Don’t expect Connor McDavid to pull an Eric Lindros heading into the 2015 NHL Draft.
In a candid hour-long interview with Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun, McDavid’s father, Brian, poured cold water on speculation that the Erie Otters star wouldn’t report if he was drafted with the first overall pick by the Edmonton Oilers.
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“It was the same situation when he was in the OHL draft and was selected by Erie,” McDavid told the Edmonton Sun. “People were speculating he might not report to Erie. He reported. That was never going to be an issue.
“Connor is very aware of the rich history and the passionate fans in Edmonton and would be proud and humbled to follow in the steps of those great players and teams. I hope my saying this will put that subject to rest.”
The speculation began when McDavid appeared to look upset on national television when he learned the Oilers won the 2015 NHL Draft Lottery.
“To be honest, he was a little bit in shock,” McDavid said. “He would have had the exact same expression on his face if the winner had been Buffalo, Toronto or Arizona. The reality is that his future had just been decided by bingo balls.
“Candidly, Edmonton was the one place we didn’t think he’d land despite the high odds…So we never really talked about Edmonton. We were just shocked when the balls bounced in their favor.
In the article, McDavid’s father wondered whether Oilers legend Wayne Gretzky, who called Connor the best prospect in 30 years, will join the Oilers’ organization because of his strong relationship with new CEO Bob Nicholson.
Gretzky doesn’t have much of a relationship with McDavid, according to Brian, but the Hall of Famer reached out to offer advice to Connor — when he was 15– to help him overcome some struggles on a poor Erie team.
“One night Connor was driving with Steven Harper, his friend not the prime minister, heading to watch a movie, when he phoned me and said, ‘You wouldn’t believe what happened,'” he explained. “He told me that on the way to the movie his cell phone started to ring. He said the voice on the other end said, ‘It’s Wayne Gretzky.’
“Wayne reached out to get his number just so he could tell him that he’d played for some teams that weren’t very good and not to get depressed and that he was a great player and to stick at it and good things would happen.
“What a great sport we have when one of the greats of the game could go out of his way to do that for a 15-year-old kid.”
