Great strides
The NHL playoffs give Connor McDavid, 20, a chance to show off his transcendent skills on a big stage
About two weeks ago, Edmonton Oilers coach Todd McLellan told members of the media he could see Connor McDavid starting to separate himself from other stars in the league.
McLellan said he didn’t want to disrespect other top players, but he said McDavid is “remarkable right now.”
At 20, McDavid has won his first scoring championship — the only player to reach 100 points this season — and could be headed for a Hart Trophy as the MVP. He has captained the Oilers into the playoffs for the first time in 11 years. Word out of Edmonton is that McDavid has put a charge into the city like no athlete has since Wayne Gretzky.
McDavid scored his first NHL playoff goal Friday, a short-handed beauty, created by his speed and instincts. It was the Oilers’ second goal in a 2-0 victory against the San Jose Sharks that tied the best-of-seven series 1-1. Remarkable doesn’t cover it. This is an era in which creating offense is not easy, yet McDavid found a way to generate 30 goals and 70 assists in the regular season to give the Oilers 103 points, the first time since 1986-87 they had reached 100 points. They would have won the Pacific Division had the Anaheim Ducks not gone 9-0-2 in their last 11 regularseason games.
In January at the NHL All-Star Game, Gretzky, now an Oilers executive, said McDavid would have to dethrone Sidney Crosby if he wants to be the league’s best player. At the time, McDavid had a four-point lead on Crosby in the scoring race and Crosby had played nine fewer games. Crosby boasted a higher points-per-game rate.
By season’s end, McDavid was 11 points ahead of Crosby and the Chicago Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane. McDavid also finished with the season’s top scoring average of 1.22 points per game.
Besides being the top scorer in NHL history and hockey’s greatest ambassador, Gretzky understands the superstar psychology better than anyone. He knew what he was doing when he pushed that carrot in front of McDavid.
Gretzky also is a sports junkie, and he understands how fun it will be for hockey fans to watch McDavid attempt to chase down Crosby.
McDavid has taken only one small step in what should be a long journey. Surpassing Crosby’s trophy totals will be hard enough, but earning Crosby’s reputation for rising up and leading his team to success is the true challenge.
Crosby has won two Stanley Cups, two Olympic gold medals, a World Championship and a World Cup. He has played a major role in each title.
That’s why there is considerable interest in the way McDavid performs in his first NHL playoff series. Winning a playoff series is a team accomplishment, but that has never stopped fans and the media from raising, or lowering, a player’s reputation based on his team’s playoff performances. There’s belief that the Oilers, despite a lack of playoff experience together, can take down a Sharks team that was in the Stanley Cup Final 10 months ago.
Much of the optimism about the Oilers’ chances centers on the faith and excitement everyone has about McDavid’s ability.
If the Oilers win this series, it would mean McDavid would advance to the second round in his first playoff appearance. Crosby didn’t do that until his second season in the playoffs.
The guess is that McDavid probably knows that.