Nathan MacKinnon's One Terrible Habit Costs the Avalanche Over $100,000 Annually

Colorado Avalanche star forward Nathan MacKinnon revealed that he goes through around 400 sticks per season, a far higher number of sticks than the average NHL player goes through.

Most NHL players go through approximately 100 or so sticks per season, but Colorado Avalanche star forward Nathan MacKinnon puts that number to shame. MacKinnon revealed that he goes through 4 times as many sticks in a season as the average NHL player, and joked that his trainers must not be fans of that.

Avalanche star jokes his trainers "don't like me that much"

He joined a Q+A session with Cwench Hydration earlier in the week, and revealed that he goes through at least 400 sticks per season, and that his trainers probably don't like that much.

My trainers don't like me very much, probably 400.

Additionally, MacKinnon revealed what he'd be doing had he not chosen hockey as his professional occupation - kayaking.

Kayaking, growing up I did competitive kayaking, it's kind of a random thing, but here it's, like, really big. So, my parents would just drop me off and I would kayak all day. I got decent.

MacKinnon had 116 points (32G, 84A) in 79 games last year.

Why elite players like MacKinnon burn through gear at record pace

It's not surprising that NHL players can burn through at least 100 sticks in any given season. All sticks today are composite, as not a single player uses an old-fashioned wooden stick, which had longer durability.

Sticks often break nowadays and wear down, and elite players like MacKinnon often have professional gear sponsorships. MacKinnon wears Bauer gear, while Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby are both sponsored by CCM hockey.