Oilers’ Connor McDavid reveals why he skipped Conn Smythe presentation

Connor McDavid was the first player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP on a losing team since 2003 — but the superstar refused to accept it on the ice after the Edmonton Oilers lost a crushing Game 7 to the Florida Panthers in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.

He recently revealed to The Athletic’s Dan Robson that being with his teammates after the defeat was more important than returning to the ice.

“I thought it was important to spend those moments with the guys,” McDavid said.

The captain made it clear he meant no disrespect by skipping the on-ice presentation; he just wanted to be with the guys in the dressing room, per Robson.

No. 97 continued: “You learn a lot about yourself going through that run. You learn a lot about your teammates going through all that stuff. And I think everyone just has a sense of calm about it, which is comforting. You’re never going to play in a bigger hockey game than that one. It’s hard to put into words but you know time moves on. Life moves on. And you’ve got to get ready to go again.”

Regardless of the outcome, it was a phenomenal showing for McDavid and his teammates. The Oilers overcame the Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks and Dallas Stars to win the Western Conference before erasing a 3-0 deficit in the Stanley Cup Final.

Basically the entire hockey world was ready to write Edmonton off after they lost Game 3 at home, but the squad persevered, winning three straight contests to force the first Game 7 in the Finals since 2019.

And the Oilers came oh-so-close to winning that one, eventually falling 2-1 to the Panthers despite putting a ton of pressure on goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky in the third period.

McDavid said the Conn Smythe Trophy will go “with all the other ones” in his impressive list of individual accolades. But the only one he’s interested in is Lord Stanley.

And the Oilers look to be in great shape to make another run in 2024-25.

Connor McDavid’s Oilers again one of top teams in Western Conference

Although it was a difficult offseason, the Oilers got better offensively this summer, adding Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner to an already potent forward core.

The defensive unit won’t be quite the same without Cody Ceci and Philip Broberg — the former was traded to the San Jose Sharks and the latter was successfully offer sheeted by the St. Louis Blues — but the Oilers should again be one of the top teams in the West this season.

The team has already proven that they can get to a Stanley Cup Final, but the question now becomes if they can win one. It took the Panthers two tries to win it all; they were defeated by the Vegas Golden Knights in five games in the 2023 SCF.

The Oilers are already heavy favourites to finish at the top of the Western Conference again, and it’s clear that, after winning basically all there is to win in hockey except a championship, McDavid is laser-focused on completing the trophy case.

Edmonton begins its 2024-25 campaign against the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday night.

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