Connor McDavid Wins Conn Smythe As Playoff MVP Despite Oilers Losing Stanley Cup Final To Panthers

SUNRISE, Florida – Connor McDavid earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP on Monday night, despite Edmonton’s Stanley Cup Final loss to Florida, in recognition of one of the best postseason performances in NHL history.

Despite being kept scoreless in the final two games, McDavid topped all postseason scorers with 42 points, five shy of Wayne Gretzky’s record of 47 set in 1985. He did not return from the locker room to receive the trophy from Commissioner Gary Bettman, leaving it on the stand while the Panthers celebrated nearby.

McDavid | AP News image

Connor McDavid Wins Conn Smythe As Playoff MVP Despite Oilers Losing Stanley Cup Final To Panthers

“It’s an honor with the names on that trophy, but yeah,” McDavid said.

McDavid placed first on 16 of 17 ballots. Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov finished second.

“I don’t think he cares,” longtime running mate Leon Draisaitl stated. “I mean, that shows how great of a hockey player he is. No player in the world wants to win the Stanley Cup more than him. He does everything properly every day, hoping to win one day. It’s incredibly hard because he’s unhappy and disappointed at the end.”

After going scoreless (but leading the team with three assists) in the first three games against Florida, McDavid shifted the course of the series by doing something no other player in history, including Gretzky, has done. He scored four points in two straight games in the finals to keep the Oilers from being eliminated.

“You think about the year that Connor had: 100 assists, leading our team, the performance he had in this playoffs, especially in this final round when we’re down three games to zero and then he comes out with eight points in two games,” the coach, Kris Knoblauch, said. “Yeah, he’s our leader, he’s our best player.”

After Flyers’ Reggie Leach in 1976, McDavid is only the second player to win the Conn Smythe on a team that lost in the final. Goaltenders Jean-Sebastien Giguere of Anaheim in 2003, Ron Hextall of Philadelphia in 1987, Glenn Hall of St. Louis in 1968, and Roger Crozier of Detroit in 1966 were also named playoff MVPs after backing up teams that fell short of winning the Cup.

Mcdavid | AP News Image

Connor McDavid Wins Conn Smythe As Playoff MVP Despite Oilers Losing Stanley Cup Final To Panthers

When asked how he was feeling over half an hour after the loss, McDavid could only say, “It sucks.”

McDavid, the reigning and three-time Hart Trophy winner widely regarded as the best hockey player in the world, put on a display in his maiden trip to the final. His goal and three helpers in an 8-1 victory in Game 4 prevented a sweep, and his four points, including an empty netter in Game 5 three nights later, returned the series to Alberta.

Those who know McDavid feel that his year-round effort throughout his career has helped him thrive when the spotlight shines brightest.

“He’s unique in his dedication to his craft,” said Hall of Famer Ken Hitchcock, McDavid’s coach in 2018-19. “He’s quite distinctive. He’s learned to be persistent, and he enjoys it. He’s really passionate about his craft, and that’s contagious when you’re on the same squad as him.”

Oilers teammates praised McDavid for setting a good example on and off the ice.

Mcdavid | AP News Image

Connor McDavid Wins Conn Smythe As Playoff MVP Despite Oilers Losing Stanley Cup Final To Panthers

“He’s the greatest player to ever play, in my opinion,” Draisaitl added. “There are so many things that he does that most people don’t notice, such as his work ethic. He almost singlehandedly turned our franchise around. I just love sharing the ice with him. He’s just a very remarkable person.”

That discussion is warranted for a player who led the league in scoring five times during the regular season and did almost everything on his own. What is still missing from the Stanley Cup, which will have to wait at least another year?

“Connor McDavid, he’s going to win the Stanley Cup someday,” said Patric Hornqvist, a two-time champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins who is now a Panthers scouting and development consultant. “That’s how good he is.”

SOURCE – (AP)