<p>In unsurprising news last week, Connor McDavid was <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2018/04/27/connor-mcdavid-left-off-hart-trophy-finalist-list/">left off the Hart Trophy finalists list.</a> In other unsurprising news, Twitter erupted while complaining about the thought process behind the PHWA&#8217;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.</p>
<p>Here we are three days later, and Connor McDavid has responded to the poor results:</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BiM1vEDlH0w/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);">
<div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BiM1vEDlH0w/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> </p>
<div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;">
<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;">
<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div>
<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div>
<div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div>
<div style="padding-top: 8px;">
<div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;">
<div>
<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div>
<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 8px;">
<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div>
<div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: auto;">
<div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div>
<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div>
<div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div>
<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div>
</div>
<p></a></p>
<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BiM1vEDlH0w/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Oilersnation.com (@oilersnationdotcom)</a></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script></p>
<p>If you&#8217;re unable to watch the video, don&#8217;t worry I&#8217;ve got you covered.</p>
<blockquote><p>That&#8217;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&#8217;t on the list that could have been on the list. Obviously there are three very deserving candidates, I&#8217;m sure it&#8217;s exciting for all of them.</p></blockquote>
<p>As expected, Connor McDavid handled the situation with nothing but class. I&#8217;m sure he&#8217;d love to be one of the three finalists and I&#8217;m sure he thinks he deserves to be. But as he&#8217;s done his whole life, Connor answered the question with pure professionalism and humility. This is another reason why he&#8217;s the best player in the world, why he&#8217;s the Oilers captain, and why he was just named the captain of <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2018/04/30/mcdavid-named-captain-for-canada-at-world-hockey-championship/">Team Canada in the World Hockey Championships</a></p>
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe loading="lazy" class="youtube-player" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j64SctPKmqk?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen="true" style="border:0;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox"></iframe></span></div>
<p>At the same time I&#8217;m still slightly annoyed that he&#8217;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&#8217;s a shame that there is somehow an unwritten rule to the voters that because the rest of Connor&#8217;s team sucked, he is unable to win the award.</p>
<p>The NHL describes it’s Hart Trophy as the following:</p>
<p><em>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.</em></p>
<p>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&#8217;s great and all, but think where the Oilers would have landed in the standings if Connor McDavid wasn&#8217;t on the team?? I know for a fact that we would have been the first team ever to finish in 31st place.</p>
<p>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&#8217;t want to take anything away from their great seasons, but it&#8217;s dumbfounding how Connor was left off this list. I&#8217;m very anxious for all of the voting results to be released later this summer to see who voted for which player.</p>
<h1>Twitter Reactions</h1>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hockey is a team game. You need a good team to consistently win games and make the playoffs.</p>
<p>The Hart Trophy is an individual award. It recognizes an individual&#39;s contributions. No one individual contributed more to their team this season than Connor McDavid.</p>
<p>&mdash; Filipovic Forsberg (@DimFilipovic) <a href="https://twitter.com/DimFilipovic/status/990013727188504576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2018</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Grandpa, why didn’t McDavid win the Hart trophy every year when you were a kid?</p>
<p>Well, you see, son, his teammates were very bad.</p>
<p>&mdash; Andrew Stoeten (@AndrewStoeten) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewStoeten/status/990013144910127104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2018</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">When was the last time none of the top four leading scorers in the were nominated for the Hart Trophy? I&#39;m going to guess never.</p>
<p>&mdash; Dustin Nielson (@nielsonTSN1260) <a href="https://twitter.com/nielsonTSN1260/status/990017302727815169?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2018</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>

In unsurprising news last week, Connor McDavid was <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2018/04/27/connor-mcdavid-left-off-hart-trophy-finalist-list/">left off the Hart Trophy finalists list.</a> 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:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BiM1vEDlH0w/?hl=en&amp;taken-by=officialoilersnation

If you're unable to watch the video, don't worry I've got you covered.
<blockquote>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.</blockquote>
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 <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2018/04/30/mcdavid-named-captain-for-canada-at-world-hockey-championship/">Team Canada in the World Hockey Championships</a>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j64SctPKmqk

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:

<em>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.</em>

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.
<h1>Twitter Reactions</h1>
https://twitter.com/DimFilipovic/status/990013727188504576

https://twitter.com/AndrewStoeten/status/990013144910127104

https://twitter.com/nielsonTSN1260/status/990017302727815169

McDavid reacts to the Hart voting

Application error: a client-side exception has occurred (see the browser console for more information).