Charles Barkley takes breaks from NBA Playoffs to watch NHL

It’s no secret that former UMass hockey player Cale Makar has thrived in the NHL, but Charles Barkley has also started to take notice of the Colorado Avalanche defenseman’s talent.

A Hall of Fame player turned NBA analyst for TNT, Barkley was clued in to how Makar is one of the NHL’s rising stars during the Avalanche’s championship run. The Athletic’s Peter Baugh reports that Barkley was “particularly impressed” with Makar since learning about him.

“Last year during the playoffs, I was in the (TNT) studio with the guys,” Barkley said to The Athletic. “Rick Tocchet, he says, ‘Watch this kid play. … This kid is the best defenseman in the NHL.’”

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Last year, during Game 4 of the first-round Nuggets-Timberwolves series, Barkley admitted to watching hockey over the NBA playoffs.

“I was watching hockey on TBS, I’m not gonna lie,” Barkley said. “This game is boring as hell.”

Makar has slashed impressive numbers since first stepping on NHL ice for the Colorado Avalanche. In four years, the former UMass defenseman has played 238 games, totaling 65 goals and 181 assists. Makar has been a plus player every year for the Avalanche, going plus 93.

The 2022 playoffs were where Makar impressed Barkley. The young defenseman played a huge role in Colorado taking down Tampa Bay to win the Stanley Cup Final. Makar finished second on the Avalanche in points with seven, scoring three goals and tallying four assists in the six-game series win.

In two years with UMass hockey, Makar played 75 games and put up 21 goals and 49 assists. To top of his career with the Minutemen, he won one of the highest honors in college hockey. Makar won the Hobey Baker Memorial Award in 2019 before heading to the NHL.