Don Cherry knows he talks about Connor McDavid a lot, but when you’ve already got as many highlight-reel plays as the Edmonton Oilers captain does so early in the season, it’s tough not to.
There’s a lot to study about McDavid’s game, but Cherry pointed out one aspect of his play that doesn’t always get acknowledged: “He plays reckless.”
When you’re as fast on your feet as McDavid is, reckless is a good thing.
“Nobody skates like [Bobby] Orr, I mean forget that. But you know who [McDavid] skates like? Pavel Bure,” Cherry said during Saturday’s segment on Hockey Night in Canada. “Watch Pavel Bure, he used to get nailed like this too, Pavel Bure could really bang it up.”
Bure, who earned himself the nickname “The Russian Rocket” for his smooth strides and unparalleled speed, was so often able to speed past defenders and was never short on creative ways to do so.
“Watch how he goes close to guys and goes around them, he plays reckless,” Cherry pointed out. “He [took] chances. The difference in these two guys is that they take chances.”
So, which player is faster?
“I’ll tell you, boy that Pavel could go,” Cherry said. “But I’ll tell you one thing, I don’t think he could go as good as Connor.”
