#nhl #hockey #edmontonoilers What if the best NHL hockey player in the world was slow? Would he still be the best? Let’s take a deeper look into the magic of Connor McDavid’s game.
don't forget the fact that he has great work ethic and likes to work on things he is not so good at, like physicality, play-offs. If he loses his speed, he'll learn to compensate.
As you mentioned, he might not even slow down so much. Marleau was one of the more speedy guys in the league when he was 40. It's not unthinkable that McDavid could be faster than most of the defensman in his late 30s. He has the work ethics to do so if he stays healthy.
I think he even might be better because some teammates will play more to his speed thus creating more assists with some goals taken away. But overall I think he can still use his shot and skill to his advantage.
McDavid's the best because his ability to read and react to the game is faster than anybody. Which was proven when they tested players by using brain scans. Bob Mackenzie talked about it. End of story.
I’ve never seen anyone break down a McDavid goal like this before, and it really highlights the hockey IQ McDavid has. The fact that he’s able to process information in this fast paced sport as quickly as he is is nothing short of incredible.
You got the clip of the one time last season I remember McLeod on McDavid’s line. I know they got McLeod slotted as 3C but he’s nearly as fast as McDavid. The one shift turned into a goal. It has been something I wanted to see all last season just to see what it looks like. Got just a tease. I love how the crowd gasps when McDavid plays. That time last season when he hit the brakes around Zegras was one of those moments. It’s a privilege to watch him play.
I saw Gretzky's last game. He was the best player on his team but no where near the best player in the NHL. Hockey is a physical game and the years take a toll. Crosby is the analogy to McDavid - still a superstar but not the best.
I can see mcdavid ending his career with 740-750 goals and maybe like 1,400-1,500 assists. That pandemic season I still can't get over how he still managed to get triple digit points in that season
I’ll say this. I haven’t played hockey since 2008 until a couple months ago. I’m now 33yo and playing the best Hockey in my life, and have already made a minor pro P.I.H.A. team and have never played indoor roller before. I keep up with and am better than a lot of the D1, D2, and D3 college kids and younger men, and people either hate playing against me, or love playing with me and everyone wants me on their team. I was a heavy heavy alcoholic for the last 15 years and have almost 20 bulging disk in my back that are degenerative. I’m saying all of this because if I can do this, than anyone can do this especially an NHL pro player like Connor. Connor is going to be just fine until he chooses not to play. Just look at Jagr. He’s in his 50s and still playing in pro leagues.
if he is able ascend to the level of Sidney Crosby's work ethic and hockey IQ i think he will keep going and not get too washed. although it might be likely he'll get sidelined by a younger/flashier player like Connor Bedard just like what was the case with Crosby.
When forwards slow down, for most, it becomes more about how good is their passing game. His is just good. He will want to improve that as time goes by.
He's the best in the league by far right now. He's not going to slow down just cause he turns 30! And even if he slows down a bit in the future he's still faster than most everyone else!
Mcdavids best ability isn’t his speed, it’s his iq it’s absurd he doesn’t just brute force with speed he scans realizes it’s an option and relies on many different skills he has absolutely everything you need, you can take away his hands and he’s still great, take away speed still great, he’s also a phenomenal playmaker you don’t become the best from 1 attribute
Sportstheory and fitness got lot better. I am not sure if this statement can be applied on modern players. If not for a injury modern players wont loose a lot of their speed.
I think your hockey IQ is in the triple digits, that's why I'm subbed. I love listening to you explain big brain hockey. But I don't think you've watched a lot of Ovi game play during his first decade. He was then a better goal scorer than McDavid will ever be. The speedster that McDavid is today, was Ovi his first decade. Ovi frequently blasted through everyone from the red line. There is a channel called every Ovi goal, get yourself caught up on how fast Ovi was. I'm not downplaying Syd nor McDavid, they are both easily two of the greatest players of all time, McDavid the best now, but Ovi is the greatest goal score of all time and that's accomplished in the Crosby / McDavid era. I do think if McDavid stays healthy he will end up beating Ovi's 30 goal season record, which will be 20 when his current contract ends.
What goes through your head when saying this? 99.9% of players get worse into their 30’s. How the fuck is that a weird question to ask how the best will transform with age
@@clandon9624 - Foe starters, calm your tits. Getting so angry is weird. Of course players will slow with age and production drops. That's a given. But the question was asking would McDavid be good without his speed. Simple answer is Yes. His game is not fully reliant on speed. His skill-set is much more than that. No need to be so insulted on his behalf. It was a compliment, not a dig.
