EDMONTON — As a thick snow blankets Edmonton over Christmastime, Connor McDavid is plowing through the most productive month of his National Hockey League career. He’s piled up 33 points in December alone, taking the highest points total into the Christmas break (67) since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr back in 1995-96.
And, on Wednesday, he spoke of “ramping it up” for the Olympic tournament in Milan.
"Yikes …
“If he's ramping it up even more,” said his head coach in Edmonton, Kris Knoblauch, “I'm afraid for the opposition.”
The story across the hockey world on Wednesday was the 25-man Olympic roster announced by Hockey Canada. The story two months from now will be McDavid — you heard it here first.
Privately, McDavid didn’t love his performance at the 4 Nations last winter, despite scoring the tournament-winning goal. Or, at least, he feels he can be more consistent in his contributions through the tournament than he was earlier this year.
And the one thing we’ve learned covering McDavid’s NHL career since its inception is, if he puts his mind to excelling at something, well, you’d best just get out of his way.
“You‘ve got to find a way to peak in February,” McDavid said Wednesday morning. “It's kind of unique that way for us (players who) have never had that experience. Last year, you go from playing a middle-of-the-season, sleepy game to a couple of days later, you're in what feels like playoff Game 7.
“It's important that guys are ramping up their games. Personally, I feel like I'm trying to do that too, trying to make sure my game is in a good spot as we come down the stretch here to the Olympics.”
McDavid’s game has, offensively at least, never been in a better spot than it is this December.
He is, as we’ve mentioned, enjoying the most productive month of his NHL career, with one game to play against Boston Wednesday night and 33 points already under his belt. He’s on pace for 141 points, which would be the second-highest single-season total of his career — though he did have 105 points in 56 games back in 2020-21.
If having his game “in a good spot” before a tournament he’s been looking forward to since he was a little boy is the goal, then look out, world.
“Tenacious. Wanting to make something happen every shift. Hungry to score goals,” listed Knoblauch. “Every time he has the puck, he's driving the net, and if he can't get to the net, then he's looking to make the next play. He’s a very driven player, very focused, which is the case for him all the time. But he’s taking it to another level right now.
“You think about how good Connor is, and if he's going to get better …? Hockey Canada is going to get one heck of a player.”
McDavid, who turns 29 in two weeks, has been vocal in years past about being part of a generation of NHL players that has been denied a chance at Olympic participation. He should have two Olympic Games on his resume by now, as should Nathan MacKinnon and others.
That will only add urgency to what we predict will be a seminal moment for McDavid watchers — and Canadian hockey fans — when his blades hit the ice in Milan.
“It's definitely getting real, with the team being announced today,” he said. “We're a month away from our break. … It's getting here, and I'm excited about it. Leon's excited. It's a great opportunity for us, something that we haven't done ever.”
Barring injury, McDavid will leave a few potential teammates behind in this Oilers dressing room, as none of Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins made Team Canada's cut.
“Disappointed for the Oilers guys. (We have some) great players here that, different year, different situation, could easily be on the team,” McDavid said.
The one thing that all these Oilers hopefuls had that some of the other candidates did not was a very recent and extensive sample size of important games played. Hyman, Bouchard and Nugent-Hopkins are all integral parts of a team that has won six playoff series in the past two springs, two deep runs that ended in Cup Final disappointment.
Bouchard’s game has come around nicely these last six weeks, but his early-season foibles — defensive miscues of the most glaring nature — likely sealed his fate for a tournament in which an untimely goal against could be the difference between gold and missing the medals altogether.
Hyman came back from a dislocated wrist and has piled up 11 goals and 21 points in 21 games. He can’t do much more than that, and was at peace with his lot.
“I’m disappointed that I'm not on it, but at the same time, very proud of being able to come back from an injury, to be in the mix, and to be able to play to the standard that I want to be at,” Hyman said.
Said Bouchard: “Everybody has their own opinion, but there’s a lot of good defencemen out there, a lot of great Canadians out there. The decision is made, and you have to live with it. If you get the call — if something happens — I’ll be ready.”
All the Oilers who were not chosen say they will continue to receive Olympic drug testing in case an injury arises and they are added to the team.
