McDAVID A MARKED MAN
The Great One sides with Oilers star
When the majority of the world looks at the front of Connor McDavid’s blue-and-orange jersey, they see the traditional Edmonton Oilers crest.
In the minds of McDavid’s opponents, however, it’s a big bulging bull’s-eye, one they target every time the young superstar steps on the ice. Wayne Gretzky can relate. He went through the same thing during his Hall of Fame career, a body of work that saw him end up as the leading scorer in NHL history.
As such, Gretzky applauds the way McDavid is standing up for himself these days on and off the ice, a trend that escalated Thursday when the Oilers captain jostled with nemesis Brandon Manning throughout Edmonton’s 6-5 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center.
A year ago, McDavid missed about three months with a broken clavicle after being wallpapered into the boards by Manning. To that end, McDavid claims Manning told him during Thursday’s game that he had, in fact, tried to intentionally injure the Oilers’ No. 97 last season — an objective that, if true, was successfully carried out, much to McDavid’s chagrin.
When meeting with reporters after Thursday’s loss in Philly, McDavid pulled no verbal punches, calling Manning “classless.”
“I guess we can put the whole ‘if he did it’ thing to rest because what he said out there kind of confirmed that,” McDavid said.
Much in the fashion the Gretzky bashers did back in the day, the anti-McDavid fraternity quickly accused the Oilers captain of whining, a ridiculous notion in itself and one The Great One is all too familiar with dating back to his own playing days.
“Listen, it’s a hard game. Emotions run high sometimes,” Gretzky said Friday at the NHL’s annual December board of governors meetings, where he and Kevin Lowe represented the Oilers organization.
“It’s good to see he has that emotional fight in him. It’s good to see he’s combative. He wants to excel and wants to win and that’s what makes him a great player. He has that competitive spirit. It’s just an emotional time for him. He probably felt like he had some liberties taken at him by the young man and he spoke out against it. That’s part of being a professional athlete.”
As for critics referring to McDavid as being soft, Gretzky laughs at such a notion — much in the same way as when they were calling him the same thing during his own career.
“I’ve said this many times, the one sort of mystery to me was always people who said I never got hit,” Gretzky said.
“That’s just not true. I know the coaches in the other room were not saying ‘don’t hit No. 99.’ That didn’t happen. You play hard every night.
“You’re going to get tested every night. I did, Mario (Lemieux) did, (Sidney) Crosby does, (Jonathan) Toews does, (Steven) Stamkos and Connor, too. He’s going to get tested every night. This is not new for him. He’s been tested since he was a kid, playing junior hockey and now in the NHL, and he’s always responded and always done his part. It’s just, you’re going to face it every night. I faced it every night. It’s just part of the game.”
Gretzky said he is always approachable if McDavid has any questions, much in the same manner Gordie Howe was there for Gretzky early in The Great One’s career.
At the same time, Gretzky said McDavid is completely capable of defending himself.
“Listen, Connor’s fought all his own battles his whole life,” said Gretzky, now the partner and vice-chairman of Oilers Entertainment Group.
“He’s going to be fine. He’s an elite player and everyone knows what a competitor he is, so that’s just part of being a professional.”
GRETZKY ON OLYMPIC PARTICIPATION
For his part, Gretzky embraces the Olympic Games, calling them a great “spectacle.”
But he also warns of some of the negatives involved, especially when they are held halfway around the globe.
“It was a lot easier when we were in Vancouver (2010) and Salt Lake City (2002),” he said.
“When we did 1998 in Nagano, it’s really hard when you come back from Asia, after playing a condensed sort of (schedule) over a 10-day period, to fly all the way there and fly all the way back and then jump into playing NHL games.
“Now we played the Olympics, we flew back from Nagano through Vancouver to New York, got home on I guess a Tuesday, practised Wednesday and flew to Toronto to play in Toronto on Thursday.”
Gretzky, for the record, collected three points in that game against the Maple Leafs. Still, he maintains it was “tough.”
“It’s hard on your body,” he said. “I don’t know if anybody did a study on how many minor injuries there was over the last 20 or so games. But it’s a lot easier when it’s in Salt Lake City and Vancouver to jump back into the league. It’s a tough haul to fly all the way from Korea. It’s a long way.”
It’s just an emotional time for him. He probably felt like he had some liberties taken at him ... and he spoke out against it. That’s part of being a professional athlete.