It’s that time of year again.
The annual NHL Player Media Tour serves as an informal welcome back to the regular season as some of the top talent around the league attend the two-day setup filled with media sessions, social media content collection, on-ice activations and a chance for players in new places to debut their new threads. This year, Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar departed for Las Vegas as the representatives of the Colorado Avalanche.
It was a shorter summer than usual for the duo, who attended their second-straight media tour together – and for good reason. After hoisting the Stanley Cup this past June, and spending the brief summer celebrating and touring the Cup around Denver and their respective hometowns, MacKinnon and Makar had an abundance to discuss while also receiving congratulations from fellow players around the league and media personnel.
After arriving in Las Vegas on Wednesday evening, MacKinnon and Makar received a full itinerary on Thursday morning beginning with their first sessions at 9 am at Lifeguard Arena, which serves as the home of the Henderson Knights, the AHL affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights.
MacKinnon and Makar traveled from room-to-room visiting various media setups for ESPN, Sportsnet, TSN, TVA Sports and the league. In between trips, the pair were continuously congratulated upon entry in each room and by their peers – including Marc-Andre Fleury (Minnesota Wild), Jonathan Huberdeau (Calgary Flames), Mathew Barzal (New York Islanders), Jack Hughes (New Jersey). – On respective teams who would take the time to extend a handshake and share a few words.
“It’s pretty cool to have everyone stopping you,” Makar said. “Obviously, you know you did something right if everyone else is coming up and congratulating you.”
Makar and MacKinnon answered a spectrum of questions ranging from hockey-related questions like having them to reflect on their journeys to hoisting the Stanley Cup over the summer, how they celebrated and to even some personality questions like everyday preferences, where MacKinnon shared his distaste for the flavor of mint and Makar shared his love for the card game cribbage.
On the “Sportsnet: 32 Thoughts” podcast with Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek, MacKinnon recounted how he received texts from “The Great One” himself, Wayne Gretzky, during Colorado’s Championship run, “He texted me quite a bit during the playoffs, that was fun,” MacKinnon said. “He just compliments me. I’m just like, ‘Thanks, Wayne, Mr. Gretzky.’ It’s crazy that you see [the name] Wayne Gretzky pop up on your phone. You’re like, ‘Is that actually Wayne Gretzky for real?'” The full interview will air on the podcast in the coming weeks.
Both MacKinnon and Makar completed Day 1 with two on-ice photo and video shoots. Prior to hitting the ice, the duo got ready in the locker room alongside Barzal, who was on a similar schedule.
On the ice, MacKinnon and Makar showcased their skills while skating towards cameras and also posed in front of LED productions which alternated backgrounds that stated their names and jersey numbers with burgundy and blue hues.
Day 2 featured a less intense schedule of events. For MacKinnon, he participated in headshots for the NHL, an interview for an NHL.com podcast and another round of on-ice activations located at City National Arena, which is the official practice facility for the Golden Knights.
Makar made stops at the social media rooms for the league, where he practiced his swing on a golf simulator with Keith Yandle. At just 23 years old and having been born in 1998, he was also tested on his knowledge of popular items from the 90s. Before hitting the ice at City National with MacKinnon, Makar made a stop at the EA Sports room where he received his official player rating for the upcoming NHL 23 game, which will be released Oct. 14 and will publicly announce the individual player ratings in the coming weeks.
While it was an action-packed two-day event in Las Vegas and on the tailend of a brief offseason, it’s always a privilege for MacKinnon and Makar to represent the Avalanche at these media circuits as they approach the upcoming season.
“Any time you get to be one of the guys that gets to come to the media stuff it’s a cool opportunity,” Makar said. “It’s a lot of work, but you’re honored that you were chosen to do this.”