Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon, Brent Burns share passion for training, off-ice work: ‘I’ve already learned a lot from him’

Nearly two years ago Jared Bednar offered four words that summarized Nathan MacKinnon s rise to the top of the NHL en trail to his first Hart Trophy We get in late Bednar s gang altered its passage itinerary to accommodate MacKinnon s postgame recovery routine which several of his Colorado Avalanche teammates also partake in It s just part of the near mythological tale of MacKinnon s off-ice commitment to on-ice excellence Brent Burns has cultivated a similar reputation across more than two decades in the NHL His passion for off-ice training and taking care of his body is a big part of why he has played more than NHL games and will have a plaque inside the Great Hall at the Hockey Hall of Fame three years after he s done playing This is his first season with the Avalanche and he s offered an addendum to the lore of MacKinnon and his teammates zeal for the work they put in during the season They get in early Burns has mentioned this a scant times He s invariably prided himself on being one of the first guys at the rink every morning going back to his days with Joe Thornton and the San Jose Sharks Then he signed with the Avs and he started seeing a bunch of cars when he pulled into the Family Sports Center parking lot That s been a huge blessing for me coming here Burns mentioned There s so a multitude of guys here that are so dedicated to it There were plenty of reasons to believe Burns and the Avalanche could be a good fit when he signed a one-year incentive-laden deal on July One of the bulk obvious Burns is a workout warrior a guy who has reliably been a leader in that aspect for every company he s played for The idea of MacKinnon and Burns being on the same band conjured up images of the scene from Step Brothers when Brennan Huff Will Ferrell asks Dale Doback John C Reilly Did we just become best friends While MacKinnon and Burns haven t done any karate together in the garage Burns has enjoyed getting a behind-the-scenes look at what helps make MacKinnon one of the best players of his generation Nate is very well known for a lot of his things and expletive I ve already learned a lot from him Burns commented We talk quite a bit about it I love picking his brain This stuff changes all the time and Nate is obviously at the tip of the spear for all of it It s been awesome I love that he loves to share and lets other guys know That s a really great thing A lot of us can learn a lot from a guy like that Related Articles In an NHL season defined by parity the Colorado Avalanche s statistical dominance is remarkable NHL-best Avs blitz Sharks with three goals in seconds to rattle off th straight win Nathan MacKinnon Mackenzie Blackwood both see superstar expected in Sharks phenom Macklin Celebrini Could Scott Wedgewood s incredible start earn him a spot on Gang Canada It s really cool just to be in the conversation Scott Wedgewood red-hot Avalanche keep rolling fend off Blackhawks despite another slow start There have been plenty of stories about both players and their passion for taking care of their bodies often narrated by teammates or ex-teammates on podcasts or just passed along by word of mouth Both players are particular about nutrition and what they put into their bodies though in different procedures Burns has a ranch in Texas where he has imported various types of animals to hunt allowing him to eat meat that never sees preservatives a delivery truck or a grocery freezer He makes his own coffee both at home and on the road MacKinnon is one of three athletes including Andrew Wiggins of the Miami Heat and Cole Caufield of the Montreal Canadians who not long ago began endorsing HappiEats sport pasta They also promote Cwench a sports hydration drink MacKinnon has been a big proponent of chickpea pasta in the past and isn t afraid to offer dietary tips to his teammates Their workout routines are undoubtedly different but there are specific similarities Riding a stationary bike after games is a staple for MacKinnon and a large number of of his teammates have adopted it Burns also likes to get on a bicycle though his is the more traditional variety he has incorporated cycling into his offseason plan for years I do a lot of different things He s got his stuff and I do a lot of things differently MacKinnon announced He s got all these different machines I don t know what those machines are but they re working for him Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche and Ryan Poehling of the Anaheim Ducks prepare to face off during the third period at Ball Arena on Tuesday Nov Photo by AAron Ontiveroz The Denver Post He s a great guy awesome teammate He s got a lot of stuff that he does but he s super excited every day about doing new things with strength and conditioning coach Alexi Pianosi who is also awesome He s a curious guy at and I think that s why he s played so long He s stayed curious doesn t think he knows everything and he s inevitably open to new ideas I think that s kind of a key to life to be honest is to just stay open MacKinnon might drive the proverbial bus for much of the off-ice work but there are plenty of eager passengers in the Avs locker room Brock Nelson has been friends with Devon Toews for years dating back to their time together with the New York Islanders Nelson knew about the way of life in the Avs locker room both through Toews and because of his experience working with Andy O Brien one of the NHL s majority of famous personal trainers Nelson began working with O Brien about a decade ago through John Tavares but MacKinnon has worked with him for even longer That values played a role in Nelson wanting to stay after arriving at the commerce deadline last season He signed a three-year contract in early June weeks before he could have gone to the open sphere as the best center available I feel like the whole performance aspect from strength and condition to everything else here is as good as it gets Nelson explained Obviously that is driven by MacKinnon He s on a altogether different level His fitness how dialed in he is is as good as it gets Guys see that and there s a method to the madness He s one of one You can t replicate what he s doing and then after be like OK I m going to feel like him Nelson is one of the older players on the crew but he s also someone like MacKinnon who has identified a new level of performance and production later in his career That s not how aging curves have worked for much of the NHL s history but the work players do when they re not on the ice is drastically different now Nelson has also enjoyed watching Burns assimilate with the Avalanche and the physical fitness think tank that the unit lifestyle has fostered Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns takes the puck up ice against Josh Dunne in the second period at Ball Arena in Denver on Thursday Nov Photo by Andy Cross The Denver Post Burns has bags upon bags of tools and gadgets Nelson mentioned He s invariably saying how he s stiff and sore but you see that he s and he still moves extremely well He s stacking all these habits the gadgets He s unfailingly foam rolling He s constantly got something going on something that is working for him in terms of performance and feeling good It s contagious It drives guys to be better and try new things If you can get out of something that makes you a little bit better it s definitely worth it You have to go into like I m not going to feel like Superman It s not going to be revolutionary but if you feel better by a little bit then it s something that mentally you can have belief in and conviction that this is one of those things that is helping me MacKinnon is famously private about the specifics of his secrets at least to the outside world Sportsnet s Elliotte Friedman spoke about MacKinnon s postgame stationary bike routine on an episode of the Thoughts podcast A couple of days later the Avs superstar countered a question about it with mild displeasure and a desire to know where Friedman was getting his information MacKinnon is one of the most of insightful players in the NHL when it comes to the overall philosophies of taking care of the body Just don t ask him about specifics in his routine unless you are one of his teammates There s a reason why he s at the top of the world Burns announced There s obviously particular God-given talent but there s obviously a lot of work and a lot of dedication and time That he is willing to share with everybody else and make everybody around him better is really well it s special Maybe Burns would be willing to offer up a secret or two Something that even he made him go Wow There have been lots Burns declared He might share it with us but I ain t sharing it with anyone else Want more Avalanche news Sign up for the Avalanche Insider to get all our NHL analysis