There are not many players currently in the NHL better than Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon. Just watching a shift or two of MacKinnon makes that abundantly clear. But, imagine being a teammate of one of the game's best players? What kind of pressure must that be?

Former Avs forward Nikita Zadorov gave us laymen a sneak peek into the world of professional sports when he spoke candidly during a recent interview in Russia about what it's like to play with a guy like MacKinnon.

Zadorov, who was traded by the Hawks to the Flames recently, compared playing with Mac to playing with somebody as focused on winning as NBA legend Michael Jordan.

Perhaps the greatest NBA player of all time was famously known for his intensity, even when at practice. The way MJ scolded and berated teammates to make them and he better was famously documented throughout his illustrious career. From the way, Zadorova describes it, sounds like MacKinnon has a lot of MJ in him.

Per Zadorov:

“If you miss a pass in practice, he would skate over and literally scream at you,”

“If the puck ends up in his skates—not even his skates—if it misses his stick by a tiny bit, like 15 centimeters in front of the blade of his stick, he doesn’t move his stick to catch the puck. He stops everything, turns around and slaps the puck back at you. He is not going to try and catch any puck he doesn’t like during practice—just to show you that you made a shitty pass.”

Zadorov was pretty clear on what it was like to play alongside Big Mac. He explained it was never about MacKinnon being the best player but rather making those around him better.

Personally, it sounds awesome. It's the type of leader that averages nearly a point-per-game in his career and leads his team to five consecutive playoff appearances. It's exactly the type of leader you need on a championship team.

Sometimes it takes a little bit of piss and vinegar to get the most out of the guys around you. It's the a winners mentality and I'd want on my team 100%.

That firey intensity worked for Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. And I believe at some point, very soon, it will work out for the Colorado Avalanche.

Oh and lastly, stay away from the junk food.

Thanks for reading,
Steve

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