Jokic gives MacKinnon his Hart: The NBA MVP delivers the NHL MVP his trophy

DENVER (KDVR) — The Colorado Avalanche had their home opener on Saturday night which meant that a sporting tradition had to be upheld. It has become customary in sports that when a player wins a major honor like MVP, the trophy is awarded to them in front of their fans at the first home game of the new season.

Nathan MacKinnon was recognized as the MVP for his exceptional season last year when he registered 51 goals, 89 assists and a total of 140 points. As MacKinnon stood on the ice ready to receive the Hart Memorial Trophy in honor of his accomplishment, a familiar face in Ball Arena made an appearance.

Nikola Jokic emerged from the crowd and looked a bit out of place on Saturday night… He was in his home arena wearing a jersey, but the jersey was maroon, the hardwood had become ice and he had the wrong MVP trophy in his hands.

It turns out that Jokic was exactly where he needed to be. The Nuggets superstar is used to dishing out assists in the arena and was brought in to deliver one more.

Jokic, the NBA MVP, took to the ice to present MacKinnon with his NHL MVP trophy.

The two greeted each other with a hug and posed for a photo next to MacKinnon’s newly acquired award. Somehow Jokic still towered over MacKinnon who is six feet tall and wearing skates.

As the duo stood there smiling, they had just carved out a bit of lore in the world of sports. This is the second time in history that a city has had the NHL MVP and NBA MVP from the same season.

The last and only other time the feat was accomplished was in 1989 when Los Angeles Laker, Magic Johnson and Los Angeles King, Wayne Gretzky took home their league’s respective awards. That’s good company to keep.

MacKinnon also became the third Avs player to win the Hart trophy, joining the ranks of Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg.

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