The main reason he can box these guys out is his skating ability. He’s not oversized by any means, he’s just such an elite skater with amazing edgework and lower body strength
not just his skating. He is also elite at using his frame and weight to lean on the defenders at the perfect time. Hard to notice that because it's probably so natural to him.
@@ohboi9578 yes I can notice. the ability to do that comes from his elite skating and edge work. You can know how/when to do that, but everyone in the NHL is strong and defenders are ridiculously hard to beat one on one, so without exceptional ability to control your weight distribution with your edges, it doesn’t happen
McDavid is a generational talent it doesn't matter what the opposing team does to try and contain him he always finds a way onto the scoresheet. He has led the league in points 4 out of his 7 years in the NHL. Last season he put up 123 points(1st in the league) 44 goals(7th in the league) and 79 assists(2nd in the league). On top of that he had an unbelievable playoff run were he put up 33 points in 16 games. I'd recommend reacting to the best fights, goals, or hits of the 2021-2022 NHL season.
Some players think faster, some players skate faster and some players can stick handle faster. McDavid has all three, there may be players in the league with similar type of skating speed as him but none have the hands and ultra fast iq that can keep up with his feet. This video actually doesnt show his playmaking which is where he gets most of his points from.
Gotta check out some of his play making or someone like Auston Matthews he just won MVP and is the best goal scorer in the league and by the end of his career will ne the best american player ever.
It’s almost impossible to guard man on man in hockey like in basketball. It’s everyone on defense moving around and making decision away from the puck, he’s so fast and quick that he can take advantage everytime almost
Defemcemen are almost always bigger and stronger than forwards, Mcdavid embarrasses them because hes so much faster than them that they cant hit him, get in his way, or out muscle him for the puck, because by the time they get in a position where they could do those things, Mcdavid has skated past them and is probably 10 feet ahead. He’s undisputedly the fastest player in the NHL by a fair margin; they have a skills competition with a race between all the fastest players in the league as one of the events, and hes won every year. In his rookie year he had 48 points in 45 games because of a broken clavicle, which even for the full season put him among the top players for points. At 19 during his first full year of play he had a 100 point season which is INCREDIBLY rare to see from any player, which got him named the youngest team captain in league history. It is very rare for players to make the NHL before 20-22 when they age out of either the WHL or OHL, which are the NHL’s main draft pools, and even rarer for them to perform at a superstar level as soon as they enter the league. The only rookie years that match up are Alexander Ovechkin, who had 106 points in 2005 at 19, Sidney Crosby who had 102 points at 18 years old, also in 2005, and Teemu Selanne who had 156 points with 76 goals at 22 years old, but Selanne played in the 90’s where scoring was much easier. So really hes in a class of 3, with Ovi and Crosby both remaining the best players in the league up until Mcdavid entered a decade later.
He’s literally the only player in the world that can do what he does. Not saying he’s the greatest player ever but he is 100% the best most skilled human ever to play hockey.
Listen up. Hockey skills coach here. I’m gonna tell ya what makes #97 so elite: The most difficult skill in ice hockey to master is the three tiered apparatus of skating, puck control, and situational awareness - all working in simultaneous tandem. In other words, your skates move your body, while your hands move the puck - which is like the art of the drummer who beats two different rhythms with his foot and his hand - but the third part - situational awareness - means that your present awareness is neither focused on your skating, nor your stick handling, because it must be focused on the situation as it presents, and how to read and react to it. Doing these three things independently of one another, simultaneously, is extremely difficult to master…. …especially when you consider that #97 can move at speeds of above 40 kmph. The faster one moves, the harder these skills are to keep under control. Yet McDavid has mastered it better than anyone alive, in my opinion. This is what makes him so sensational as an offensive threat. P.S. and I’ll say one more thing that is special about him. Because moving yourself into position A for a good look on goal is one thing, solving the goalie is entirely another. We see many players work to get themselves into scoring position, yet nobody, or at least very few players, have the ability to beat a goalie from in tight like McDavid. Watching him beat D to the net, and then effortlessly beating the goalie - he makes it look so easy - trust me it is NOT that easy a thing to do at the rate he does it.
