MacKenzie is one of the NHL's most dedicated and persistent players. One look at his long career tells you that.
MacKenzie spent seven years bouncing between minor leagues and the NHL before securing a full-time spot in the NHL with the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2010-11 season.
MacKenzie is one of the NHL's most dedicated and persistent players. One look at his long career tells you that.
MacKenzie spent seven years bouncing between minor leagues and the NHL before securing a full-time spot in the NHL with the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2010-11 season.
He appeared in 63 games with the Blue Jackets that season - approximately the same number he'd played in the NHL over the previous seven years - and he turned in one of his best all-around seasons, with nine goals, 14 assists and a plus-14 rating.
MacKenzie later settled into a role as a checking-line faceoff specialist and penalty-killer. He signed with the Florida Panthers in July of 2014 and impressed teammates with his leadership.
MacKenzie played in all 82 of his NHL team's regular-season games for the first time in 2014-15, when he also led the Panthers in hits (273) and blocked shots (51) after being named an alternate captain just before the regular season.
A native of Sudbury, Ontario, MacKenzie was selected by the Atlanta Thrashers in the fifth round (No. 128) of the 1999 NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut with the Thrashers on April 12, 2002 and scored his first NHL goal on March 9, 2008, when he beat Mike Smith of the Tampa Bay Lightning during a 5-3 Blue Jackets win in Columbus.
NOTES & TRANSACTIONS
- Signed as a free agent by Columbus, July 11, 2007.
- Signed as a free agent by Florida, July 1, 2014.
