By this point, everyone has read all the great qualities of Cale Makar.
He is a team-oriented humble superstar who only gets nervous when he has to talk about himself while being honored for an individual accolade. He is remarkably patient with the media, especially when the same questions are asked repetitively by the revolving door of reporters who made their way to Amherst this season. His virtues are as impressive as his hockey skills and that’s not easy when you’re painted as a savior for a program and given the amount of hype Makar has received this season.
And all of it is true. Makar is as gracious of a student-athlete as I’ve come across and he’s handled everything that has been thrown at him this season with dignity and class. Numerous times this season, he’s shown up at press conferences in full hockey gear minus the skates because he was out skating until the very last second with the fans who took the ice after certain games this season.
No one who has covered UMass hockey on a consistent basis this season is surprised that Makar showed up to Saturday’s championship postgame press conference with his jersey still on. His love and appreciation for his teammates and the UMass program as a whole is genuine, so it made sense he would cling onto this chapter of his life as long as he possibly could. Indeed, all of us who have been around Makar this season wanted to savor the moment Saturday because everyone in the room knew what was waiting for him when he woke up Sunday morning.
And then Monday happened.
Even if I hadn’t been watching the game, it would be impossible for me not to know what transpired over the course of the first period. As he did so often for the Minutemen this season, Makar joined a rush and scored a goal – albeit none of his goals this year come close to scoring your first career NHL goal in your first NHL game in the playoffs against your hometown team on the first shot of your career. So yes, even after a historic season with UMass, Makar found a way to create more of it in the NHL.
Except, I don’t want to focus on the goal. Too many people are going to focus on the goal and every other offensive milestone he hits as long as Colorado continues in the playoffs. Because honestly, that part of Makar’s game isn’t what makes him special or unique. Is he an elite skater? Absolutely. Does he possess elite speed? No doubt. Will he continue to dazzle with his stickhandling and offensive touch? Certainly.
But on his next shift after scoring a goal, Makar blocked two shots and spoiled a scoring chance for Calgary. He didn’t get caught up in the moment of scoring his first NHL goal and he didn’t let the atmosphere of the Pepsi Center overtake him. Instead he went back to work and made two important plays for his team that no one is going to talk about from last night.
That is what made Cale Makar so fun to watch this season in my eyes. At first, his skills left me with my mouth agape, but that only lasted until early November when I was numb to his sensational plays. But I never lost sight of the little things Makar did that went unnoticed by most people who were just consumed about what happened when the puck was on his stick. For instance, how many of you know that Makar led UMass with 41 blocks this season?
I wish I kept track of how many times Makar was there to lift a stick to prevent a shot from being fired on goal or the number of times he knocked a player off the puck behind the net and made a pass to start the breakout play. The fact that the world became so enamored with Makar’s offense isn’t surprising, but no one seemed to talk about how well the defenseman plays defense.
Except for New Hampshire coach Mike Souza. In the lead up to the Wildcats’ quarterfinal series with UMass, Souza was asked a standard question about his thoughts on Makar and how UNH could stop him. But instead of talking about Makar’s skating or his offense or his stickhandling, Souza decided to focus on his toughness and his competitive fire.
“He’s obviously a dynamic skater,” Souza said. “He sees the ice well, but he’s a fierce competitor. I’m not sure people who don’t cover their team would be aware of (that).” When UMass coach Greg Carvel was made aware of those comments, he told our small media gaggle, “he’s game in and game out been a physical presence, a surprising physical presence maybe, but I’m sure it’s not appreciated as much as it should be.”
Indeed it isn’t. The conversation around Makar will continue to center on his offensive production and probably will be for the rest of his NHL career. Yet what makes Makar special is that he quietly does his job amid all the hoopla and still doesn’t get the credit he deserves. So however good you think Makar is, take a step back because he’s actually better than the praise you’ve been reading.