Edmonton Oilers
Connor McDavid Unfazed as Reporter Questions Him on Championship Struggles
Connor McDavid stayed composed after facing a very difficult question from the Oilers media.
As if Connor McDavid hadn’t had a difficult enough few days in the aftermath of losing the gold medal game in heartbreaking overtime fashion to Team USA, one reporter had to remind him not only of that defeat, but also of his Stanley Cup Final losses.
Upon arriving in Anaheim to rejoin the Oilers, McDavid faced questions from the media, including a difficult one from Mark Spector asking why the championships have been so hard to come by for him compared to other all-time greats like Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby.
“This is a hard question, but Stanley Cups found Gretzky and Crosby and those guys, and gold medals. You’ve been able to put yourself in position, and it’s not finding you. Did you think it would be this hard?”
To his credit, McDavid handled it about as well as he could.
“That’s a nice question, thank you. It’s disappointing, no way around it. We could be sitting here having a totally different conversation if things had gone a little bit differently. So yeah, it’s hard. It’s hard to win. It’s hard to win at any level, especially when we’re talking about the very, very best in the NHL and the Olympics. Margins are very small, and we obviously saw that on Sunday. We’ve felt the effects of that here in Edmonton from time to time,”
The 29-year-old did almost everything he could to secure Olympic gold for Canada, earning tournament MVP honors with 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) racked up across six games. However, what will stick with him most are the missed opportunities in the gold medal game—a breakaway and a lengthy 5-on-3 —the only game in which he was held off the scoresheet.
McDavid’s struggles to get over the final hump in the biggest moments—the Stanley Cup Final and Olympic gold medal game—have drawn plenty of attention lately. Some have wondered whether he cares so deeply that he’s almost trying too hard at times, to his own detriment.
Everyone can draw their own conclusions about why it keeps happening, but until he wins the big one, the critics will continue to point to it. That said, this is the best player in the world and one of the most talented hockey players the sport has ever seen. Count him out at your own peril—because when he finally breaks through, it could open the floodgates.
Next: Oilers Analyst Calls for Major Response to Matthew Tkachuk in Next Matchup
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