An Edmonton Oilers legend will have his number hanging in the rafters for his junior team.
Although Connor McDavid’s number won’t be retired by the Oilers until he’s retired from the league, his Ontario Hockey League team, the Erie Otters, will retire No. 97 on Jan. 10.
McDavid was one of only a handful of players to receive exceptional status for the Canadian Hockey League, meaning he was so good that he could play in the league as a 15-year-old. In his rookie season with the Otters, he scored 25 goals and 66 points as they missed the postseason.
The 2013-14 season was a different story, though, as McDavid scored 28 goals and 99 points in 56 games, with four goals and 19 points in 14 postseason games. His third and final season in 2014-15 was his best, scoring 44 goals and 120 points in 47 games during the regular season, as well as 21 goals and 49 points in 20 postseason games.
Unfortunately, the Otters fell short in the finals, losing to the Oshawa Generals in five games. After McDavid had moved on to the National Hockey League, the Otters won the J. Ross Robertson Cup in 2017.
Unsurprisingly, McDavid didn’t return to the Otters after the Oilers selected him first overall in the 2015 draft. Overall, he scored 97 goals (ironic, isn’t it) and 285 points in 166 games. Moreover, McDavid had 25 goals and 68 points in 34 postseason games for the Otters.
Since playing in the OHL, McDavid has played nine seasons with the Oilers, scoring 335 goals and 982 points in 645 games, with 37 goals and 117 points in 74 postseason games. Without a doubt, he’s a generational talent, as he’s won the Art Ross Trophy five times, the Hart Trophy three times, four Ted Lindsay Awards, a Maurie Richard Trophy, and the Conn Smythe Trophy on a losing team.
He just needs a Stanley Cup to cement his legacy. Hopefully, it’ll be this season.
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