Out on a compact wooden dock near the water's edge of a modest lake - which meets the backyard of the MacKinnon household - firmly sat the Stanley Cup. The iconic trophy glistened - almost blindingly so - against the early light of the quiet Saturday morning in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia on Aug. 20.
The stunning trophy and picturesque backdrop of the shimmering water and vibrant green foliage seemingly clashed with the tattered structures of hockey nets that were positioned on either side of the Cup. And yet, the once vibrant red-painted goal posts - now chipped down to a soft gray steel - with battered remains of netting hanging on one and a frayed tan cloth tarp draped across the other, served as a quintessential hockey sight; as the gritty past supported by countless hours of grueling work and tenacity intertwined with the valiant and rewarding present of becoming a Stanley Cup champion.
Tweet from @Avalanche: In honor of Nate the Great���s day!#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/m85G6JNDyY
Standing beside one of the goals, stood the culprit himself and current principal centerman for the 2022 Stanley Cup Championship winning Colorado Avalanche, Nathan MacKinnon . MacKinnon reminisced over his hockey-crazed childhood which featured many hours out in that backyard - and come-winter - the frozen lake of his childhood home alongside his mother, Kathy, his father, Graham and his older sister, Sarah.
After having achieved the ultimate goal of victoriously hoisting the Stanley Cup this past June - where he led the Avalanche in goals with 13 and totaled 24 points in 20 games - MacKinnon began his individual day with the prized trophy by taking in some full-circle moments.
"Always," MacKinnon said when asked about dreaming of someday bringing the Stanley Cup back to the very spot where he trained religiously in his youth.
"I spent a lot of time on this lake," MacKinnon continued. "I spent countless hours when it freezes. It was a pretty small lake so it would freeze quickly, which was cool. Just being back at the house with the Cup is special. It's a busy day, but I'm glad I could spend over an hour or two here. It's been awesome."
The pride was imminent from the MacKinnon family as they recounted memories of MacKinnon's childhood and described it as a, "pinch me moment" to have witnessed him achieve his ultimate dream.
Tweet from @Avalanche: Nate, his first-ever hockey net, and the Stanley Cup.Not too bad 😎#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/OUbk6Xryaa
"He took off skating at two-and-a-half," Graham said. "We got the skates on him and he just ran off, it scared the daylights out of me. Skating came so easy and he was so natural at it. We just went from there. I never ever had to tell him to do anything, he was just driven to go."
Reflecting back to the days when a young MacKinnon would lace up the skates and spend every waking second possible out on the ice evoked tears from Kathy. She recalled her son's displeasure to take a break for dinner - which she would bring down to the snowbanks to minimize the time MacKinnon spent away from playing or taking off his gear - or even worse, when it was time to call it a night and get ready for bed.
"He'd go game-to-game," Graham said. "There were more kids on the lake at that time. He'd always find the older kids and that's where he'd go. They'd let him play with him - I guess he wasn't that bad so they'd let him play - and he'd play all day long. Many times his mom would take food down to him because he refused to come in. Or even before school when the neighbors would be walking the dogs at five in the morning, he would get up and go down to the lake on his own, skate and shoot pucks at six or seven years old. He just had that drive."
Adjacent to the dock at the base of the MacKinnon's property, sits another wooden deck, which was tucked away into the foliage. Positioned down the center of the deck were two white shooting pads which were covered with hockey pucks and faced yet another worn-down hockey goal.
Inside the goal stood a black rubber fake goaltender sandwiched between two orange cones and surrounding the deck itself, was netting supported by wooden beams standing roughly 10-feet tall. The shooting pad setup - while constructed in recent years by Graham and built in a day by himself and with the assistance of one of MacKinnon's friends - is still used by the star NHLer during his offseasons and by neighborhood kids when the NHL season is underway.
When reflecting back on his parent's roles and sacrifices throughout his career especially back in those early days, MacKinnon beamed.
"I'd be eating on the snowbank out there at night," MacKinnon said. "My mom would bring down some pizza. My dad would flood it with a hose at midnight. He was the zamboni growing up. It was great. We'd have the neighbors playing with me. I couldn't ask for a better childhood set up. My parents supported me all the way through. It's been really cool to share it with everyone. That's the best part."
Prior to spending some time back at his childhood home - which his family moved into when he was five - MacKinnon had first met the Keepers of the Cup at Cole Harbour Place. The sports complex which encompasses two rinks, an aquatics center, a gym and playground, was where MacKinnon first began his hockey career and where he spent, "a billion hours, probably," he estimated and was later affirmed by Sarah - who is currently a Toronto-based lawyer based - as she reminisced over sitting in the stands watching her younger brother.
Upon retrieving the Cup from its case and hoisting it above his head for a few photos outside of Cole Harbour Place, MacKinnon toured the rinks with the precious cargo in hand. He greeted a few of the youth teams that were on the ice and shared some memories of his own. As he ventured into the second rink - which displays a vintage mural of Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens players playing in a snowy outdoor game and states "Cole Harbour Bel Ayr Minor Hockey" beside it - he admired the view of his white banner which states, "The Home of Nathan MacKinnon" with a number 29 written below and a CHBA Red Wings-resembled logo above it. The banner is beside an identical one dedicated to Sidney Crosby and his distinguished number 87.
