EDMONTON — You could never measure Edmonton’s hockey’s legends with the same criteria.
Through all the good fortune this city has had with superstar players, Leon Draisaitl is never going to be any more similar to Connor McDavid than Mark Messier was to Wayne Gretzky.
Gretzky was as much about volume as he was grace and skill. Seven-point games, 200-point seasons, or 50 in 39 — Gretzky’s sheer numbers leave him as the NHL’s all-time scoring leader on assists alone.
Meanwhile, Messier was measured in body parts.
Heart, as in that spring night in Chicago when he beat the Blackhawks single-handedly, or the ’84 Conn Smythe that slayed the mighty Isles. Elbows, like the ones that creased the souls of Perry Berezan, Vladimir Kovin and others. Or legs that chugged past defencemen with that lethal mix of speed and strength.
Draisaitl controls the speed. McDavid is the speed.
As the Edmonton Oilers enter a new period of relevance — possibly destined for Stanley Cups, certainly armed with the prerequisites for contention — the high-rise that is McDavid’s legacy is still just a walk-up, with the first elimination game of these playoffs set for Saturday in Los Angeles.
He built an entire floor a year ago in his game, when the legend began for this writer. It was a must-win Game 6 at Los Angeles, with Edmonton trailing the series 3-2, facing elimination and embarrassment.
“It's when he took over,” said teammate Warren Foegele. “With the puck, obviously. But it was away from the puck that was really noticeable.”
As we ready ourselves for the rematch — a Saturday Game 6 between the Kings and Oilers in series that is flip-flopped, with Edmonton leading the series 3-2 — let’s look back on May 12, 2022.
In a game where his teammates needed a leader more than ever before, McDavid conjured up a never before seen performance.
He scored 1:40 into the opening period, played five shifts in the first eight minutes of the game, added two assists and went plus-3 in a 4-2 win.
“You can see his battle level. He's in every battle, above every check,” marvelled Tyson Barrie that night. “He’s doing everything right, and you can tell how badly he wants this.
“We’re so lucky to have him on our side. We’ve got to get one more for him here.”
Foegele, in the press box as a scratch that night, had a bird’s-eye view.
“He was dominant, everywhere on the ice. With the puck. Without the puck. The full, complete 200-foot game. Physical,” recited Foegele. “Basically, every attribute that's on a scouting list, it was checked off. And it was a 10 out of five.”
Darnell Nurse was suspended for that game. Evander Kane was clinical, with two goals and three points, while Leon Draisaitl — awkwardly toppled by Mikey Anderson in a scrum — skated through his high-ankle sprain to assist on Barrie’s game-winner with 5:10 to play.
“We have a lot of leaders in this room, whether they have a (letter) or not,” Foegele said, turning toward this Saturday’s rematch. “But (McDavid) is someone that this whole team gravitates to and respects. Because we see how hard he works — on the ice, but especially off the ice. You know how badly he wants to win.
“Everyone here wants to win,” he said. “But when your captain is that passionate, it brings a fire within the group. That's why he’s our captain.”
From behind the bench last spring, it didn’t look any different than it had from the press box.
“I saw someone take the game over from the opening puck drop,” Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft recalled. “You know, he did what exactly our team needed him to do, which was to set the tone.
“The way (Draisaitl) soldiered on was amazing. ... We got great contributions in that game, from lots of different people.”
Edmonton would return home to win Game 7 by a 2-0 score, and McDavid had a goal and an assist under the heat of that spotlight as well.
This year, with a series lead, the story plays out differently. But leadership is like that.
It’s not about leading every day. It’s about leading when the day demands it.
“That's why guys are thrust into those positions, and play a lot in those situations when they arise,” said Nurse. “Last year? That’s a prime example of leadership (and) a big part of why people are in those leadership roles. Because when moments are big, they're asked to do big things.”
Of course, legends are born not in opening round series', but in wins like that 1994 night in New Jersey when Messier guaranteed a Rangers win in Round 3 — then scored a hat trick. Like Gretzky-to-Lemieux on the Canada Cup stage, or Sidney Crosby’s throaty cry — “Iggy!” — that day in Vancouver, when a nation that is divided on the blue Maple Leaf all came together to cheer for the red one.
Saturday in L.A. is none of those things. But it is the prequel to all of them.
And that leaves us on McDavid alert.
In a game where something special will be needed, the special players line up to own the spotlight.
“I know he's gonna bring his best game,” said teammate Kailer Yamamoto. “You know, when these big games come up, he's always dialed in.
“You can just see it in his eyes. He's always just ready to go.”
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