McDavid reacts to the Hart voting
5 years ago
In unsurprising news last week, Connor McDavid was left off the Hart Trophy finalists list. In other unsurprising news, Twitter erupted while complaining about the thought process behind the PHWA’s voting. It was a discussion that built up for weeks about how Connor was likely to be snubbed solely on the fact that the Oilers did not make the playoffs. Last Friday all our suspicion was confirmed as Nathan MacKinnon, Anze Kopitar, and Taylor Hall were named the three finalists.
Here we are three days later, and Connor McDavid has responded to the poor results:
If you’re unable to watch the video, don’t worry I’ve got you covered.
That’s the way it goes. It could have gone so many different ways. You look at all over the league there were guys that weren’t on the list that could have been on the list. Obviously there are three very deserving candidates, I’m sure it’s exciting for all of them.
As expected, Connor McDavid handled the situation with nothing but class. I’m sure he’d love to be one of the three finalists and I’m sure he thinks he deserves to be. But as he’s done his whole life, Connor answered the question with pure professionalism and humility. This is another reason why he’s the best player in the world, why he’s the Oilers captain, and why he was just named the captain of Team Canada in the World Hockey Championships
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At the same time I’m still slightly annoyed that he’s even in this position of having to answer how he feels after being left off of the nominee list. Connor McDavid SHOULD BE on that list, and it’s a shame that there is somehow an unwritten rule to the voters that because the rest of Connor’s team sucked, he is unable to win the award.
The NHL describes it’s Hart Trophy as the following:
An annual award given to the player judged to be the most valuable to his team. The winner is selected in a poll of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association in all NHL cities at the end of the regular season.
Taylor Hall, Anze Kopitar, and Nathan MacKinnon were all extremely important to their respective teams this past season. Without them, the Avalanche, Kings, and Devils would not have landed in a playoff spot. That’s great and all, but think where the Oilers would have landed in the standings if Connor McDavid wasn’t on the team?? I know for a fact that we would have been the first team ever to finish in 31st place.
Connor scored six points more than Cladue Giroux (who finished second) to land him his second Art Ross trophy in a row. Anze Kopitar, Nathan MacKinnon, and Taylor Hall finished seventh, fifth, and sixth in the scoring race respectively. Again, I don’t want to take anything away from their great seasons, but it’s dumbfounding how Connor was left off this list. I’m very anxious for all of the voting results to be released later this summer to see who voted for which player.
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