Nathan MacKinnon: Brandon Royval recounts meeting Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon: "I'm like a little fanboy"

Brandon Royval recently detailed how he ended up meeting Nathan MacKinnon and expressed his excitement for getting to interact with the Colorado Avalanche star. Royval noted that their meeting came as a surprise and that they had a great interaction.

It's quite common for athletes in different sports to cross paths, especially when they are in the same area. Royval is a Denver, Colorado native, while MacKinnon is a star player for the Avalanche of the NHL.

The Canadian has played for Colorado since being selected first overall in the 2013 NHL draft and has gone on to achieve a great deal of success, including playing a key role in the Avalanche's 2022 Stanley Cup win.

In his latest conversation with Home of Fight's James Lynch, Royval recalled a sparring session and one of his teammates notifying him about a private session with an NHL star and expressed his surprise when finding out it was MacKinnon.

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'Raw Dawg' mentioned that he stayed just so he could meet the Avalanche star and made it known how big a fan he was. He said:

"It was dope... This up-and-coming kid... He's like, 'Yeah, I got a private today... I'll hold mits for this hockey player every once and a while'... He goes, 'I don't know, someone named Nathan MacKinnon... I don't know, I don't watch hockey'... And I'm like, 'Oh, I'm staying, bro'... Ended up just kicking it and then just waiting for him to show up like a little fanboy. Oh, for sure [I fanboyed], bro. This is the top player probably in the world right now. At least top two or three."

Check out Brandon Royval's comments below (0:07):

Brandon Royval says Nathan MacKinnon is a UFC fan

Brandon Royval also disclosed that Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon is a UFC fan and follows the sport.

In the aforementioned clip, Royval also stated that MacKinnon plans on being in attendance for UFC 317, which is the promotion's annual International Fight Week event:

"He's super cool and he was like, 'I'm going to UFC 317', he's gonna be there. Yeah, he's a UFC fan too, so I was just stoked." [1:30]

Check out Brandon Royval's Instagram post below:

About the author

Giancarlo Aulino is an MMA news writer and interviewer at Sportskeeda. Having been onboard since 2021, Aulino has written list articles, before transitioning to MMA news writing.

In addition to writing at Sportskeeda, Aulino can be heard on VIBE 105.5FM in Toronto, Canada, where he conducts interviews called 'VIBEtalks.' Aulino's segments have featured many respected athletes, broadcasters, and celebrities. In 2024, Aulino, along with his VIBE 105 Sports team members, rebranded their content to The Game Plan 'TGP'.

In addition to MMA, Aulino was previously a pro wrestling writer and soccer (Football) reporter and covered Toronto FC (Major League Soccer) and York United FC (Canadian Premier League).

Follow him on Twitter: @Gian_411

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Edited by Tejas Rathi