Comparisons between Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon are inevitable. They both hail from the small Canadian maritime town of Cole Harbor, Nova Scotia, and they are dynamic All-Star franchise centers. When their teams, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche, face off during the regular season, questions about how they measure up to each other always arise.
However, when it comes to their overall contributions to the game, there isn’t much of a comparison, and even MacKinnon acknowledges that Crosby has been the superior player. MacKinnon had this to say about Crosby: “He’s as good a leader as ever… He’s accomplished everything there is to accomplish, but he’s still hungry for more, which is pretty cool. Always wanting more. He’s the epitome of that.”
MacKinnon himself embodies a similar drive, and his team has had a strong start to the season with a 6-0-0 record. He acknowledges their early success but remains focused on the long season ahead, stating, “It’s only six games. We have 76 more.”
The Colorado Avalanche boast a trio of star players in MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Cale Makar, all of whom are All-Stars. Makar has even won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the league’s top defenseman. This trio played a pivotal role in the Avalanche winning the Stanley Cup in 2022 and remains a favorite to do so again.
However, when asked if they can be compared to the Penguins’ iconic trio of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang, MacKinnon believes they haven’t achieved enough to be in the same category, especially during Crosby and Malkin’s prime.
MacKinnon’s admiration for Sidney Crosby is clear. He was a big fan of Crosby and the Penguins when he was growing up, especially during the Penguins’ Stanley Cup Finals appearances in 2008 and 2009. He describes Crosby as “the perfect ambassador for hockey, on and off the ice” and “obviously one of the best ever.”
Crosby and MacKinnon, along with other NHL players from Nova Scotia, often train together in the offseason. They also had the opportunity to play together for Team Canada in the 2015 IIHF World Championship, winning a gold medal. MacKinnon hopes to team up with Crosby again in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, if NHL players are allowed to participate. When asked about the center position on their line, MacKinnon responded, “Not me. No, not me. I’ll be on the wing.”