Physical attributes, speed, skill, cognition, IQ, whatever you want to call it, is important to be a top tier player. But the best players, the most effective players, the guys that win championships are team guys, and I don't see that with him. He is incredibly talented, to be sure. However, the focus on the individual is where so many keyboard / youtube warriors miss the mark when assessing players. Mcdavid has 0 cups after 7 years in the league while on incontrovertibly good teams. I think that's pretty solid evidence he is in fact, not the best player in the game at the moment.
See Crosby for reference. You have your answer right there. Crosby used to rely on speed too. He changed his game accordingly. McDavid is a generational player like Crosby. There main asset is their hockey iq. I dont see McDavid as being top dog in the NHL for much longer if Bedard is what they say he is. Age gets us all. Best outcome is he ages like Crosby. As Crosby is still elite, but as Lemieux supplanted Gretzky, McDavid took over for Crosby. Bedard should put McDavid to no 2 in a few years time.
Difference is Crosby was forced to change his game after the concussions, and I think offensively it caused him to decline a bit earlier than he would have otherwise. He wasn't really a threat for the Art Ross after age 26, outside of 16/17 when he was 29. Depending on how quickly Bedard progresses I could see McDavid still winning scoring titles into his 30's. The gap between him and the rest of the league is just too big.
@@michaelshields6326You might want yo get your facts straight. Crosby fell off? When did this happen? He changed his game. Yes. But that had little to do with his concussions. He was actually more effective as a defensive foward. Crosby was always a threat to win the scoring title. Scoring in the NHL at the time was very low. Scoring titles were won with as little as 100pts. In 2014-2015 at 27 he finished third in scoring. He played 77 games and led the league in ppg at 1.1ppg. He most likely would have won. Lets not forget he was playing a defensive game at this time. In 2015-2016 he finished third again. In 2016-2017 he finished second to McDavid. Crosby played 75 games yo McDavids 82. Their ppg was 1.22 for McDavid and 1.19 for Crosby. He could have won the Art Ross that year if he didnt miss those games. On top of that he was slso playing a defensive game. Keep in mind Crosby doesn't really care about Art Ross trophys. Or scoring titles. He cares about cups. And playing a complete game is more important to him. Trying to win Art Ross trophys isnt going to win you many cups. Backchecking is a vital part for a center in the playoffs. As evident as he got voted as the most complete player in the NHL how many years in a row now. Crosbys speed went. That is why he changed his game mostly. It will happen to McDavid too. And he will have to adapt like Crosby did. It happens. He will then have yo rely on his hockey iq like Crosby did to remain elite.
@@chelious1973 I've watched almost every game of Crosby's career. He didn't change his game after the concussions? Lol ok that's why he went from a 51 goals season and a Rocket Richard followed by 32 goals in 41 games in 10/11. After the concussions he had 8 goals in 22 games and then 13 in 48 games. He went from the best goal scorer in the league to playing an almost pure playmaking style. As for competing for Art Ross trophies, the idea that he was focusing on defense and that's why his numbers dropped is complete revisionist nonsense. It had far more to do with Mike Johnston and Mike Sullivan changing to systems that no longer had their centers being the main puck carriers through the neutral zone. Sullivan's system especially focuses on using speedy wingers to break out up the ice quickly. From 2010-2014 he was far ahead of the rest of the league in points per game. Afterwards his numbers relative to his competition started dropping. Was the league lower scoring? Sure, but that doesn't affect where his numbers were relative to his competition. Crosby at his peak would not be losing scoring titles to Jamie Benn and Patrick Kane (the latter of which outscored him by 20 points). He was not the same offensive player he was at his peak. It was obvious to anyone who actually watched him play. It had nothing to do with his defensive play, which was fairly average at the time. His advanced defensive numbers really didn't improve much until 2018/2019. None of this btw, had anything to do with him losing speed. There are plenty of guys who maintained their skating well into their 30's and I suspect McDavid will do the same. Mike Gartner, Teemu Selanne, Matt Cullen just off the top of my head were all fantastic skaters well into their 30's. My point is, at 26 Crosby won his last Art Ross and was already not at the same level of dominance relative to his peers that he had been before. McDavid at 26 just hit an even higher level and had one of the greatest seasons of all time. Unless Bedard advances very quickly McDavid has a great chance to continue dominating the scoring race into his 30's. That's something Crosby simply didn't do, which pains me to admit as I am a big time Penguins fan.
