Connor McDavid is the greatest hockey player in the world. His teammates and opponents, past and present, will concede and attest to this fact. The 28-year-old three-time Hart trophy winner came within one game last June of adding his first Stanley Cup championship to his long list of career accomplishments.
The “best player in hockey,” as the Great One, Wayne Gretzky described him during last year’s Stanley Cup final, has a skill set that even the most casual fan can quickly pick up on as being unique. McDavid now finds himself amid an actual test of skill and hockey superiority.
Connor McDavid is being called upon in the 4-Nations Face-off to lead Canada back to its rightful claim as the ultimate place of hockey. Just as Messi was triumphant for Argentina in the World Cup and Shohei Ohtani sealed victory for Japan in the WBC, the stage is now set for Connor McDavid to cement his legacy.
The 4-Nations Face-off has provided fans with a once-in-a-generation hockey tournament far exceeding what experts had predicted in terms of competition and intensity. Fireworks ensued, and there were renewed rivalries between Scandinavian superpowers Sweden and Finland and North American representation from Canada and the US. The style of play for Sweden and Finland is Sweden has primarily been speed and open ice passing.
Canada, with McDavid and Captain Sidney Crosby leading its top two lines, has a cast of players with individually unique and notable styles to their play. There’s Cale Makar, arguably the fastest player in hockey, and Drew Doughty, who has excellent vision and the ability to grind in the corners and drop the gloves when called upon. Finally, there is Connor McDavid, who seems to carry some magnetic force where he does whatever he wants, whenever he wants, with the puck.
The style of play that the great players of Team Canada exemplify, operates in noticeable contrast to that of the US. Most, if not all, of the American team players, were coached, groomed, and prepped for pro hockey through years with the US National Development team. Their young players have had a system that they have been privileged to buy into from a very young age. The skill of the American team is undeniable. They are dazzling.
Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs is currently the Captain of the US 4-Nations team. It may be said that Matthews is the most prolific goal scorer in the game today. He has twice eclipsed the 60-goal mark during the NHL’s regular season. Matthews’ Leafs, though, have only once made it beyond the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs during his tenure with the proud franchise.
The Americans are missing that one player who brings all of the tools to the table and more. The US team would benefit from that one player who is better than all the rest. They don’t have Connor McDavid. Canada does.
There were 3 fights within the first 10 seconds of the first Canada v. US contest this past Saturday. McDavid scored one of the sweetest goals ever seen, with a top corner backhand, moments after the chaos from those fights had settled. That is who Connor McDavid is.
The noise does not phase him. If fights are what the Tkachuk brothers and company wish to bring to the 4-Nations Face-Off final on Thursday night, you can be sure that McDavid will have the puck shortly thereafter. It’s Connor McDavid’s time, and he will look to prove this point in the 4-Nations final.
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to our newsletter here. Check out Stadium Rant Original shows on our Youtube channel and subscribe! Give our socials Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok a follow for more great content!
