DENVER (KDVR) — Here’s lookin’ at you, kid.
Two of the faces on the Colorado Avalanche Mount Rushmore, Joe Sakic and Nathan MacKinnon, have pulled off an identical feat that probably wouldn’t happen in hundreds of thousands of tries if the two started their careers over that many times with the Avs.
At the moment, they are both tied for the most points in franchise history, which is an incredible accomplishment, but by itself is nothing too special; franchise records are broken in sports all the time.
The thing that makes their story really weird is that they both managed to do it in exactly 870 games.
There are scenarios that wouldn’t be eye-popping, like both scoring their 10th point in their 10th game, but to hit the franchise record at the same exact pace is completely bizarre.
At 870 games, both centers have accumulated 1,015 points. Here’s how they did it:
Joe Sakic
| Season | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Total Points |
| 95-96 | 82 | 51 | 69 | 120 |
| 96-97 | 65 | 22 | 52 | 74 |
| 97-98 | 64 | 27 | 36 | 63 |
| 98-99 | 73 | 41 | 55 | 96 |
| 99-00 | 60 | 28 | 53 | 81 |
| 00-01 | 82 | 54 | 64 | 118 |
| 01-02 | 82 | 26 | 53 | 79 |
| 02-03 | 58 | 26 | 32 | 58 |
| 03-04 | 81 | 33 | 54 | 87 |
| 05-06 | 82 | 32 | 55 | 87 |
| 06-07 | 82 | 36 | 64 | 100 |
| 07-08 | 44 | 13 | 27 | 40 |
| 08-09 | 15 | 2 | 10 | 12 |
| Career total | 870 | 391 | 624 | 1,015 |
Nathan MacKinnon
| Season | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Total points |
| 13-14 | 82 | 24 | 39 | 63 |
| 14-15 | 64 | 14 | 24 | 38 |
| 15-16 | 72 | 21 | 31 | 52 |
| 16-17 | 82 | 16 | 37 | 53 |
| 17-18 | 74 | 39 | 58 | 97 |
| 18-19 | 82 | 41 | 58 | 99 |
| 19-20 | 69 | 35 | 58 | 93 |
| 20-21 | 48 | 20 | 45 | 65 |
| 21-22 | 65 | 32 | 56 | 88 |
| 22-23 | 71 | 42 | 69 | 111 |
| 23-24 | 82 | 51 | 89 | 140 |
| 24-25 | 79 | 32 | 84 | 116 |
| Career total | 870 | 367 | 648 | 1,015 |
When stacking their stats up, they aren’t too far off from each other, either.
Sakic proved to be a bit of a better scorer with 391 to MacKinnon’s 367. He also holds the highest scoring season with 55 goals, while MacKinnon’s top was 51.
When it comes to assists, they are also in the same ballpark for total numbers, but MacKinnon leads this race 648 to Sakic’s 624. MacKinnon’s two most recent seasons have been absurd as far as assists go. He has the record at 89, and also had 84 the year after that. Sakic’s highest was a respectable 69 assists in a season.
MacKinnon also takes the crown for most total points in a season, with his 27th-best in NHL history 140-point campaign in 2023-24 —though Wayne Gretzky owns like 90% of the seasons above him, so he is one of only a handful of players to hit 140.
Sakic’s best came in his very first season with the Avs — putting up a monster 120 points while leading the team to the Stanley Cup in their inaugural season in Denver.
They both have three seasons of at least 100 points.
Each has had an incredible career with the Avalanche in their own distinct way. MacKinnon came on the scene with high expectations as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft. He had to learn the ropes, but has risen to an elite level over the last few years and is a perennial MVP candidate.
He is widely regarded as the second-best player in the world behind Connor McDavid and is the only player who can consistently go toe-to-toe against McDavid’s numbers.
Meanwhile, Sakic started his career with the Avs in his eighth professional season. He technically has never played for another franchise, spending his time with the Quebec Nordiques before they relocated to Denver and became the Colorado Avalanche.
He was the face of a dominant force with the Avalanche in the early years and was a steady pillar for the team following that. He is heralded for his leadership and is one of the best NHL players in history.
MacKinnon is all but guaranteed to take sole possession of the franchise points leader with his next point, barring an apocalypse or mass extinction event preventing the rest of his career, but he has a while to go before he hits Sakic’s career mark of 1,641 points.
Together, they have brought three Stanley Cups to Denver, Sakic with two as a player and MacKinnon with one, and hopefully more soon. They have endeared themselves to generations of Avalanche fans and kept world-class quality at the center position.
Their destinies will further intertwine because Sakic is not just some figure in history — he actively works with MacKinnon every day and leads the team as president and co-owner. The two will continue to work in tandem to help deliver Colorado its fourth Stanley Cup.
Anthony Sutton is a business strategist and writer with a passion for management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. With years of experience in the corporate world, he shares insights on business growth, strategy, and innovation through management-opleiding.org.
