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Connor McDavid is undoubtedly the most brilliant star of the NHL.
The captain of Edmonton’s Oilers is a NHL all-star quadruple.
It is also a prolific marker, winning the Art Ross trophy five times as a player leading the NHL in regular season points.
McDavid also shares similarities with the legend of Wayne Gretzky hockey. McDavid and Gretzky are the only two players to be appointed MVP of the NHL by unanimous vote. While Gretzky is often called “big”, he thinks that McDavid is the greatest player in the active NHL.
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Connor McDavid, on the left, from Edmonton and Wayne Gretzky’s Oilers of the former Edmonton Oilers alumni pose for a photo after the farewell ceremony in Rexall after a match against the Canucks of Vancouver on April 6, 2016, in Rexall place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Andy Devlin / NHLI via Getty Images)
“No question, he is the best hockey player,” said Gretzky during an invited appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” by ESPN.
“The disinterested young man. He likes to play Edmonton, likes to be the captain of the Oilers. Desperately wanting a Stanley Cup, that is what he wants, cares the most. Ideal for our game, ideal for the city of Edmonton. What year. Marked the winning goal in the Cup of Four Nations in overtime.”
For the second consecutive year, the Florida Oilers and Panthers meet during the Stanley Cup final. McDavid and the Oilers won match 1 in the series on Wednesday evening.
The Oilers took the first blood in the final revenge of the Stanley Cup with a 4-3 victory in overtime against the Panthers
The 4-3 victory was a victory in the shelter for Edmonton, who was down 3-1 at one point in the match. But the Oilers scored three unanswered goals for a declaration of declaration on their ice cream at home.
Connor McDavid after the third period of match 5 of the Western Conference final in the NHL Hockey Cup qualifiers Stanley on May 29, 2025, in Dallas. (AP photo / Julio Cortez)
After matching the match in the third period to three, an extension period was necessary to determine the winner of match 1.
When the Oilers owned an advantage, McDavid capitalized by making a clever saucer pass to his teammate Leon Draisaitl, who stole in front of the net to pass the puck in front of the goalkeeper of the Panthers, Sergei Bobrovsky.
The EDMONTON Connor McDAVID (97) Oilers center passes after the center of Florida Panthers Brad Marchand (63) during the first period of the first game of the Stanley 2025 Cup final in Rogers placed in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, June 4, 2025. (Walter Tychnowicz / Imagn images)
Gretzky, who works as an NHL NLNAYSTE for TNT Broadcasts, predicted how McDavid’s assistance would set up his teammate Mattias Ekholm to do what ended up being the game goal in the third period of Wednesday match with the Panthers.
“They suffocate them. They play really intelligent. They play the defense of Rick Tocchet. They made him advance in the middle,” said Gretzky during the second intermission. “They gave them the outside. Connor will have to take it around the net or stop and hit the deceased guy because they cut everything to go to the net.”
Gretzky then admitted that his prediction was “Luck”, before renting McDavid.
“He is the best player in the world,” said Gretzky. “He knows what he is doing. I was just lucky with this statement.”
Match 2 is scheduled for Friday in Rogers placed in Edmonton. The series moves south of Florida for matches 3 and 4.
