TAMPA, Fla. — On the ice, Nathan MacKinnon could always fly. But like Peter Pan, he refused to grow up. A hockey genius when admired from a safe distance. But up close and personal, the enfant terrible of the Colorado locker room could be extremely hard to live with.
“He’s still hard on himself and others. I think that’s part of what makes him so good,” veteran Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson said Tuesday.
Like many wizards, MacKinnon can display zero tolerance for the human fallacies and failings of the muggles around him. Truth be known, his impatience can make MacKinnon a royal pain in the butt.