Crosby gave friend MacKinnon the cold shoulder

Sidney-Crosby-Nathan-MacKinnon

Sidney Crosby, left, and Nathan MacKinnon, right, are both first-overall picks that grew up playing hockey in Cole Harbour, N.S. (Gene J. Puskar/AP)

Nathan MacKinnon has always looked up to Sidney Crosby, but Wednesday night as his Colorado Avalanche hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins he was reminded of the type of competitor No. 87 is.

“Sid was my favorite player growing up and we’re buddies, and it’s always fun to play against him,” MacKinnon told the Denver Post. “He’s a little bit more serious than most of the buddies I play against. You usually can talk to your friends, but he’s all business on the ice.”

MacKinnon was named the game’s second star after scoring the game-winning goal in a 3-1 Avalanche win, but that’s not what stood out from this game for the 19-year-old.

“I just said, ‘Hey,’ and he looked at me and ignored me,” MacKinnon said. “He’s pretty serious, but that’s okay. I don’t know if he’s mad at me or what. I’ll have to see.”

Both MacKinnon and Crosby are first-overall picks who grew up playing hockey in Cole Harbour, N.S.

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.