Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid shared his reaction to winning his fifth Ted Lindsay Award as the players’ MVP.
Each year, the players vote for the winner of the Ted Lindsay Award, given annually to the most outstanding player in the NHL as voted by fellow members of the NHL Players’ Association. For the fifth time in his star-studded hockey career, McDavid took home the honor this year.
Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks and Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning were the other finalists for the honor.
Connor McDavid Reacts to Winning the Ted Lindsay Award
After being surprised on the golf course with the trophy, McDavid shared his reaction to winning the Ted Lindsay Award for the fifth time in his amazing NHL career.
“This award, coming from the guys that you play against every single night and battle against every single night and to have them recognize me for an award like this means so much,” McDavid said (via NHL.com).
Brian McDavid, Connor’s father, also shared his reaction to his son winning the honor yet again.
“He’s 29 years old and has won it for the fifth time. You know, Wayne (Gretzky) is the iconic player in the game, and to have Connor’s name up there with his name is just surreal. My father referred to Connor from the time he was 7 years old as ‘the little pro.’ And you know, I think it’s pretty apt actually. The whole journey has been surreal. It’s been a dream in many ways. Celebrating him with something like this today makes it all worthwhile from my perspective,” McDavid’s father said.
Connor McDavid Hoping to Win the Stanley Cup
Although McDavid is certainly honored to win this award for the fifth time, there is one trophy that has eluded him his entire NHL career thus far: the Stanley Cup.
Despite being far and away the best hockey player on the planet, McDavid has not yet had the privilege of holding the Stanley Cup above his head. He came close with the Oilers the past two springs, but they lost to the Florida Panthers both times they made it to the Stanley Cup Finals.
This year, the Oilers were bounced in the first round by the Anaheim Ducks, and they ended up firing Kris Knoblauch as their head coach. The team is now embarking on its search for the club’s next head coach, though no one has been hired yet.
The Oilers need to win a Stanley Cup in the next two years, or else McDavid might bounce. He only has two more years left on his current contract, so if the team doesn’t win, then he might be gone. He’s done everything he can to win in Edmonton, including taking less money on his current contract extension. But the team just hasn’t been able to break through and win the Stanley Cup.
The Ted Lindsay Award is certainly a nice honor. But McDavid wants the Stanley Cup more than anything else, and he won’t stop until he gets it.
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