McDavid earns high praise from No. 99
GREAT ONE: Gretzky figures Oilers, city of Edmonton are the ‘perfect fit’ for the sport’s next big superstar
EDMONTON— Is Connor McDavid the second coming of Wayne Gretzky?
Edmonton Oilers fans are wondering that after the NHL club won the draft lottery on Saturday, which gives them the right to select McDavid — the wondrous 18-year-old centre who racked up 44 goals and 120 points in 47 games for his junior Erie Otters — in June’s entry draft.
The comparison to No. 99 brought a laugh from Gretzky, who’s pulling for the kid.
“Good for him. When I was going down that path as a young player, Gordie Howe was always pulling for me, and I look at Connor the same way,” said The Great One, who stands as the NHL’s all-time leading scorer with 2,857 points and holds or shares 60 NHL records. “I hope he brings Edmonton a Stanley Cup and he breaks my records ... he’s got the talent and the makeup to do it. I hope he leaves a couple for me, though. I could use that.”
Gretzky says McDavid is “clearly a franchise player.
“He’s as good as I’ve seen in the last 30 years, the best player to come into the league in the last 30 years, the best to come along since (Mario) Lemieux and (Sidney) Crosby. He can definitely change a franchise’s fortunes,” said Gretzky, who feels Edmonton will be like a nice warm blanket for the teenager from Newmarket, Ont., just as it was for Gretzky, who was born in Brantford, Ont.
”I think it’ll be a perfect fit for Connor in Edmonton. Not one bit is Edmonton a suffocating place to play. He’ll be treated like an Edmontonian. People will give him his privacy while they’re enamoured by his ability. I know the Oilers have gone through a lot the last few years but they’ll be patient with him. I know it’s a big step going from junior hockey to the NHL, but the Edmonton fans have been through that with (Mark) Messier and (Paul) Coffey and (Grant) Fuhr and myself,” said Gretzky.
“What I notice about Connor is he does the right things and he says the right things; he’s very mature for an 18-year-old who’s rated No. 1. I’ve talked to him, and I’m fascinated by his maturity, being under the microscope.”
People were saying the same things about No. 99 in the late 1970s.
McDavid will be diving into the deep end, coming directly from junior to the NHL, something Gretzky didn’t have to do in 1978 when he left the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds at 17 to play in the World Hockey Association, where he had 110 points.
“Yeah, I got a year of training. The WHA wasn’t the NHL, but it was better than the American Hockey League ... that was my stepping stone,” said Gretzky, who had 137 points his first NHL season.
“I’ve had lots of people come up to me and ask ‘Do you think the Oilers would trade the No. 1 pick? I just laugh. Did Montreal trade the pick when they were going to get Guy Lafleur (in 1971)? Or Pittsburgh with Lemieux (1984) or Crosby (2005)? You don’t trade guys like that. Especially a player who’ll help your franchise and your city for the next 15 years,” said Gretzky.
Even as terrific as Gretzky was in his first NHL season, he couldn’t will the Oilers into a lengthy playoff run. They needed a goalie that year just as the current team does, and acquired Ron Low at the deadline, finishing 16th and losing to the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round.
The current Oilers need a bonafide No. 1 goalie. They need another defenceman or two. But when McDavid tugs on an Oilers jersey, it could be a fine marriage.
“This may be the one player who can get the Oilers over the hump,” said Gretzky. “Maybe this is a step forward for the whole city, not just the organization. ”