The NHL season ended in utter heartbreak for Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche. After yet another Game 7 loss at the hands of the Dallas Stars, MacKinnon has reportedly made an unexpected decision regarding his plans for the upcoming offseason.
While most players want nothing to do with hockey for a while after being eliminated in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, MacKinnon’s thirst for glory far outweighs his sorrow, as the 29-year-old star seeks immediate redemption after the Avalanche’s Game 7 loss, the franchise’s seventh consecutive loss in a win-or-go-home showdown.
While Team Canada was expected to enter the 2025 IIHF World Championship with a roster primarily composed of players who missed the NHL postseason, it appears there’s been a change of plans.
According to reports from John Shannon, MacKinnon is joining Team Canada for the IIHF World Championship, which is being held in Sweden and Denmark from May 9-25. The reports surfaced shortly after Hockey Canada announced Sidney Crosby’s addition to the roster, which will debut on May 10 against Slovakia.
“Can confirm that Nathan MacKinnon is joining Sidney Crosby and Team Canada at the World Championships in Sweden,” Shannon stated on his X account.
Don’t fix what isn’t broken
MacKinnon and Crosby last played together during the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off, in which they led the Great White North to a gold medal, defeating Team USA on the road in overtime.
With the Avalanche’s season ending far earlier than Nathan MacKinnon and his teammates had hoped, the Nova Scotian star has decided to join his hometown idol and close friend, Crosby, in pursuit of more glory with the national team.
At 37 years old, Crosby’s future international appearances are uncertain, so MacKinnon isn’t about to let the opportunity to play alongside one of the greatest players in league history slip away.
No Makar
Shortly after reports surfaced of MacKinnon’s addition to the Canadian roster, many fans were left wondering if Avalanche teammate Cale Makar would join, too. However, the 26-year-old star won’t be able to participate in the competition, even if he had intended to.
Makar, who was a member of the 2018 world junior team, is suspended along with the other 21 players, in light of the sexual assault charges filed against five members of the team. Though Makar wasn’t charged, Hockey Canada has stated anyone involved with that team is “ineligible to play, coach, officiate or volunteer with Hockey Canada-sanctioned programs.”
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This decision is limited to torunaments in which the federation has control over the rosters, like the IIHF World Championship and Winter Olympics, but not the 4 Nations, that’s why Makar was able to represent his home country during the NHL’s international competition.