During a live interview ahead of tonight's Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman disrespected Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid.
The last game of this year's Stanley Cup Finals is upon us, with the Oilers working to pull off the near-impossible reverse sweep against the Florida Panthers. Edmonton undoubtedly owes a large part of this turnaround to their Captain Connor McDavid, who has led the playoffs in more aspects than one.
"Connor McDavid has 134 assists this season & postseason.
This is the 10th time in NHL history that a player had 125+ assists in a single season (incl. postseason).
The other 9 times were Wayne Gretzky."
Despite McDavid's clear and historic dominance on the ice, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has not given the player his due respect. In a recent live interview with sports broadcast personality Stephen A. Smith, Bettman refused to personally acknowledge the Oilers forward as the best hockey player around.
"He is a bonafide superstar. Most prognosticators, fans, you know, critics and coverers of the sport think he's the best hockey player on the face of the earth, and he may well be."
Though he did not declare his opinion on his place in world hockey standings, he did acknowledge McDavid's success in this year's playoffs. With how lukewarm Bettman an be, it might be the most we get out of him.
"I believe he's leading the playoffs in scoring. He's broken Wayne Gretzky's record for assists in the playoffs. He has been truly remarkable, particularly in the last three games, which is why tonight is intriguing and unpredictable and I think the buildup for the excitement is justified and given, particularly the US audience an opportunity to see Connor McDavid this intensely I think is great for the sport, because, you know, he plays in Edmonton and playing there he doesn't get as much exposure in the US he does, for example, in Canada."
Not paying any mind to the fact that the NHL Commissioner forgot about games on the road, this is probably not the statement fans were hoping for from Gary Bettman. Yet, McDavid's record as a player speaks for itself and does not need any special praise from the guy at the top.
Connor McDavid will also have the chance to burn his name into hockey history tonight in Game 7 against the Florida Panthers. If successful, he will earn his first of likely many Stanley Cups and end Canada's 31-year drought.
Source: Habs Fanatics
Gary Bettman shows disrespect towards Connor McDavid on live tv show
IS THERE A BETTER PLAYER THAN EDMONTON OILERS' CONNOR MCDAVID? JUNE 24 292 ANSWERS |
| YES, ACTIVE | 58 | 19.9 % |
| YES, NOT ACTIVE | 82 | 28.1 % |
| NO | 152 | 52.1 % |
| LIST OF POLLS |
Latest 10 stories
