MacKinnon, Makar and Rantanen Take In All-Star Weekend Media Day

Hitting the beach.
Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen arrived in Fort Lauderdale, South Florida as the Colorado Avalanche trio participated in Media Day for the 2023 All Star Weekend on Thursday afternoon.

The threesome were all smiles as they took to the podiums and fielded questions from the media about the upcoming weekend. See below for some of the top takeaways from Media Day:

LOOKING FORWARD TO A WEEKEND OF SUN, HOCKEY AND SPENDING TIME TOGETHER:

This All Star Weekend marks the second - and second-consecutive - trip for Makar, while it's Rantanen's second All Star and first since 2019 and sixth All-Star appearance for MacKinnon, but the centerman did not participate last year.
For all three Avs players, they've experienced their respective All Star appearances with other teammates in the past, but this is the first time that this specific trio have gone to All Star Weekend together.
"Just to hang out and get to know some new people," Rantanen said. "It's nice to [spend the weekend] in Florida . The whole thing so far has been really fun.

GOING AFTER THE GOAL OF WINNING IT ALL:

While MacKinnon has been to six All Star Weekends throughout the entirety of his nine-year NHL career, he has yet to win the All-Star Game and has made it his mission for 2023.
"I just want to get to the [All Star Game] Finals one time," MacKinnon said. "I haven't won a game. I'm looking to win a game for sure. I don't know if I have a point [in an All-Star Game] here yet. I'll gladly get zero points, but I just want to get to the [All Star Game] Finals at least one time.

CATCHING UP WITH SOME FAMILIAR FACES:

And while the Avalanche have three players in attendance for a bountiful familiarity among them, most teams only sent one - maybe two representatives - so it'll be nice for MacKinnon, Makar and Rantanen to catch up with some of the league's top talent and even some former teammates, mentors and countryman.
While the Avs have already faced the Calgary Flames twice this season, it's still always nice for MacKinnon, Makar and Rantanen to reunite with Nazem Kadri, who played for Colorado from 2019-2022.
"Probably Naz," Rantanen said of who he's excited to see this weekend. "It'll be fun to spend some time with him and catch up. He's an old teammate so it's always good to get to hang out."
For MacKinnon, it's always special to spend some time with his fellow Halifax, Native, close friend and noted idol Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"It's always nice to see Sid," MacKinnon said. "It'll be a pretty fun weekend."
For Rantanen, who hails from Finland, a country of just under six million people and slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Montana, it's nice to represent his nationality along with Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros and Florida Panthers centerman Aleksander Barkov.
"Not a lot of NHL players come from [Finland]," Rantanen said. "It's cool to have [Sarros] and also Barkov there. It's really special and makes it even more fun."

WORKING ON THE TAN:

Leaving behind Colorado's sub-freezing temperatures for the sunshine and humidity of Florida for All Star Weekend was an added plus. But for MacKinnon, Makar and Rantanen, the sunblock is a must.
There wasn't much debate as to who would get the most sunburnt between himself, MacKinnon, Makar and Rantanen.
"I feel like I would be up there," Makar said. "I feel like on this trip I've done a relatively good job of minimizing it. Nate would for sure burn the fastest. He's got the redhead in him, so it would be him for sure."
"This guy [would burn the worst of us three]," Rantanen said, gesturing to MacKinnon with a smile. "I don't want to say the name, but this guy."
"It is me," MacKinnon admitted. "I have a nice sunburn on my chest right now. I'm currently peeling."

UP NEXT, SKILLS COMPETITION:

Day 2 of 2023 NHL All Star Weekend takes place on Friday at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise on Friday night at 7 p.m. ET.
Cale Makar will participate in the Fastest Skater, while the trio already participated in a pre-taped Splash shot event, which consisted of eight shooters (two from each divisional team) who tried to hit targets in an attempt to dunk their opponent.