A knee injury and subsequent surgery forced him out of the 1987 World Cup but he was back as a Canadian flanker against the Eagles in 1988 and went on to confirm his reputation as an outstanding athlete, fast and very strong.
MacKinnon made his fourth appearance at the 1992 Hong Kong Sevens, where he scored six tries and later played on the winning side for the June 1992 Ca-Am in Denver.
Gord played against England at Wembley Stadium and was the only player to start in all 18 games at the 1993 Canberra, Fiji, Hong Kong and Rugby World Cup Sevens events, leading the way with eight tries in all.
That year his 15-a-side contribution was limited by a slow-to-heal foot fracture and his only Test appearance was against England in Nepean, when he scored a memorable try.
As of last year, another prestigious title was added to MacKinnons sporting record, when he placed first the Masters (50-54) division of the Reebok CrossFit Games.