(Montreal) On September 22, the Halifax Mooseheads kicked off the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) season with a very special occasion, Friday night, as they retired the jersey of their former number 22, Nathan MacKinnon.
The Mooseheads took advantage of the fact that Colorado Avalanche training camp had not yet started to ensure that MacKinnon, who wore the green and red jersey between 2011 and 2013, could be present for this evening in his honor.
Before the ceremony, MacKinnon had the opportunity to meet the members of the current edition of the Mooseheads, and he took no time to put a little pressure on them in preparation for the meeting.
“I told them they better not ruin my night by losing. It was a joke, but I really told them that,” MacKinnon said during a press scrum.
“I told them the years with the Mooseheads were the best years of my life and I wished it would be the same for them. »
He led the Mooseheads to win the President’s Cup (today the Gilles Courteau Trophy) then the Memorial Cup in 2013, being named best player of the tournament. It was at the end of this season that he was drafted first overall by the Avalanche.
Even though he now plays in the best hockey league in the world and has a Stanley Cup ring to his credit, the forward was full of praise for his former junior organization. time before his
“In the NHL, the years end up being similar, but in junior, everything is new in your life, it’s a very special time at that age. It’s just two years, but it feels like they count as 10,” pointed out MacKinnon, who was also a little nervous.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this. I’m from here, I spend my summers at home in Halifax, so I really have a special connection to this city. A lot of my family and friends are here tonight, so it’s nice to be able to share this moment with my loved ones. »
The duel between the Mooseheads, reigning finalists for the Gilles-Courteau Trophy, and the Islanders was one of seven games scheduled for this first evening of activity in the QMJHL.