@@michaelshields6326 I am from Pittsburgh and watched almost every game he played. He averaged his highest ppg when he broke his neck. It did play apart in changing his style. But was not the only determining factor. Yes changing your game to a more defensive type player will lower your stats because of the backchecking. And you are ignoring everything i pointed out. As in how many games he missed those years. Kane outscored him by 20 points. Yes. Was Kane a better player. No. Crosby Korsi was actually higher. His offence created was 3.47. Kanes was 2.89. EVP were 69 for Kane and 61 for Crosby. Who finished in second. I already pointed out and debunked with hard numbers and facts that your claim was not based in actual reality. Like you saying Crosby lost to Benn is because he fell off. Well you totally ignore i pointed out that Benn had 87pts in 82 games with a 1.06ppg. Crosby played in 77games and had 84pts for a higher ppg average of 1.1 ppg. If Crosby had played those 5 missed games his ppg of 1.1 would translate to 90pts. Totally destroys your whole argument. Those other years you mentioned Crosby could have won multiple Art Ross trophies if not for missing games. Figures you would ignore those years. Sullivans system uses wingers to break quickly yes i know. What you dont realize that same system requires the center to play pivot and backcheck. Crosbys peak was right when he won his two back to back cups. You equate only offence as being the only prerequisite on being the best player. Its not. Winning is. No generational player has won more than Crosby. He is maybe the most complete player other than Orr in NHL history. You saying he fell off is nonsense. Even now. People are going to be very, very shocked this year as Sullivan system is changing to a 1x2x2 from a 2x1x2 setup. No longer will have Crosby play pivot from the wingers to the defencemen. He will be breaking into the zone with a winger not playing pivot and backchecking behind the wingers. They are also moving him from down low to the half wall. This alone will give him 10-20 more points alone. No offense but the facts and figures dont back up what you are saying. Crosby at his offencive peak was not as good as the Crosby who won back to back cups. You equate only Art Ross Trophys wins to being the best player. It's not. That is where we differ. Winning cups is the main goal of being the best player. And winning those cups comes with that. You saying Crosby winning his last Art Ross at 26 as proof is ridiculously false. As I already pointed out with actual facts. You just ignored them. FYI: You might want to use multiple paragraphs so your response is easier to read. No one's going to read it except for me. 😅
@@chelious1973 You didn't destroy my argument because you can't seem to grasp it. I didn't say Crosby suddenly was terrible offensively. I said he was no longer by far the best offensive player in the league. Which is 100 percent fact. 2010-2014 Crosby does not lose a scoring race to Jamie Benn just because he missed 5 games. McDavid is aging better offensively than Crosby. He just completely blew the league away by a margin not seen since Gretzky and Lemieux. I also did not say that Crosby was not the best player in the league or that Art Ross trophies were the only measure of all around ability. I simply stated that OFFENSIVELY McDavid looks to be aging better than Crosby did. OFFENSIVELY Crosby was no longer head and shoulders above the rest of the league after 2013/2014. Which is a fact.
are we forgetting bro had a completely torn PCL, tears to both his medial and lateral menisci, a completely torn popliteus muscle, and tibial plateau fracture. with age that shit will worsen and get weaker. he'll still be a scoring machine and point grabber but his speed will be nowhere near this in the future. especially if it happens again and he opts for reconstruction surgery this time around
I saw the worst thing happen to him early on, and I think it's the real reason he hasn't led Edmonton to a cup yet. It was after a whistle, and he was skating calm backwards. One of the other team kept his skate out, on purpose, just long enough to trip McDavid from the back, so he landed in the worst way. Luckily he didn't get hurt. But none of the fans did anything, the refs did nothing, and he himself just took it. So freakin' sad to see that. The fights in hockey don't always make sense, but that's a time it would have.
McDavid has been an absolute beast in the playoffs the past 2 years, if you haven't noticed. Winning the cup is a team accomplishment, and not a prerequisite to being the best player in the world. He'll probably have multiple cups by the time his career is over, anyways.
4:58 If? Really? He's human. There is no "if", just "when". Nobody will be skating like they're 25 years old, when they're 32. Nobody. Thanks for the laugh though. 🤣 I also love how you assume to know what's going through his head, as though you live in it or something. I would say I'd see you in a few years to laugh at this video when it ages like sour milk, but, I honestly can't say I care enough to revisit it even within a month's time, much less a few years. Best of luck at your day job, bud.
