from Jack Harris of the LA Times,
EDMONTON, Canada — Cameras and tape recorders crisscrossed the Edmonton Oilers’ locker room, cycling from stall to stall to capture the stories of the day. A familiar buzz filled the circular space, questions and conversations between players and reporters floating through the air the morning before a home game.
But the moment Connor McDavid stood up, everything else stopped. The rest of the room fell silent. When the most prominent athlete in Edmonton was ready to speak, all the attention came flocking to him.“He could run for mayor and win tomorrow,” said Tom Gazzola, an Edmonton sports radio host in his 13th season covering the team. “He’s basically a god, worshipped for what he does.”
McDavid never asked to be the Chosen One in Edmonton, to procure the prophetic pressures placed on him as the Oilers’ prodigal son. Had draft lottery luck played out differently when he entered the league as the highest-touted prospect in years back in 2015, he might have ended up in Arizona or Buffalo, Carolina or New Jersey.
Create an Account
In order to leave a comment, please create an account.