The Mile High City is an MVP town.
Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic was at Ball Arena ahead of the Colorado Avalanche home opener Saturday night to help recognize Nathan MacKinnon, the 2024 Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award winner, both given to the NHL’s most valuable player. Jokic walked out to center ice at Ball Arena with the Har Trophy while wearing a MacKinnon jersey.
MacKinnon set Avalanche franchise records with 140 points and at least one in 35 consecutive home games last season. He also established new career highs with 51 goals and 405 shots on goal, the latter of which led the NHL. His home point streak was also the second-longest in league history, behind only a 40-game stretch by Wayne Gretzky with the Edmonton Oilers.
Jokic is a three-time NBA most valuable player. He won back-to-back MVPs in 2021 and 2022 before collecting his third this past season.
Denver is the first city to have the NHL and NBA MVPs in the same season since Los Angeles in 1989, when Gretzky won with the Kings and Magic Johnson won with the Lakers.
MacKinnon became the third player in Avs history to win the Hart, joining Joe Sakic (2001) and Peter Forsberg (2003). Sakic also won the Ted Lindsay in 2001.
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