Bruce Boudreau’s passion for hockey, everyman qualities and winding journey made him one of the most relatable and well-liked coaches in modern NHL history.
He’s played or coached against most of the iconic players of the past half-century, and his love of the sport led him to spend countless hours watching the rest. He coached arguably the greatest goal-scorer of all time (Alexander Ovechkin) at the zenith of his powers.
When he speaks about the history of this game, he speaks from the heart and his words carry weight.
To say he’s a fan of Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon would be a profound understatement.
“When I coached against him, I would forget to coach at times because I would just watch him. Honest to God,” Boudreau told The Denver Post. “To me, he is the most exciting player to watch ever. The combination of speed, strength, power, even some meanness. To have all those traits in a center like that, I just think he’s one of those guys that will go down as just one of the greatest players ever.”
MacKinnon’s place among the best players of his generation is secure, but he can take a big step toward an all-time great legacy Thursday. He is one of the finalists for both the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award, with the winners to be announced at the NHL awards show in Las Vegas.
He’s been a finalist before. He could have won in 2018. This year is different.
While it is arguably the greatest field of candidates in NHL history, MacKinnon put forth his best case to be MVP with a remarkable 2023-24 campaign.
“I think he’s gonna win the MVP this year,” Boudreau said. “He’s won a Stanley Cup. He’s won all of these things. You don’t hear about him in those (all-time) terms sometimes, because (Connor) McDavid overshadows him. But when his career is said and done, he will have done it all.”
McDavid had an incredible season as well, reaching 100 assists. He reminded everyone he is the best player in the world — something MacKinnon has echoed repeatedly — with the best postseason in three decades to push Edmonton to within a win of the Stanley Cup.
The Hart, which is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association, and the Ted Lindsay, voted on by the NHL Players Association, are regular-season awards. For that reason, McDavid will likely finish third in the voting, behind MacKinnon and Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov. Toronto’s Auston Matthews scored 69 goals — the most by any player since 1995-96 — and we already know he will finish no higher than fourth in the voting for the Hart.
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Source:: The Denver Post – Sports
