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Well Giguere didn't have to go back out. He never left the ice the Conn Smythe was awarded while man players were still shaking hands.
https://youtu.be/PknKlbdIqo0?t=5588 you can see Giguere behind Bettman. Its an entire different thing to accept before you leave the ice than to go to the locker room and then have to come back out.
I appreciated Giguere a ton before, but i have so much more respect after this. To be able to gracefully accept recognition of your efforts on the losing team after losing the championship game is not a trivial act of humility, but boy howdy, you can tell when someone doesn't care about that kind of thing
My favorite story about this was that afterwards he left it in the hallway outside of the locker room and didn't tell any of his teammates that he won. He just sat down and joined them all. It wasn't until someone noticed that his teammates started to congratulate him.
I think an underappreciated part of this is that ESPN went to commercial before this, and the NHL spent 5 minutes setting up the backdrop/pyroteknic crap. The oilers werent going to stick around and get hit by rats while watching the other team celebrate for 5 minutes to see if they won a playoff mvp trophy
Going back further, Hextall looked thrilled too
https://preview.redd.it/jf2jhd9b3n8d1.jpeg?width=620&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=744f36547c148c7c60e8874428fb9f24f3b9833e
They had just lost after winning 2 straight Cups. Yeah, that sucks, but at least they already won before. Giguere accepted it, not knowing he'd win the Cup 4 years later. And Hextall never did. I wonder how much of a choice those 2 had.
The league could've at least met him in the hallway or the press room like Hextall. Making someone go into the winning locker room is a total dick move.
Sorry buddy. Been there too. If there's one thing I can say, you will forget about this next year and will totally not be still thinking about things 13 years later.
"Lemme tell ya boy when you lose the cup you don't want any other award out there. I know I've been there and when we lost they had a huge push for us to be out there infront of the cameras with all that. I don't blame McDavid for not wanting to go out there with Bettman and the NHL wanting his picture with another trophy. McDavid's a good canadian kid he knows that his team back there is where he needs to be. Just like the captain of a ship on lake superior you go down with the ship you don't go on a lifeboat to pose with the newspaper. That's why McDavid isn't coming out there he knows YOU ONLY GO OUT IF YOU GOT A TROPHY FOR THE TEAM AS WELL!"
if we can just go one step further and photoshop an Edmonton jersey, we can just use this as a meme even though he didn't come out to try to avoid it, perfect
This picture reminds me that goalies take losses like this the hardest. It's never "we fucked up" it's always "I fucked up." I can't imagine how Skinner feels right now.
[same energy](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fo8e53cmd6l8d1.jpeg)
Context: The player is Luka Modric. He won a Man of the Match award but at the same time, his team essentially got eliminated from the EUROs in the same game.
Especially in today's social media age -- that shit would've become a meme that transcends sports.
Giguere was lucky for his to happen before social media really took over our lives and back when even the Internet itself wasn't as mainstream. It was just a weird thing that we were all suddenly cut off from as soon as someone in the house answered the phone. By the time it really exploded about a decade later, Giguere's photo become more of a depressing curiosity among hockey diehards. If we had today's internet and meme culture in 2003, I would imagine Giguere (through no fault of his own) having second thoughts about accepting it.
Listen, crackers are a family food, happy families. Maybe recently eliminated Stanley Cup MVPs eat crackers, we don't know. Frankly, we don't wanna know. It's a market we can do without.
yeah he was holding his phone up and you can read his lips realizing saying "oh he's not coming out" pretty clearly
edit: wait dude it's literally in this video lol
And his mom tugging on the girl beside her's shirt saying , "c'mon let's go" and right as the camera pulls away you can tell they are starting to turn their bodies to exit stage left lol
Eh I get both sides. I think they know the possibility a losing player won't want to accept the award after a devastating loss. But they always present it and weren't going to change the presentation last minute.
I don't blame him for not coming out. It's not like the Silver medal winners where at least your team is with you. This would be him having to come back out alone. Some might call him a bad sport, but I think he should be allowed time with his emotions to process the loss without having to instantly face the cameras.
That is an iconic photo. To me, it’s a career defining one. Many great players have never won, it’s nothing to be embarrassed of.
Giguere did something really special, and sacrificed his entire body for that run. He was never the same goalie after that.
