There are several different emotional states of Nathan MacKinnon when he’s on the ice, but they are all generally rooted in the same place.
There is Stoic Nate, who produces something brilliant but reacts as if it were mundane. There is Frustrated Nate, which sometimes ends with a hockey stick or door at the team’s bench bearing the brunt of his outbursts. And there is Angry Nate, and more often than not, opposing teams do not appreciate.
The starting point is a gifted professional athlete who is relentlessly chasing every advantage possible that will help him and his team succeed. It’s made him one of the most intense, most successful hockey players in NHL history. It is how he continues to stack career milestones.
It was all on display Monday afternoon against the Washington Capitals. He had three points — two goals and an assist — and should have had four in a 5-2 win. The third was career point No. 1,100.
“When you’re around him every day, you see the way he works and how professional he is and how dialed in he is in like every aspect of his career, it doesn’t shock me at all,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “When you just kind of sit back and look at the numbers and how consistent he’s able to produce and still play hard on the defensive side of the puck, there’s not much he’s lacking in his game, right? So when you take a bird’s eye view of it, he impresses me every day, and he shocks me every day. But like anything else, if you’re around it every day, you just sort of come to expect it.
“You just kind of expect, like, ‘Well, why didn’t he get three points tonight?’ That’s kind of where it’s at. He’s had a hell of a career to this point, and there’s no signs of him slowing down. So I’m sure he’s well on his way to another, however many points he’s going to get.”
The Avs were playing well but nursing a one-goal lead in the third period. Coming off their worst game of the season, and a mini-funk of four losses in six contests, there was a clear urgency from Colorado. When MacKinnon and Cale Makar teamed up for a beautiful cross-ice give-and-go, it appeared the Avs had a two-goal cushion.
Then they didn’t, courtesy of Makar’s goal being taken away after a goaltender interference call that the Avs clearly did not agree with. It was time for Angry Nate.
Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) is congratulated as he passes the team box after scoring a goal in the second period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)The Avs proceeded to score again on two of his next three shifts — MacKinnon set up Artturi Lehkonen for one and then scored on a pass from Martin Necas — to break the game open. When Lehkonen scored, the Avs players on the ice celebrated behind the Washington net.
MacKinnon turned and emphatically pointed at the Capitals’ net — the official signal for “good goal” from the guys in stripes. It’s not the first time he’s done it.
There is one guy who doesn’t mind when Angry Nate appears — his coach.
“I just understand who he is and how much he wants to win,” Bednar said. “So I think you can expect a little bit of all of it. When he’s a little angry, a little frustrated, I know where he’s coming from, because he wants to make something happen every shift. I think that’s part of what drives him to be great. So I think you’re going to see, and I expect to see, a little bit of all of it in all in one game.
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Bednar said the only thing he looks for when MacKinnon gets emotional is whether his superstar channels his frustration or anger while continuing to play the way the Avs want. Most of the time, he does, and sometimes it creates magic.
Shortly after the game, MacKinnon was asked about the latest milestone. His focus was already looking forward. It’s a big part of how he was able to reach 1,000 points in March, and 1,100 just 62 games later.
“I just want to feel good every game,” MacKinnon said. “I want to play well, feel good and help the team. In my mind, it could go away any day.”
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