Haven't seen anyone mention this, but McDavid has done footwork training with a very prominent NBA footwork coach as well. Granted 2 different sports, but you could for sure apply those footwork drills on the ice if you're on that type of diff level.
You can’t play McDavid “heavy” because he’s literally just too fast, if you try to line him up and lay him out he’ll just walk around you. Gotta try and just keep up with him and force him outside. Which.. also doesn’t really work hahaha
You REALLY need to do a video on Claude Giroux. He's BY FAR the most underrate player in NHL history. He's up there in sports history too. He's one of the highest scoring players over the last 10 years, has the dirtiest hands, passed better than any other player I've ever seen, is the 2nd best face-off guy in the NHL (which is huge because you can't score unless you win face-offs. Think of it like a tip bass on the toss up in the NBA. And, he has some of the best compilation videos there is. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8YOohzJnU5U.html You need to do a reaction to the video. Or one like it if you can't use the NHL official video. But this is a guy that has had over 100 points a few seasons back while playing on one of the worst teams in the NHL (a huge accomplishment). Yeah, he's not a Flyer anymore but his highlights are about as sick as they come. Please do a video on him. He deserves some recognition for his skill. He's so under-rated that most teams don't even consider him a 1st line player..... despite that fact that he's one of the leading scorers in the NHL and the best at a lot of other parts of the game. These highlights speak for themselves though.
@@lukasmesaros9431 Did I say he was better than either of them? However, for the record, he actually is a better well-rounded player than McDavid. McDavid is the most skilled point producers. He has that for sure. And he's fast as shit. But he's a bit on the weak side when it comes to a 200ft game. Giroux has a great 200ft game. Best in the dot. His hands are better than most players. Kane, Johnny Hockey.... those would be the guys that would have better hands. If they did a highlight reel of G breaking ankles without it ending a goal, the list would be too long to make. Every game, he makes someone look stupid. Even if it doesn't end with a goal (often because he was a Flyer and a play-maker and they haven't had any real finishers to put him with. So he'll walk 3 guys then have it amount to nothing because the pass isn't finished. Oh, and he is definitely a better passer than McDavid. Fact. It's not even subjective. It's a fact. McDavid might be better at producing points.... that doesn't equal better passer. McDavid is also playing with guys that don't need a good pass. Shit, a bunch are PP points that he hooks up with Drysitle on... or 5 v 5 when they play together. "But they don't play on the same line"...... often, they do. Especially when they really need points. Your comment alone is evidence of my point.
@@darthollpheist1156 Giroux hasn't had more than 45 points in a season since 2019 though. McDavid is on pace for yet another 100+ point season, bringing it to 6 100+ point seasons in 8 years...Giroux is not a "better well rounded" player in any facet, lol stop 🤣
@@D95-d7y I never claimed he was better than McDavid now. And like I said, there's a lot more to hockey than scoring points. But he is a more well rounded player. There are TONS of guys that are better well rounded players than McDavid. He's a scoring machine. I won't deny his ability to score and do it at high speed. But there's a lot of guys that are better 200ft players. Bergeron is another one. Anyway, you're arguing against yourself.
@@darthollpheist1156 Literally nobody thinks Giroux is a better overall well rounded player than McDavid at this point in time, please take your medications. Cheers.
NHL defenseman ARE big and fast in most cases. McJesus makes them look slow because he's simply that much faster, not to mention they're skating backwards as well. He's also not small himself at 6'1" 192lbs. The fact that he can skate with such speed and precision, with such a large frame is truly amazing. Watch some old videos of Gretzky, he too made defenseman appear to be standing still. Similar to watching Kobe Bryant or Micheal Jordan, if you want to compare sports. You don't see slap shots much in the current NHL, but if you want to see them, watch a video of Ovechkin highlights. Top of the "key/circle", is called Ovechkins office.
