Nathan MacKinnon may be one of the NHL’s biggest stars, but a new study shows he’s also the league’s favorite target in plenty of places.
A Rotowire study identified MacKinnon as the most hated player in Texas, the Plains, and the South. He shows up as the main villain in nine states, with Texas leading the way. Minnesota also lands on that list, which makes sense given the Central Division connection.
MacKinnon is also the top bad guy in Arizona, a state that once had the Arizona Coyotes in the division. The study says he is the most disliked player in Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Alaska as well.
Alaska?
Well, it seems that folks up there just don’t like him.
Colorado tells a different story. In Avalanche country, the top villain is Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn. That fits the rivalry between the Stars and Avalanche, two teams that have met often in the postseason over the last decade.
Benn could have been the choice for any number of reasons, but the study points to him as the face of the dislike in Colorado. And if Dallas keeps stacking up good seasons, there’s a chance Benn and MacKinnon could meet again in the playoffs.
For now, they’ll see each other four times in the regular season, which should make for some compelling TV and feed right into the NHL’s push to build rivalries across the league.
The league’s most popular villain, according to the study, is Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers. He’s hated in more than 14 regions, including throughout the Northeast, Southeast, and most of Western and Atlantic Canada.
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