Watching Connor McDavid screaming in a locker room is something hockey fans didn’t necessarily expect.
There the Edmonton Oilers captain is, though, in a trailer promoting an upcoming documentary series airing next month on Amazon Prime, yelling at the top of his lungs following the team’s loss in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final to the Florida Panthers.
“That’s not good enough! It’s the finals! Dig in right now!”
It’s a jarring side of the usually composed and reserved superstar rarely if ever seen by the masses. It was on display for about eight seconds of the two-minute preview of ‘Faceoff: Inside The NHL’ that came out Monday.
Amazon, in a Monday media release, promises the six-episode series will give viewers “unprecedented access to the National Hockey League’s biggest teams and most compelling characters.”
Episodes 5 and 6 feature McDavid, with teammates Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman in the spotlight in the fifth installment and Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk also in focus in the final show. The episodes are titled Cup Or Bust parts 1 and 2, and follow the players over June’s Stanley Cup Final.
McDavid told media Monday following the Oilers’ preseason loss to the visiting Calgary Flames the series will show the Oilers “at our most vulnerable.”
“They shot things in our most intense moments, most meaningful moments,” McDavid said. “They shot it. They may as well use it. I think there are lots of emotions there, obviously, and I think fans will see that.”
Hyman said Monday the emotions shown by McDavid in the trailer showing the captain’s “heart on his sleeve” is “normal” for Oilers players.
“To you guys, he may be quieter, more guarded, but to us, he’s Connor,” Hyman said.
“He is who he is. He’s a great player, obviously the best in the world, and a phenomenal leader and takes a lot of the team onus, when we’re playing poorly, on himself and tries to elevate everybody’s game. I think that clip, you’ll see more of it in the show.”
More of the “human side of it,” as McDavid described.
“You’re going to see joy on one side, and you’re going to see a lot of heartbreak on one side as well,” he said. “You’re going to see guys put in lots of time, lots of work away from the rink. I think you’ll see that through all the players they cover. … It’s not the easiest thing to let some media in (for) some of those moments.”
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said the trailer highlight shows McDavid’s competitive and passionate drive.
“Yes, he has talent, but he’s been able to push that talent and get better every single day, whether he’s a young kid to a teenager to a professional right now and through his 20s,” said Knoblauch, who coached McDavid in junior before he assumed bench-boss duties in Edmonton late last year.
“He wants to be the best. He wants his team to succeed. … He, I don’t think, gets enough recognition.
“Obviously, he should get most of the recognition on how well he plays, but he is an outstanding leader, and since I’ve known him, since he was a 15-year-old, the players (and) his teammates have had a lot of respect for him, and they should have.”
‘Faceoff: Inside the NHL’ debuts Oct. 4 and will also feature stars William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs, David Pasternak of the Boston Bruins, Jack Eichel of the Vegas Golden Knights and Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks, among others.