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Oilers’ Connor McDavid reacts to viral clip from Amazon documentary series

Posted on by angelo
Oilers’ Connor McDavid reacts to viral clip from Amazon documentary series

EDMONTON — When Connor McDavid speaks, the hockey world listens. When he yells at his teammates, even in his team’s dressing room and with the Stanley Cup on the line, people listen to the video on repeat.

“I never intended to be the star of the show,” the Edmonton Oilers captain joked after a 6-3 pre-season loss to Calgary. “I think we wanted to go for it, but here we are off the diving board.”

A teaser for Amazon Prime’s upcoming free-to-air documentary series “Faceoff: Inside the NHL” was released Monday, and the clip that caught everyone’s attention was McDavid lashing out after the Oilers lost Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final to Florida.

“It’s not enough,” he shouted in the visiting room. “This is the final. We have to give it our all. Now!”

For his line partner Zach Hyman, McDavid’s punch was perfect.

“That’s what everybody felt,” Hyman said. “It was good that he said it at that time.”

“The closer we get, the better our chances are. We’re in the Stanley Cup Final. We had a really good first game, we lost. We had a not so good second game. It’s just frustration.

“Connor is the most competitive guy you’ll ever meet. He’s a little window into what’s going on. He speaks like that, with emotion, at the right time.”

Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch has seen McDavid through two stages of his life: as a junior with the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League and now in Edmonton after being hired last November. Leadership has always been one of McDavid’s best traits.

“Part of what makes Connor so good is that he’s competitive and passionate,” Knoblauch said. “Yes, he’s talented, but he’s been able to leverage that talent and get better every day.”

“Obviously he deserves the most credit for his game, but he’s an exceptional leader. I’ve known him since he was 15 and his teammates have a lot of respect for him, and that’s normal.”

That brief five-second glimpse seemed unusual for someone perceived as stoic or mocked for being a hockey robot. That’s not the case, Hyman said.

“To us, it’s normal,” he said. “He’s a phenomenal leader, he wears his heart on his sleeve. To you, he’s maybe quieter, more reserved. To us, that’s Connor. He is who he is.”

“He’s a great player, obviously, the best in the world, and a phenomenal leader who takes a lot of the responsibility for the team. When we’re not playing well, he takes a lot of responsibility and tries to raise everyone’s level of play. That video, you’ll see more of it on the show, I guess.”

Maybe. But McDavid advised taking some things on the show with a grain of salt.

“You have to understand that some aspects of the show are contextualized as much as they want to be,” he said. “It’s interesting how they cut things up. Obviously they have to create a story.”

“Guys are playing for their dream. You’ll see it. You’ll feel it on both sides.”

Aside from the unwanted attention he’s received, McDavid hopes the documentary, which will be released October 4, is worth the effort.

“At the end of the day, everyone wants to grow the game,” he said. “It’s worked for other sports. Hopefully it will do something for our sport as well. That’s all we can really ask for.”

Required Reading

• Mark Messier Joins Amazon Prime’s ‘Monday Night Hockey’ Broadcast Team Alongside Adnan Virk and Andi Petrillo
• NHL puts its stars front and center in Amazon documentary series debuting in October

(Photo: Perry Nelson / Imagn Images)