McDavid worth price of admission for Ottawa fans

Fans in an Ottawa Senators market struggling for attendance didn’t make the long procession down a highway and pack the Canadian Tire Centre to watch a couple of non-playoff teams run out the string.

They came to see greatness in person. Like you make a point of seeing LeBron James if he only came to your city once a year. Or Tiger Woods in his prime.

Connor McDavid didn’t let them down.

When every one of those fans left the building Thursday night they weren’t lamenting a 6-2 loss for the Senators; they were marvelling at one of those “I was there” moments in sports.

The crowd of 16,538 got what they paid for, even if it came at the expense of their own shellshocked team.

Winger Drake Caggiula, who had two goals and would have been the story of the night if not for You Know Who, was one of several Oilers who could only look at each other on the bench and shake their heads as it started to happen.

“It’s Connor,” said Caggiula, in what has become one of the most descriptive two-word answers in sports. “He always finds a way to find another gear. That’s what makes him such an exceptional player and so much fun to watch.

“Out of nowhere he just decided to take the game over.”

It was 2-0 Edmonton in the third and it didn’t look like the evening was going to develop into anything special. Then Ottawa’s Matt Duchene made the mistake of cutting the lead to 2-1.

Then McDavid hit the gas. Eight seconds later it was 3-1. Assist McDavid.

Thirty-eight seconds later it was 4-1. Assist McDavid.

And for an exclamation point, as if he needed one at that point, McDavid shifted into the gear few players who have ever put on skates can hit and scored his second of the night to bring the curtain down on yet another masterful performance.

It was all at once sensational and beautiful in a sport where ticket buyers rarely get their money’s worth.

There are four-point nights where players kick in a couple of secondary assists and maybe slide one into an empty net and you don’t even notice their total until you look at the score sheet.

And there are four points nights where the player dominates, lifting people out of their seats. This was that.

“The best way to put it is he was

in command,” said head coach Todd McLellan. “He was the MVP of the Super Bowl at the quarterback position the way he controlled the game.

“He dictated the pace. He could slow it down at certain points, he could speed it up. His linemates helped him but he was the quarterback.”

As usual, McDavid did his best talking on the ice.

“Our group has found a way to respond well after giving up goals,” he said. “There are always momentum shifts in games and we seem to be able to get it back.”

If by getting it back he means making the other team feel like they’re participating in a fantasy camp, then yes, they got it back.