MacKenzie Weegar gets honest about stars leaving Canadian teams after his Calgary exit
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
MacKenzie Weegar opens up on Canadian teams losing stars, says it's still tough to watch after his own trade from Calgary to Utah earlier this year.
MacKenzie Weegar knows exactly what it feels like to be part of a Canadian market losing a piece of its identity, and now he's watching from the outside as it keeps happening around the league.
The Utah Mammoth defenseman joined TSN's OverDrive this week and got asked about the growing list of players pushing their way out of Canadian cities.
Weegar didn't dodge it. He grew up in Ottawa and spent four seasons wearing a Flames jersey before Calgary shipped him to Utah back in March, so this topic hits close to home for him.
He talked about how much he loved his time in Calgary, how the city treated him well, and how badly he feels for fans who watch their favorite players ask their way out year after year.
Weegar pointed out just how passionate hockey fans are in every Canadian market, and how deeply those cities care about the guys who wear their sweater.
"It's a tough question because, as a Canadian who played in Calgary, for me personally, I had a great experience in Canada. Calgary was an absolute blast to play in and I think there's great things to come for that team. [...] It's a bit unfortunate to see players wanting out of Canada, just because I know how passionate the fans are there, the citizens in each city, how much they love their hockey & their star players[...]''
- MacKenzie Weegar
- MacKenzie Weegar
Life after the trade
Weegar isn't shy about admitting Utah offers something different than his old team could.
He's settled in nicely with the Mammoth, still logging heavy minutes on the right side of their blue line while carrying the same $6.25 million cap hit from the eight year extension he originally signed in Calgary back in 2022.
A perspective few players share
Having lived on both sides of the border now, Weegar's take carries a little extra weight.
He's not slamming the players who leave, he's just being honest about how much it stings for the towns left behind.
That kind of balance is rare from a guy still just months removed from his own move out of Canada.
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