKinnon with the shot and Val with the tip-in 👏#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/ANf7ajQ74s

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) April 19, 2024

Avalanche single-season points leaders

140 — Nathan MacKinnon, 2023-24
139 — Peter Stastny, 1981-82
124 — Peter Stastny, 1982-83
122 — Michel Goulet, 1983-84
122 — Peter Stastny, 1985-86

Paul Stastny was born while his dad played for the Quebec Nordiques during the season where he tallied what is now the fifth-most points in Avalanche history. Paul’s last season in Colorado was 2013-14, MacKinnon’s rookie season when he won the Calder Memorial Trophy. And Stastny retired after last season, showing just how long his father’s record stood and what MacKinnon, who may win the Hart Trophy for MVP this season, has accomplished

Scoring has up-ticked in the NHL over the last few years and MacK will come just shy of Nikita Kucherov’s league-leading 144 this season, winning him the Art Ross Trophy.