TORONTO – When you show up for a morning skate and see Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr and Paul Coffey in attendance you know you’re in the right place.
The first meeting between Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews as NHL players attracted a few more stars to Air Canada Centre on Tuesday. In recent years, you never would have imagined that for a game featuring the Oilers and Maple Leafs, but the outlook has changed dramatically in each city with the arrival of a special young centre.
“All eyes will be on those two kids, there’s no question about it,” said Gretzky. “I’ll be watching. That’s why I flew in. I’m excited to see the game.”
They each have the potential to carry the sport for years to come.
McDavid still hasn’t even played 60 career NHL games and entered the night as the league’s leading scorer at 12 points. Matthews sat just two behind after a stellar opening month for the Leafs.
They’re not rivals in any meaningful way – heck they were linemates with Team North America during September’s World Cup – but they are bound to draw comparisons as back-to-back No. 1 picks that are being tasked with carrying long-suffering Canadian teams out of the abyss.
This is something Gretzky lived through early in his career when he was compared to Marcel Dionne and Guy Lafleur, and later when Mario Lemieux arrived on the scene and drew comparisons to him. He always found the head-to-head matchups with those players special.
“Absolutely, it fires you up,” said Gretzky. “Anybody who says it doesn’t – listen, it’s a team game but individually you’ve got pride too. That’s what makes superstars Hall of Famers, is that you have that pride as a player and as an athlete; that although the concern is about the team you get fired up. Mario got fired up and Guy Lafleur got fired up when he played against me, and I got fired up when I played against guys like Dionne.
“That’s what makes the game great.”
It’s clear that Matthews and McDavid have a healthy amount of respect for each other. They arguably have a better understanding of what the other is going though as a burgeoning NHL star than any of us do of them.
“I definitely don’t consider him a rival,” said McDavid. “I think it would be a lot easier for (the media) if I came in here and said ‘I hate him! Blah, blah, blah.’ But he’s a good kid.
“I’m excited to play against him.”
Still, each arrived to the rink on Tuesday knowing what to expect. They’re only going to face each other twice a year while playing in different conferences – the next meeting goes Nov. 29 in Edmonton – and the head-to-head comparison will likely be a part of each of those meetings.
“It’s just something you’ve got to manage,” said Matthews. “Not get too hung up about it. There’s always going to be the outside stuff and pressure and everything, but I think it’s something you block out and set personal expectations for yourself.”
It promises to be a particularly special night for McDavid, who was raised in nearby Newmarket and missed the opportunity to play here last season while he was out with a broken collarbone. He was a Leafs fan growing up and attended games at the ACC, saying he has special memories of his visits to the building.
There are a lot of elements at play to elevate this game beyond one of 82 each has on the schedule this season.
That much was clear when you saw Gretzky and Orr watching the teams skate on Tuesday morning. They each had some business interests drawing them to the building – Gretzky is an Oilers partner while Orr runs the agency that represents McDavid – but it was the occasion that brought them here as well.
“It’s just going to be a good hockey game,” said Gretzky. “You know, they both play with speed and both teams play hard. I’m excited about the game. It’s going to be fun to watch tonight.
“This will be a fun night for hockey fans coast to coast.”
