Everybody knows that Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is a fierce competitor and a great leader, but he still has pet peeves like the rest of us.
McDavid’s passion and desire to win was on full display with Amazon Prime’s Faceoff series earlier this season, and it’s clear that the attention to detail he enforces with his own game is unmatched.
That intensity, however, can occasionally lead to some frustration with some of his teammates, as former Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft laid out in his most recent appearance on The Sheet with Jeff Marek.
The ex-Oilers bench boss dished some behind-the-scenes info on one thing that gets on McDavid’s nerves.
“One time I can remember with Connor [McDavid] was in NHL pre-game skates,” Woodcroft said. “Everyone kind of finishes their practice with a 2-on-1 drill… It would always drive him mad when some younger players would just go a little bit offside.
“He didn’t understand why. As I started to watch, he made a real point of dragging his foot to never be offside.”
No linesmen are watching for offsides in practice, but if Woodcroft’s story rings true, it appears that McDavid took that responsibility upon himself. It may seem like a small thing for the Oilers captain to get up in arms about but, with challenges ripping goals off the board for plays that are even a millimetre offside, it’s become a much more important skill to be able to drag your foot at the blueline.
Woodcroft went on to say that McDavid was able to put this skill to use during an actual game.
“A few games later I think there was a disputed offside goal where it was [McDavid] on a 2-on-1, he dragged his leg, and the other team challenged,” Woodcroft explained. “He was on-side and he looked back at me and said, “That’s why you drag your leg on those pre-game skate 2-on-1’s.””
To be the best player in the world, you have to take care of every little bit of the game. While not every player would go to such lengths to stay onside during a practice play, that is one of the things that separates McDavid from the rest of the pack.