It appears Mackenzie Blackwood and Taylor Makar crossed paths on the ice this offseason; whether it was a one-off or a regular thing.
The Colorado Avalanche goaltender and forward were spotted practicing together at Scotiabank Pond in North York, Ontario, just outside Toronto, according to a story shared by NHL insider Elliotte Friedman on a recent episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast.
Friedman wasn't there himself. The story came from a man at his local gym who happened to stumble upon Blackwood and Makar during a private practice.
Friedman shared the enjoyably heartwarming story on Tuesday.
"There's a gentleman from my gym, he's in his 70s, and he plays pickup hockey there weekly. And he said that he was there for his game, and he walked by one of the other rinks, and there were some players practicing. And he said, 'holy cow, these guys are really good.' He watched them practice for a little bit, and it was a goalie, and he said the goalie was unbelievable. He was giving the shooters no room. But some of those guys could really wire the puck, and they were finding room. He's like, 'I can't believe how good these players are.' So their practice ended, and they went into the room, and he's like, you know, I'm gonna go in there, and I'm gonna ask them who they are.
"So you could imagine how this could go. It's only going one of two ways. Either 'hey yeah, come on in, we'll talk' or 'get out. Weirdo,' like there's no middle ground. So he goes in, and he's like, 'guys I was watching your practice, you guys are unbelievable can I ask who you are?' And he said the two guys that identified themselves were Mackenzie Blackwood and Taylor Makar. He just said 'I was mesmerized watching you guys practice.' He said they were really flattered and really nice."
Several of the Avalanche's veterans have already made their way back to Denver for informal skates at Family Sports. I'd imagine Blackwood and Makar will arrive shortly. In the meantime, it looks like the two have at least been on the ice together once, if not more, during the offseason.
The post Elliotte Friedman Shares Great Story of Mackenzie Blackwood, Taylor Makar Practicing Together appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now .
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