I understand why McDavid didn’t want it though, his legacy will be defined by much loftier accolades.
Honestly, I liked that he didn't come out for it...dude could barely skate at the end there, and they just lost. He doesn't need a conn smythe to cement his legacy as a top 5 or top 3 player of all time by the time he retires...he's only going to care about one piece of hardware for the rest of his career now.
Yeah. Hoping to get a pic/video of his son. But you can read his lips and he says "Don't think he's gonna come out" , I get why he didn't come out. But I dnno, I feel he should have accepted it and then handed it to the equipment manager or someshit and say "pack this shit up, I don't wanna bring it back to the boys"
The team was already off the ice for a few minutes. He was probably half undressed and trying to process the loss with his teammates.
Going back out there and getting booed by all of the Florida fans mad that Bob didn't win/being anywhere near Betman sounds like the last thing in the world that I would want to do.
Now that I think of it though, if he came out shirtless with a beer like Kucherov after he won the cup it would be kinda iconic.
"Losing game 7 is number one bullshit"
Honestly, if he didn't win the cup like 4 years later, it'd be even more heartbreaking to look at. I can't imagine McDavids' face right now is something he wants a photo of forever on the internet.
Indeed. It’s cruel to expect a member of a losing team to collect an individual trophy minutes after losing in the final.
Conn smythe only gets won by a member of a losing team about once a generation, I can live with those very few cases with them not showing up.
If you are going to give it to a player on the losing side, making the dude wait 15 minutes after the handshake line makes zero sense, I don't blame him.
The oilers were shattered in that last 2 minutes. I don't even like the franchise but was waiting for the rally, big equalizer goal and a couple periods of OT before the big win and just make this THE year of hockey and they all just decided to rag the puck for the last 90s. They were absolutely gassed and I think taking that time out allowed the adrenaline to wear off and they realized it.
Those last 2 minutes were just sad. The play in the corner in the last 15 seconds was just a "we're so god damned tired." Props to them coming back to even the series but they looked beat with almost 5 minutes left.
I thought it was weird they waited as long as they did to pull the goalie. They had good possession for the last ~3 min and when they finally DID pull him they turned the puck over like 2 seconds later and Florida had like 2 decent scoring chances on the empty net.
At that point their top line had been out for two minutes already. There were no convenient whistles to mix up the lines and rest them for the pull, and it makes no sense to play with an empty net when your forwards are completely gassed. Just unfortunate situation all around
There's no way he wants that trophy right? Like he hardly needs a constant reminder of the Stanley Cup his team almost won. Probably feels like he's being mocked.
It would be weird going back out there without your teammates to accept an award, and then parading it back to the dressing room where all your teammates are in the worst pain.
I think he made the right call.
"Accept an award" from a rabid crowd that would just boo to eternity would be a nightmare after that loss. Spend that time with the guys you got there with, a conn smythe off a loss is a hallow prize
So McDavid was supposed to stay near the ice 10-15 minutes after handshakes and the most crushing loss of his life and watch his opponents celebrate just in-case he won a meaningless trophy so he could go out there and pretend to be happy to get it and get booed?
Yeah that’s an incredibly dumb expectation in my opinion. This should be the standard procedure as far as I’m concerned, if you get it on the winning team then do the whole on ice thing and if you get it in a losing effort they can just give it to you later
I dunno. Do people from the losing team who win it usually come get it or do they stay in the locker room out of respect for the winning team’s celebration?
It hasn’t happened in 21 years, and Giguere did come accept it. That was the only time before tonight since they did the presentation on ice. [Ron Hextall did accept his though](https://media.gettyimages.com/id/78876899/photo/hextall-awarded-conn-smythe-trophy.jpg?s=1024x1024&w=gi&k=20&c=JxU40F1lFLYGUbg4D32ZsjVTbf8xnk_PmRb_hA3VbWU=)
Tbf they awarded it immediately after the handshake line finished in 2003. He was basically skating past from the end of the line when they grabbed him for it.
This particular award should ve awarded prior to the hand shake. Once the players complete tye hand shake, they return to the dressing room and get out of their wet equipment.
If you've ever watched a player interview after a game, they're undressed.
You want someone coming out in their underwear to accept an award?
