The Greatest Show on Ice had led his country in scoring at the 4 Nations Face-Off (three goals, two assists in four games). He had swiped 63.5 per cent of his draws. He had averaged 20:56 in ice time, more than any Canadian forward, in between back-to-back lung-draining, heart-wrenching trips to the Stanley Cup Final.
Oh, and he had scored the tournament’s golden goal in a nail-biting overtime against rival Team USA in the first best-on-best tournament of his pro career, inside Boston’s raucous and politically charged TD Garden.
Still, even after the medals got hung, the champagne dried and hockey hugs unwrapped, something wasn’t sitting quite right. And McDavid wanted to let his national coach know before the big one.
“It’s weird,” Team Canada’s Jon Cooper said. “We talked after 4 Nations, and he didn’t think he was at his best in that tournament, which I thought he was outstanding for us.”
Nah, if 4 Nations was simply il primo, a first course and anticipation for the Olympics’ main dish il secondo, then the NHL’s 2025 showdown would also serve as merely an appetizer for the full McDavid buffet.
“I think he’s coming here on a mission, and you’re watching it,” Cooper said after Canada’s back-to-back drubbings of Czechia and Switzerland.
“These are the best players in the world, and he’s finding a way to rise above. It’s a lot of fun to watch.”
For the millions rooting in Canada, of course. But equally so for the sport of hockey, and for all of us who have been pining to see the elite go toe-to-toe on the global stage.
There are a couple of guys, however, who may be less than thrilled by McDavid’s Italian exploits.
Like Lukas Sedlak, the poor Czech defenceman, who went to retrieve a dumped-in puck on 97’s first Olympic shift, only to discover what happens when McDavid does his best Tom Wilson impression.
We’re accustomed to describing McDavid as fast, elusive and creative. But mean, strong and vicious?
“We want to play physical, and when he’s leading the way in that category, I think we all notice. I think that shows how badly he wants it,” captain Sidney Crosby says. “He’s leading in a lot of other ways. But especially that way, we all see it and we all want to follow suit.”
Doesn’t it seem unfair if the most dangerous scoring threat in the tournament can double as a forechecking menace?
“Yeah. He does it all anyway,” Crosby replies. “But it’s great to see. That’s part of the identity of our team. We want to be physical. And when you see him stepping up that way everyone’s got to follow. There’s no choice.”
The torch is being passed in front of our eyes.
Silver will be no consolation in Milan.
McDavid says “a bolt goes through” him when he pulls on a red and white sweater. Well, it jolts into his legs, his blade, his shoulders.
“It just shows you, when you put this jersey on, there’s nobody in that room that’s entitled,” Cooper says. “This is game on. You do everything possible to win. And if your contribution is hitting, then that’s what guys will do — even if that’s not what they’re used to doing in the NHL.”
Because this whole event isn’t what they’re used to, McDavid flew across the Atlantic four days ahead of most teammates to acclimatize, buck the jetlag, find his bearings and dial in.
Speaking to McDavid over the past week, the world’s best hockey player is polite, accommodating and accessible for appropriate windows.
He couldn’t be more complimentary about his countrymen. He calls Wilson a “forechecking god” and teenage linemate Macklin Celebrini “a dog on a bone.” On newest winger Nathan MacKinnon, his greatest Hart Trophy threat: “I’m a big fan of his.”
But McDavid is also hyper-focused. His answers are as sharp and tight as one of his ankle-busting pivots. Goal celebrations aside, you’d be hard-pressed to spot a smile.
General manager Doug Armstrong sensed precisely that when the two met at 4 Nations, but McDavid’s drive was even more palpable to the executive two weeks before these critical two weeks.
Armstrong and McDavid spoke over coffee when the St. Louis Blues visited Edmonton on Jan. 19. Their chat left a mark.
“Gold means everything to Connor right now,” Armstrong says. “He’s laser-focused in what he wants. He’s the best player on the planet, and he doesn’t take that for granted. His work ethic is second to none. That’s the great thing for Macklin, for all the players, to see how the best of the best prepare, train, think.
“Connor’s in a great spot right now in his life: married and he’s got all the accolades you can need. Now, it’s just putting Stanley Cups and gold medals on his mantle is the next step.”
McDavid has come out the gates stepping like Savion Glover.
He’s piled up six points through six periods.
Already McDavid is just the third Team Canada skater to notch multiple three-point efforts in the Winter Games (Jarome Iginla, Joe Sakic). He has tied a national record for most assists in a single Olympic game (three). And he has surpassed Marian Hossa and Teemu Selanne (five points each in 2006) for most points scored through a team’s first two games of an Olympic tournament with NHL participation.
With Sunday’s match against winless France looming, McDavid is already putting Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu’s NHL-participation Olympic scoring record (11 points) in danger.
“I don’t know why anybody would be surprised,” Drew Doughty shrugs. “Connor is Connor. Best player. I’m not at all shocked.”
Logan Thompson: “You see his speed. It’s just fun to be on the other side of it for once.”
Celebrini: “He’s one of a kind. I don’t think you’ll find someone else like him.”
Wilson: “Playing with Connor McDavid is a thrill.”
MacKinnon: “Like, I love the game. I’m inspired by Connor. I think he’s the best, and he pushes me to try to be even better, just how amazing he is. So, to play on a line with him is a blessing.”
It’s one thing to devise a plan; it’s another to deliver on it with such authority.
What we’re witnessing in Milan is tell-your-grandkids stuff.
Soak up every one of Connor McDavid’s Olympic shifts.
We all know where the mission is headed, but take a second to enjoy the ride, fast as it flies, hard as it hits.
“Yeah, you know what? There was a moment today where I was just getting ready to go,” McDavid said. “It’s been a long time coming, and it’s special to be here and special to be part of this group.
“And, yeah, just proud to represent my country.”