Thousands Attend Nathan MacKinnon's Stanley Cup Parade in Halifax

The coverage of the Colorado Avalanche players' days with the Cup from the Keeper himself, Phil Pritchard, is one of the great traditions of hockey's offseason. In the annual summer-standstill of hockey content, it provides fans a glimpse into the personal lives of players and also documents all the bumps and bruises the Cup endures in a summer with hockey players.

Nathan MacKinnon brought the Cup the Halifax, Nova Scotia where the star forward played junior hockey, winning the Memorial Cup in 2013. MacKinnon's career with the Halifax Mooseheads is illustrious. He won the Stafford Smythe Memorial (MVP) and Ed Chynoweth (Leading Scorer) trophies, and he scored 153 points in 102 games for the Mooseheads. His incredible junior career plus the fact that he is from Cole Harbour -- a suburb of Halifax -- makes him kind of a legend in the area. So when he moseyed into town with Lord Stanley's Cup, you can expect a hefty crowd:

When he gave a short speech, the crowd gathered. The effect MacKinnon has on the city is palpable, the entire city seemed to show up just to listen to him talk.

MacKinnon, like Sidney Crosby, is an icon of the province of Nova Scotia, and he continues to tear up the NHL. Only 26, MacKinnon only recently entered his prime, he has scored above a 100-point pace in 4 of the last 5 seasons; the one he did not he scored 99 points in 82 games.

The Colorado Avalanche are poised to compete for a second consecutive championship, featuring a core of MacKinnon, Cale Makar, captain Gabrial Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen, et al.

They lost Kadri and Kuemper, but they certainly possess the ability to repeat without them. Avalanche fans are in a golden age for the club, as they will be a top team for the next five years or so.

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