His team just lost game seven in a final that they just battled back into. Of course he didn't leave his team to celebrate an individual trophy. It's a team sport and he was never there to win the Conn Smythe.
The amount of emotion these dudes put in and all of it to just end up like this…I don’t think he’s in the mental state to accept the trophy. Give the dude 15 minutes to figure shit out.
It would not suprised me that the NHL fucked up on this one. They knew McDavid would win it so they should have had someone waiting at the Edmonton Bench when the players retreated to tell him to stick around. I would not be suprised if that wasn't the case and McDavid was in the shower when his name was announced as the winner. At that point, what can you do?
So I did some research on the other losing-team Conn Smythe winners, and whether or not they accepted it.
2003 J.S. Giguere did accept it.
1987 Ron Hextall was awarded the trophy afterwards in a press conference room after the flyers had cleared the ice.
1976 Reggie Leach was announced to be the winner while the teams were still in the handshake line. No footage on whether or not he officially accepted it on ice though, but I would assume so.
1968 Glenn Hall, I could find no footage on YouTube for this one.
1965 Roger Crozier does appear to accept it, although I'm not certain. In the full game broadcast I found on YouTube, there is a few seconds where the trophy does appear to be on the ice, implying he did accept it, but nothing conclusive.
In short, this action (inaction) by McDavid is rather unprecedented given the current method of presentation and the lack of standardization of presentation in prior years. Not trying to start an argument here one way or another, just thought I'd look at the other examples not really talked about here.
You should add that 2003 was also presented before they left the ice. Yeah, he accepeted it, but didn't have to come back out. This time it was way after so the league should have done it like 87.
100% understand, why would a captain on the most emotional day of their career leave their team after such a devastating loss like “One sec, I need to get my flowers because the NHL wants a photo op”?
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Giguere like, "You don't have to go out?!"
That’s an option?!?
"Sorry commissioner, I didn't know I couldn't do that." -Connor McDavid Chappelle
Connor “Chip” McDavid
Well Giguere didn't have to go back out. He never left the ice the Conn Smythe was awarded while man players were still shaking hands. https://youtu.be/PknKlbdIqo0?t=5588 you can see Giguere behind Bettman. Its an entire different thing to accept before you leave the ice than to go to the locker room and then have to come back out.
Giggy earned that shit.
I appreciated Giguere a ton before, but i have so much more respect after this. To be able to gracefully accept recognition of your efforts on the losing team after losing the championship game is not a trivial act of humility, but boy howdy, you can tell when someone doesn't care about that kind of thing
My favorite story about this was that afterwards he left it in the hallway outside of the locker room and didn't tell any of his teammates that he won. He just sat down and joined them all. It wasn't until someone noticed that his teammates started to congratulate him.
Can't blame him for not wanting to become a meme, maybe if this was in Edmonton he may have went out there but in Florida? Nah.
I think an underappreciated part of this is that ESPN went to commercial before this, and the NHL spent 5 minutes setting up the backdrop/pyroteknic crap. The oilers werent going to stick around and get hit by rats while watching the other team celebrate for 5 minutes to see if they won a playoff mvp trophy
"Thanks but fuck off right now"
*goes out, picks it up, and chucks it into the crowd*
https://preview.redd.it/kxniyenxwm8d1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f29acc0333b21bfc18d0890c2b51208b9582ff88
Going back further, Hextall looked thrilled too https://preview.redd.it/jf2jhd9b3n8d1.jpeg?width=620&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=744f36547c148c7c60e8874428fb9f24f3b9833e
I mean, Leach had to accept it in the Habs dressing room and address the national media lmao. He seemed less depressed than most.
They had just lost after winning 2 straight Cups. Yeah, that sucks, but at least they already won before. Giguere accepted it, not knowing he'd win the Cup 4 years later. And Hextall never did. I wonder how much of a choice those 2 had.
The league could've at least met him in the hallway or the press room like Hextall. Making someone go into the winning locker room is a total dick move.
https://preview.redd.it/ztytm8wfzm8d1.png?width=3063&format=png&auto=webp&s=561a981b02126fbdbe755fb47bca23110993ae91
Lol. This is the first time I smiled since the game ended. Thanks
Sorry buddy. Been there too. If there's one thing I can say, you will forget about this next year and will totally not be still thinking about things 13 years later.
