The Edmonton Oilers are set to play their most important game in over 18 years tonight and it doesn’t appear to be getting to the nerves of captain Connor McDavid.
McDavid has a chance to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in his career with a win over the Dallas Stars in Game 6, but he looked as calm as can be talking to a scrum of reporters this morning.
It’s obvious that he understands the importance of tonight’s game, but his demeanour looked the same as a random game in the middle of February.
“It is just a game here, that’s what we’re preparing for,” McDavid said. “Feels like any other day.”
“It feels like any other day.”
McDavid on preparing for tonight’s Western Conference Final Game 6. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/lq2uUpB56W
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 2, 2024
For a lot of people around the Oilers, it feels far from a normal day for the team. There has not been a game of this magnitude played by the Oilers in a long time, with the last one coming during the team’s 2006 run to the Stanley Cup. It’s uncharted territory for this group of players and one that has the fanbase in a frenzy.
Yet, McDavid looked as stoic as can be, brushing off questions about nerves going into tonight.
“There is plenty of motivation there, everybody knows what’s at stake,” McDavid explained. “We’re preparing like it’s a normal game day, things feel pretty regular around here.”
This is a testament to the type of leader that McDavid has grown into during his time with the Oilers. He understands that he cannot allow his team to get too high after wins and too low after losses. It’s a balancing act that he has become very skilled at.
“You’re always taking the temperature of the room and seeing what the vibe is,” McDavid said. “Honestly, it does feel just like a regular game day and if there was any sense of nerves or anxiety maybe you would say something, but I’m not sensing any of that.”
It will be a tense atmosphere around the Oilers as a raucous crowd is expected to pack Rogers Place to cheer on the team. The hope is that the crowd can help power the team to a victory to punch their ticket into the Final.
We’ll see if this even-keeled approach can wind up being the difference between complete elation or a nervous flight back to Dallas for a Game 7.