The NHL has turned into a soap opera. Top players are asking out, others are forgoing pay to get what they want, offer sheets are shaking up franchises and unproven kids seem to be running the show by signing contracts with term. It’s easy to get caught up speculating on where it all went wrong between Dylan Larkin and Steve Yzerman, why Tampa Bay would insult reigning Hart winner Nikita Kucherov with $13M a year and why Connor Hellebuyck chose New Jersey. Or why the Rangers blew a golden opportunity to get creative with the Hometown remix jersey and landed on a worse version of the Heritage third concepts.
It’s been endless entertainment off the ice and I’m not complaining. But I’m starting to wonder if we’re taking the on-ice stuff for granted.
I’m talking about the effortless display of generational talent from Connor McDavid night in and night out. Everyone knows the name and what he’s capable of, but this year he’s in a different stratosphere. He’s got 40 points in 16 games, far and away the league lead, and if he stays healthy, he’s on pace for a season nobody has touched in decades. If you thought his 153 points in 2022-23 was something, prepare yourself. Wayne Gretzky eclipsed 200 points four times in the 1980s, and McDavid is currently on that kind of trajectory.
I’m telling you right now, if you consider yourself a hockey fan, you need to see him play in person. It’s worth the price of admission and then some. I’ve been lucky enough to see him in Colorado, New Jersey and most recently at MSG on Sunday night. It’s awe-inspiring to watch someone at the peak of his craft go to work.
The warmups alone are worth showing up early for. McDavid looks like a sports car revving the engine, making sure everything feels right before he floors it for 60 minutes. He does these circular laps, where he takes a pass off the half wall from one of his teammates, flicks a shot on net and peels up the wall at full speed to start again. What gets me is that he always has a puck coming his way as he glides down the slot, and it’s not always from the same guy. Even in warmups the Oilers have a spidey sense of where 97 is. They all seem to have one eye on McDavid and one eye on their own preparation. Can you blame them?
Then the puck drops and McDavid isn’t on the ice to start the game. “Where’s McDavid?” my wife innocently wondered out loud. We blinked and he opened the scoring with a highlight reel goal. It truly felt like a moment out of a sitcom.
Where’s McDavid? Yeah, he’s the guy who just hopped off the bench, took the puck from Evan Bouchard, split two defenders in one motion, made Vlad Gavrikov look like a pylon going wide, cut back inside, beat Dylan Garand with a cheeky little shot and emphatically pumped his fist on one knee to celebrate. All the while going a million miles an hour, no less. He’s sort of hard to miss.
I’m biased, but Madison Square Garden adds such a special element to the experience. It’s not called The World’s Most Famous Arena for nothing. Visiting superstars get to showcase themselves in an iconic venue right smack in the middle of the best city on planet earth. Michael Jordan dropped 55 there in his comeback. Kobe Bryant scored 61. The biggest names in basketball and hockey have always wanted the bright lights and attention that MSG brings, and Connor McDavid looked right at home.
Think about it from the Rangers’ perspective. They had nearly a week to prepare for Sunday night, since their last game was Monday against the Kings. Do you know how many times it was probably communicated to the team to keep 97 to the outside? To not let him gain full steam headed into the offensive zone? To let someone else on Edmonton beat them if they’re going to lose?
And then 50 seconds into the game, McDavid chews up the game plan and spits it back out. Honestly, there isn’t much the Rangers could’ve done, other than maybe Garand coming up with a miraculous stop. It’s simply a world class player making a world class play. Mike Sullivan pretty much said the same thing after the game:
Here’s the thing though. I didn’t buy tickets to strictly watch a McDavid masterclass. Shocking, but I bought them hoping the Rangers would win. Like everyone else in the building, I was fiending for goals, maybe a fight, overtime would’ve been cool, good end to end action that sends you home happy. Instead, it was a 4-1 loss, and we weren’t thrilled about it.
Lower bowl seats aren’t cheap, so going with my wife works out to one game a year, if that. Last season it didn’t even happen. That’s why I chose the Oilers game. From a pure talent perspective, Connor McDavid is the greatest hockey player to ever lace up the skates (odds are Wayne Gretzky would concur), and I want to see him in person any chance I get.
We’re living through a golden age of the NHL, and McDavid is the cream of the crop. Splurge on the lower bowl if you can swing it. Get there for warmups and study 97. Once the game starts you won’t have to look for the number. He’s the guy skating an octave above everyone else, moving differently, cutting back against the grain and changing direction in ways that blow your mind and have you saying “wow” out loud all night. You don’t need to understand hockey or know the rules to see it and appreciate it.
Your team might lose. Mine did. And yet my wife and I walked out of the building talking about the magic of 97. Rest assured, you’ll get your money’s worth. Go see Connor McDavid play hockey in person and do it this season.
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