It’s always hilarious watching black dudes react to the NHL.. because 99% of them (and I don’t mean anything bad either!) have no idea what hockey is all about and the way they play.. it seems like the people who have no idea just think they fight each other and it’s all about fighting lmao.. it’s never about fighting. I mean sometimes but that’s not gonna get you a win. Hockey players have the highest athletic IQ in my opinion and I mean that by far. Shooting a puck over 100 miles an hour and stopping it and catching it in a second. Controlling the puck while you skate on ice and have people trying to kill you. It’s the best. No flopping either.. for the most part.
I believe that the goal at 13:14 had to be one of his first time getting a one time slapper from that angle, you could see in his expression and everyone's excitement that he was able to pull it off as he normally never sets up from that spot.
A slap-shot is when you wind up and hit the ice about 3-6 inches behind the puck, which flexes your stick and then unloads it on the follow-through. You should watch some shot in slow motion. A wrist shot is the one where you see the leg closest to the puck.... the inside leg, kicked back as you roll your wrists over and point at your target with your blade (really that you aim all shots). A snap-shot is kind of a mix of a slapper and wrister. The difference is you're not striking the ice before the puck like in a slap-shot, and there's not wind-up (wrist shots have a certain wind-up too. You'll see them pull the puck back then pulling it forward then releasing. It's actually hard to describe. So here. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-YsdsYPNvArU.html First one is a wrister, then snap-shots, then slapper (aka. clapper, clap bomb..... ) Also, a one-timer is when you don't stop a pass to shot. So instead of collection the puck, you just shoot as the puck get to you. And, while most people think a clapper is the only way to take a one-timer, you can actually do it with any shot... including backhands and wristers.
There are so many players who were/are great but will not ever be on a championship team. McDavid may end up being one of those through no fault on his own. Bad management and for current season terrible goaltending. I wonder if anyone has ever done a post on the best NHL players who never won a Stanley Cup
I feel like the Oilers can do it if they play their cards right. They were 4 wins away from a Stanley Cup final while having bad goaltending and mediocre defense.
If you look back and watch some of his dangles/dekes in slow motion in between him moving the puck side to side he also lifts people sticks. It's so fast It's hard to see.
Connor is the most skilled player I've ever seen. Easily one of the best all time and he's the undisputed best in the league. He's averaging over 2 points per game (goals and assists) from last years playoffs and the start of this season. He currently leads the league in goals and points. This year he's averaging a goal per game. To answer your commentary on the defensive play: The defense in hockey is constantly shifting between zone and man coverage/defensive attack. It's because you glide on skates so you have to keep moving your position while adjusting to the play around you while keeping momemtum in the right direction to use energy efficiently and keep up with the play. Connors processing time to read the game is unmatched, combined with his skate and stick speed it's why he's so dominant. It's like having a Michael Jordan on your team
Hockey is the best sport in the world.. 4 forward line, 3 defense lines.. they switch on the fly because they play so hard, all lines are used often. They check and even fight.. no other sport has that.
McDavid gets probably the toughest and tightest guard of any player in the league, he still just beats guys most of the time because he's just that much better than everyone else. The consistent abuse he takes is actually a pretty hot topic around the league; lots of people think it's not right because refs in hockey have a tendency to even up calls. After one team has had 2-3 powerplays they'll stop calling penalties on the other team until the first team gets a few. Kind of an oldschool idea that "you can't call everything" or "what else is a guy supposed to do?" The NHL basically has the opposite philosophy the NBA does with regards to protecting or letting its stars shine. Basically every game McDavid gets mauled away from play atleast once. For example: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8SrPoN-veDQ.html
Love this. Nutmegging is pretty much just a soccer thing. Putting the puck between the goalie's legs is "going five hole." the other four holes being the four corners of the net frame.
Yall aren't wrong but the shot he took at 13:35 is called a one-timer technically. It's when you take a quick shot as soon as the puck gets to you without catching the pass with your stick. You guys already got a lot of the lingo down tho, great vid
As for not playing him Abby they sometimes do but most of the time when you give him a head of steam it's hard to stop him 'cause he's really really really fast dull.
I played with mcdavid for 9 years at the top level in the OHMA, he was a year younger than the whole league and lit it up. Everyone knew he was going to the show. U should have seen the shit he did at 12 years old
