CENTENNIAL, Colo. – When Patrick Roy was preparing to backstop the Montreal Canadiens in the 1986 playoffs, star defenseman Larry Robinson walked into the sauna to dispense sound advice to the 20-year-old rookie goaltender.
"When I saw him I said, 'He's not coming in for a sauna, he's coming in to talk to me,' " Roy said of the veteran defenseman. "And he said, 'Hey, kid, all I'm asking is no bad goals.' And from the first game I was not thinking about winning the Stanley Cup, I was thinking no bad goals and having fun."
The advice helped. Montreal won the Cup and Roy was the playoff MVP. Now 28 years later, he is the one giving advice to a rookie sensation in center Nathan MacKinnon, and it's the same message he has delivered to the 18-year-old all season.
"Nate, go and have fun," Roy said. "He's been playing hard all year; he's playing well for us. He's having an outstanding year. Whatever he's been doing has been impressive."
MacKinnon is the presumptive Calder Trophy winner after leading all rookies in assists (39) and points (63). He tied Tampa Bay's Tyler Johnson with 24 goals, and his 13-game points streak was the most by an 18-year-old in NHL history.
All that is shoved to the side as the playoffs begin. He can draw on the experience of winning the Memorial Cup with Halifax in Quebec Major Junior last year, but he knows it'll be a different game when the Avalanche takes on the Wild in Game 1 on Thursday.
"It's the NHL, it's really different," he said. "I can't sit here and try to relate to it. This is a new experience for sure."
MacKinnon has been versatile all season. He has logged his most minutes at right wing, but with Matt Duchene expected to miss the first round because of a left knee injury, MacKinnon will move back to his natural position and center the top line. He has developed chemistry with Ryan O'Reilly and P.A. Parenteau, giving Colorado two strong scoring lines.