"Being back in Scotia One and Scotia Two in Cole Harbour Place is pretty cool," MacKinnon said. "I spent a lot of time there as well. I have a banner up there. It's really cool. I've seen the Cup obviously, from Sid, but it's nice to bring it back myself."
Crosby, who hails from Cole Harbour and is eight years older than MacKinnon, has largely been the face of the modest community and even was the idol for a young MacKinnon. The 35-year-old captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins and three-time Stanley Cup Champion, first hoisted the Cup in 2009, when MacKinnon was just 14 years old. But in the years since MacKinnon - who was the first overall draft pick, just like Crosby - has become a bonafide NHLer and has established himself as a consistent top player in the league, the duo have become close friends and training partners.
And while Crosby and Cole Harbour are very much still synonymous, MacKinnon has made a name for himself as another proud product of the area.
The sign heading into Cole Harbour that once read, "HOME OF SIDNEY CROSBY" with two pucks positioned on either side that are detailed with number 87 written in white on them, now features the addition of, "We proudly congratulate Nathan MacKinnon on the 2021/22 Stanley Cup Championship!"
Following the morning, MacKinnon departed from the Cole Harbour-Dartmouth area and over the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge into Halifax. There, he continued his busy day where he made it a focus to proudly share the Cup with the community and his province which is populated by just under one million people.
And while MacKinnon isn't the first Nova Scotian to bring the Cup home - Crosby did so after winning in Pittsburgh in 2009, 2016 and 2017, Brad Marchand did so after winning with Boston in 2011 and as did Joey DiPenta when he won with Anaheim in 2007 - it's still an immense honor and privilege.
"For him to bring it back, you know what it means to everyone else," Graham said. "He wants to share it as much as possible. It's a hard Cup to win. It's one of the hardest ones to win in pro sports. So, to bring it back means a lot. We really realize what it means. The Cup is meant to share, not just to hold it to yourself. It's meant to be shared with everyone."
At noon, MacKinnon received the honors of a local tradition since 1856 where he fired the cannon at the national historic site of Citadel Hill, just before his parade began.
The parade embarked in front of Scotiabank Centre, which is decorated with a mural of MacKinnon on the side of the building. Prior to his NHL career, MacKinnon played in that very building for two seasons from 2011-13 for the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). He led them to the team's first-ever QMJHL title and Memorial Cup victory in 2013, where he was named the tournament MVP.
Tweet from @Avalanche: Much deserved fanfare for the one and only:NATHAN MAAAACKINNON!#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/QJVqISFkfo
As the parade ensued, MacKinnon and his family and close friends rode atop a firetruck where he showed off Lord Stanley to the thousands of fans that gathered. The procession was led by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, bagpipers and a drum line. In a horse-led carriage behind MacKinnon's firetruck, trailed Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog and veteran forward Andrew Cogliano , both donning their Burgundy and Blue home jerseys in support of their close friend and teammate.
The parade concluded at Grand Parade Square, where MacKinnon took the stage with CTV Atlantic anchor and fellow Nova Scotia native Paul Hollingsworth for a Q&A session. As MacKinnon was introduced, he was welcomed by Mayor Mike Savage, who officially declared Aug. 20 Nathan MacKinnon Day.
"I never expected it to be like this," MacKinnon said. "The support from the local community is pretty cool, and I guess I got my own day now which is pretty cool. I appreciate everyone coming out. This is unbelievable.
"I grew up here, I'm proud to be from Halifax, Cole Harbour," MacKinnon continued. "It's an honor to bring the Cup home."
Among the crowd were a substantial number of children, who all looked in awe of the glorious Stanley Cup and of MacKinnon's achievement. The moment wasn't lost on MacKinnon, who himself was once just a child with a goal of playing in the NHL and a dream of winning the Cup.
"Hopefully, one of you guys is here in about 14 years from now," MacKinnon said.
Following the parade, MacKinnon took the Cup to Camp Hill Veterans Memorial Building hospital - where his maternal grandfather who was a World War ll veteran had stayed prior to his passing a couple of years ago - to a local children's hospital called IWK Health Centre and to a professional soccer game for the Halifax Wanderers of the Canadian Premier League.
MacKinnon capped off the evening with a party at a restaurant located on Halifax's waterfront for family, close friends, teammates of past and present, including some current NHLers like Crosby and Marchand.
While the journey to winning the Stanley Cup isn't linear nor is it effortless for any player, it was a goal years in the making for MacKinnon. The process in doing so took until his ninth season in the league, featured heartbreak, failure and frustration. But in the end, his dedication, passion and performance pushed him and the Avalanche past the barrier and to victory.
"You don't need all of the bells and whistles, you just need a little bit of drive," Graham said. "You just need a make-shift setup, you don't need a million dollar shooting pad. You just need somewhere to shoot and to have the drive, put the hours in and then you can go."
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