Connor McDavid beats Conn Smith as his Oilers fall in Stanley Cup Finals

For the first time since 2003, the first time for a non-goaltender since 1976, and only the sixth time, the playoff MVP was not among the celebrants. Edmonton forward Connor McDavid was honored with the Conn Smith Award for his star turn in these playoffs, which included almost single-handedly pulling the Oilers back from the brink after falling behind 3–0 in the series to force a Game 7.

But after coming just two goals short of the ultimate dream, having almost accomplished a fairy tale ending for the ages in the same building where the Oilers had drafted him nine years earlier, McDavid was nowhere to be found as a staff member Took the trophy.

Minutes earlier, when a frustrated McDavid met with the media, his feelings were summed up simply.

“It sucks,” McDavid said. “it’s useless.”

Perhaps more than any other sport, hockey is known for forsaking individual accomplishments in favor of focusing on team results. There is nothing more contradictory for a hockey player than accepting a major individual honor after his team’s devastating defeat.

McDavid, as Edmonton’s captain, remained on the ice long after the final horn sounded, waiting for all of his teammates to move through the handshake line with the Panthers, before he eventually followed them into the tunnel. Do. When NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman picked up the microphone to declare Conn Smythe the winner, McDavid was long gone.

After the season with 42 points in 25 games, McDavid finished fourth on the all-time list; Only Wayne Gretzky (twice) and Mario Lemieux have recorded more points in a single playoff run. McDavid’s 34 assists broke Gretzky’s 1988 record of 31 assists.

Conn Smythe is voted on by a panel of media members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association; The Washington Post does not vote on the awards. There were 10 minutes left in Game 7 and McDavid’s selection was almost unanimous – only one voter did not place him first on the ballot.

McDavid’s Oilers teammate Leon Draisaitl said, “I think he’s the greatest player ever.” “There are so many things that a lot of people don’t see that he does, his work ethic. He single-handedly changed our franchise to a great extent. Just love sharing the ice with him. He is truly a special person.”

McDavid was held without a point in the final two games of the Finals, but his back-to-back four-point efforts in Games 4 and 5 gave Edmonton life. He had 10 points in six games against the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Finals which put the Oilers in position to play for the Stanley Cup. His nine points in seven games against the Vancouver Canucks helped Edmonton reach the second round for the second time since joining the team in 2015.

“You think about the year that Connor had with 100 assists, leading our team, his performance in this playoffs, especially this last round when we were down three games to zero and then he scored eight points in two games. “Yeah, he’s our leader, he’s our best player, and obviously everybody wanted to win it for the team, and we obviously owe it to him (our I can’t say enough things about what he provides, the leadership and what he does on the ice.”

Even Florida captain Alexander Barkov, so soon after achieving every hockey player’s biggest dream, was surprised by his counterpart on the other side of the ice.

“He’s probably the most talented hockey player I’ve ever seen in my life,” Barkov said. “Obviously, I never played against Gretzky, but I can imagine he’s kind of the same thing.”

Perhaps one day, with the benefit of hindsight and distance from the immediate pain, McDavid will feel proud of the accomplishment of being playoff MVP. But for now, traveling back to Edmonton with Conn Smythe — instead of the trophy the Oilers wanted to bring home — only serves as a reminder that he gave everything he had and it still wasn’t enough. Was.

“There’s no player in the world who wants to win a Stanley Cup more than him,” Draisaitl said. “He does everything right every day, just to win one day. It’s really hard for him to be sad and disappointed at the end.”