Eberle talks about the differences between playing with Tavares vs McDavid
6 years ago
One of our favourite Regina-boys and ex Edmonton Oiler, Jordan Eberle, sat down with the boys from Spittin Chiclets this past week and talked all things Oilers, Islanders, and Ryan Whitney.
The interview was pretty classy from Jordan. He definitely took the high road on all of his questions about the Oilers and with that I truly believe him when he says he valued his time in Edmonton and holds no grudges against anyone.
“There’s no grudge at all. They gave me an opportunity to play and I had some great times there. I met a lot of great people and I still wish them well. For me, it was time for change.”
Jordan Eberle is a really mature dude so I’d expect nothing less than him on these classy comments. His even admitted that his playoff performance was underwhelming, and that he was upset with himself because of it.
“It was really disappointing because it took so long to get there. I didn’t play my best and it really sucked.”
I will admit that after we got knocked out of the playoffs I was ready for Eberle to go. I mean, I certainly wanted something more than Ryan Strome + cap space in return for him but what are ya gonna do? Jordan is happy and has found is groove again. He’s currently on pace for 62 points with the Islanders, which would make it his fourth best season in his career.
“I’m really enjoying my time right now and my goal is to help get this team to the post season. The coaching staff has really helped me out in getting my confidence up and start playing well again. I just want to continue to play well here and get the team to the playoffs.”
These are pretty standard interview questions coming from a guy who got traded eight months ago. The rest of the interview had a lot of beaking between him and Ryan Whitney, as well as some old memories of when they used to be roommates back in Edmonton.
Did you know Ebs takes the train to the rink every day? Could you imagine if an Edmonton Oiler took the LRT to the rink every day here in this city? It would be absolutely chaos. Frankly I’m happy for him that he can live his life a little bit without being bombarded with pictures and fans. Eberle says he occasionally talks to patrons on the train but it’s obviously much more manageable than if he were to ride it in Edmonton.
McDavid vs Tavares
Feb 1, 2018; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid (97) celebrates a second period goal against the Colorado Avalanche at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
The part of the interview I found the most interesting is when they discussed the difference between guys like Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, and John Tavares.
Jordan Eberle is lucky if you think of it. He got to play two seasons with Connor McDavid, one of the best NHL players in the world (at that time) and now gets to be on a team with John Tavares, another player who is at the top of the league in skill. Not a lot of guys can say they’ve played with such star power, but Ebs is one of them.
Tavares and Eberle played a little bit together at the beginning of the year, but Ebs now finds himself on a line with Matt Barzal, who is ALSO one of the next best players to be in the NHL. Ebs speaks extremely high of John Tavares and says he’s a great leader in the room and everyone looks up to him.
The interesting thing is that even though they’re both top of their class, Tavares and McDavid both have very different playing styles.
Mcdavid will beat you with his hands and his straight away speed. Tavares and Sid on the other hand…Sid is more of a superstar grinder and Jonny’s very similar. He’s so strong on the puck and he beats you on the forecheck, gets in front of you, and holds you off for like two minutes and then makes an unbelievable play to the middle or something like that.
I personally would prefer a Connor McDavid type all-star on my team over a John Tavares type of all-star. Both are effective on the ice but we see WAY more highlight reel goals and plays from our boy, Connor.
I know Jordan Eberle is long gone, but he was still one of my favourites. I’ll always have an ear open when he comes up in an interview and discusses anything from what his commute to the rink is like in New York, or that when he was hungover he always dragged his mattress to the bathroom and slept on the floor.
SQUEE!
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