2016-17 STAR SELECTION

7 years ago

Given the fact 97% of my dreams for the past month have been Connor McDavid related, this isn’t going to be a very complicated pick now or basically ever again for the next 10-15 years.

But after taking the courageous route yesterday and declaring nothing and no one in particular to be my GOAT for the year, it is imperative that I come out of the gates HARD with the star selection on opening night.

Decisiveness Wanye, make the big tough decisions.

You got this.

So I recently read this book The McDavid Effect which I will be doing a full review of here at OilersNation in the next week or so. As the title suggests, it has a lot of stories about the history of Edmonton, the history of the Oilers and the history of Connor McDavid.

More than a handful of times I read something about our new captain and yelled “Mrs. Wanye! Come listen to this story about Connor McDavid! It will blow your mind and melt your heart all in the same sentence.” Now, Mrs. Wanye is a new app I am writing at the moment and I have gotten behind schedule on account of reading the book about Connor McDavid. But enough about app design, let’s get back to the 2016 star and this book describing the 2016-17 star in HD detail shall we?

QUOTE ONE

“As a youngster, when (Connor) played mini sticks in the basement at home with his friends, he would direct everyone to congregate in a room off to the side before the game, pretending it was their dressing room. From there the boys would march out together single file and sing “O Canada” before they played.”

Great Nuge’s moustache! Young Connor is both a patriot and a genius with the mini stick. Someone get Prime Minister Trudeau on the line! We need to hand out an order of Canada before the puck drops! What is the record for striking a new coin design at the Canadian Mint? That needs to be cut in half at minimum for the ConnorCoin!

*Ahem*

QUOTE TWO

“Connor always had a great imagination,”(Connor’s Mom Kelly McDavid) said. “He would get his stuffed animals and put them around the room, and when I asked what he was doing, he would tell me, ‘Those are the fans.’”

Stuffed animals for fans?! Now WE are those fans! Someone run and get some cases of Kleenex, there appears to be dust in the offices of NationHQ. Someone get 17,000 stuffed animals to throw on the ice at the season opener to make Connor feel at home! Someone call a taxidermist — I need all of my innards removed and replaced with cotton wool so that I can remind Connor of his fans of yesteryear! That isn’t medically possible? Someone get the Mayo Clinic on the line!

CALM ANALYSIS, RATIONAL THOUGHT

You can debate who the best player is in any given sport with a random group of fans and there will be a lot of back and forth in most cities and for most sports. But the greats – the Messis, the Jordans, the Gretzkys the Bradys – stand apart from the crowd. Even people who hate your team or the player themselves will acknowledge, “Yes Beckham married the annoying glum Spice Girl but I am forced to admit he is an amazing footballer.”

Connor will be one of those players and he could steal Posh away from David Beckham with a mere 10 minutes in the same room. Who knows what other amazing feats are in store for all us Oilers fans? I just can’t wait to watch all the crazy crap that McDavid is going to do in his career. We have seen 0.01% of what he will ultimately do and we have paid for his flash and dash with years of the worst hockey imaginable. Payback is a bitch, ain’t it other 29 NHL teams?

Yup, it sure is.

The only thing we need to do is keep our expectations tempered in terms of what one man can do amongst a lineup of pros and focus on what needs to be built around Connor for a supporting cast in the years to come.

The hardest thing for your ol’ pal Wanye this year is going to be strapping myself in my seat at Rogers Place with multiple bungee cords so I don’t jump over the glass, snatch up the puck and demand the Hockey Hall of Fame induct Connor “RIGHT NOW, RIGHT NOW YOU BASTARDS” before I exhaustedly collapse in tears on the ice.

Connor McDavid is my star for the 2016-17 season.

STARS THROUGH THE AGES

It’s good sometimes to laugh and laugh at what used to pass for stars in the game. Shawn Horcoff indeed Wanye you non-murderous clown.

2015-16 Connor McDavid

2014-15 Jordan Eberle

2013-14 Jordan Eberle

2012-13 Jordan Eberle

2011-12 Jordan Eberle

2010-11 Jordan Eberle

2009-10 Mike Comrie

2008-09 Erik Cole

2007-08 Shawn Horcoff

2006-07 Ryan Smyth

2005-06 Chris Pronger

Who are you going with this year? It had better be Connor McDavid.

*shakes fist*

WIN A TRIP TO THE OUTDOOR GAME IN WINNIPEG

Enter to win a trip to Winnipeg with the OilersNation on an exciting fan trip to the Heritage Classic outdoor hockey games between Edmonton and Winnipeg—courtesy of AMA Travel and OilersNation.

Enter to Win:

Return flights for two (2) people from Edmonton to Winnipeg, Oct 22 – 24, 2016
Two (2) nights’ hotel stay in Winnipeg
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Transportation in Winnipeg to and from the airport and to and from Investors Group Field
Nation hosted VIP Package at the Pint Winnipeg

Please note:

Deadline for entry is Oct 12, 2016
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