Though he’s only been in the NHL for one season, Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon has become known for his explosive skating. But how would the 19-year-old compare to an Olympic short-track speedskater?

Hockey equipment manufacturer CCM wanted to find out and put their Tacks skates to the test with the Tacks Challenge.  In particular, the goal of this challenge was to see how quickly MacKinnon could get off the line against someone in a sport where good starts are so crucial. 

Enter three-time Olympic gold medalist for Canada, Charles Hamelin.

It was a short race, just from blue line to blue line, so getting a good burst right away was what this challenge was all about. The race itself, which comes in at about the 1:25 mark of the video lasts only 2.5 seconds.

MacKinnon just barely beats out Hamelin, but it’s actually kind of incredible to watch two elite athletes go head-to-head like that. The skates are different, the equipment is different, the technique is different, but both get off the blue line so incredibly fast.

Even Hamelin couldn't help but be impressed by the power of the NHL's 2013-14 rookie of the year. Hamelin actually thought he got off to the better start, but commented that MacKinnon's acceleration after was too fast for him.