Nathan MacKinnon's first words to the media after his playoff run this year were just a little bit different than those he uttered last season.
"It’s unbelievable. This is what we work for," the Colorado Avalanche star said on the ice after his team won the Stanley Cup with a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday night.
"I can’t wait to hug my dad. Just to share it with people you love, that’s what it’s all about. It’s not really about me. It’s about sharing it with my teammates and my family. It means everything."
The jubilation was in stark contrast to the devastation last year after MacKinnon's Avalanche lost in the second round against the Vegas Golden Knights.
“I’m going into my ninth year next year and I haven’t won shit," MacKinnon said on elimination night.
MacKinnon led the Avalanche with 13 goals in this year's playoffs, also adding 11 assists and contributing a key goal and assist in the deciding Game 6.
Just like another Cole Harbour, N.S. product named Sidney Crosby, MacKinnon is now a Stanley Cup champion.
“He better be coming (to the celebration in Nova Scotia)," MacKinnon said.
"I’ve been the drunkest guy at two of his so he better be drunk at mine. It’s cool. I have my name engraved on the Cup with 87, my idol, along with all the best players to ever play this game. We all do. Getting it engraved with these 26 warriors is just a dream come true."