MacKinnon’s family, Makar, Devon Toews, Andrew Cogliano and Gabe Landeskog all took part in the ceremony. Rantanen did not … but he was on the ice. He was standing near the Stars bench and tapped his stick on a couple of times for his former linemate-turned-foe.

How Mikko Rantanen would be received in his first game back at Ball Arena with the Dallas Stars was a mystery. At the first commercial break of the nationally televised game, there was a tribute to Rantanen on the jumbotron.

During an emotional matchup at Ball Arena, the Dallas Stars fell to the Colorado Avalanche by a score of 4-3. Mikko Rantanen returned to Denver, but this time to take on his former teammates.