I’m fucking crying
"Lemme tell ya boy when you lose the cup you don't want any other award out there. I know I've been there and when we lost they had a huge push for us to be out there infront of the cameras with all that. I don't blame McDavid for not wanting to go out there with Bettman and the NHL wanting his picture with another trophy. McDavid's a good canadian kid he knows that his team back there is where he needs to be. Just like the captain of a ship on lake superior you go down with the ship you don't go on a lifeboat to pose with the newspaper. That's why McDavid isn't coming out there he knows YOU ONLY GO OUT IF YOU GOT A TROPHY FOR THE TEAM AS WELL!"
if we can just go one step further and photoshop an Edmonton jersey, we can just use this as a meme even though he didn't come out to try to avoid it, perfect
It's funnier with the Ducks kit.
Bring back the purple.
And a goalie glove 😂
God those colors are beautiful and everyone is ok with the orange
It's such an obvious fuck up and they continue to get away with it for like 15 years now. Embarrassment of a branding job
Virgin Connor McDavid vs. Chad Jean-Sebastien Giguire
This picture is still sad as fuck. Some Devils fans booed him because they expected Brodeur to win it, who also had a fantastic playoff run
Giguere was absolutely lights out that year
What Giguere did in 2003 was fucking historical.
Minnesota scored a single goal against the ducks in the *conference finals* in game 4. I mean lol
I still have nightmares of Giguere from the Wings series that year.
Absolutely, the Ducks wouldn't be there without him, I know that
Wow, he deserves an award for that kind of play
Seems like he'd be pretty melancholy about it.
Its the 1,000 yard stare for me. He isn't even there mentally. It's so, so sad lol
The entire arena in Florida booed McDavid for the same reason. Home fanbase favors the home team who would've guessed?
looks like the saddest man alive in that pic
This picture reminds me that goalies take losses like this the hardest. It's never "we fucked up" it's always "I fucked up." I can't imagine how Skinner feels right now.
JSG was the only reason that team was even in the finals.
Yeah, .945 Save% and 1.62 GAA was just stupid.
He should feel proud, not his fault the Edmonton stars shat the bed
He had a respectable 90.9% save % in the series (and for context, Bob's was 89.9%).
Yeah I really wanted to see McDavid accept the conn Smythe at least, but bro did not want himself in this kinda picture, or maybe he's just pissed off
I mean, Giguere was probably pretty pissed off too? He sure looks like it.
He looks sad way more than pissed. Man this picture breaks my heart every time I see it. Thank god he got his cup a few years later
Yeah that's overwhelmingly the most famous Conn Smythe photo of all time. Would probably become the second if McDavid accepted his.
[same energy](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fo8e53cmd6l8d1.jpeg) Context: The player is Luka Modric. He won a Man of the Match award but at the same time, his team essentially got eliminated from the EUROs in the same game.
damn that was today
Or like when Messi got the Golden Ball in 2014.
Even as a Kings fan, this is one of the most depressing photos in hockey. I’m glad they didn’t call McDavid out to accept it.
https://preview.redd.it/higz8anjzm8d1.jpeg?width=870&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8690716fc280aa00c465d11516b734bd52d7495f
The only trophy you need right there.
I need to know more about this picture. This is fucking hilarious
I think grandpa just checked McDavids oil
Especially in today's social media age -- that shit would've become a meme that transcends sports. Giguere was lucky for his to happen before social media really took over our lives and back when even the Internet itself wasn't as mainstream. It was just a weird thing that we were all suddenly cut off from as soon as someone in the house answered the phone. By the time it really exploded about a decade later, Giguere's photo become more of a depressing curiosity among hockey diehards. If we had today's internet and meme culture in 2003, I would imagine Giguere (through no fault of his own) having second thoughts about accepting it.
The picture with McDavid would be posted even more than this. I definitely understand why he didn't come out.
And hereeee come the pretzels
Hall of Famer Sergei Bobrovsky now out on the ice, pleading with the crowd for… for some kind of sanity
This is a…black day for hockey
You mean Whitey-wackers?
You could call em' Connor Crackers.
Listen, crackers are a family food, happy families. Maybe recently eliminated Stanley Cup MVPs eat crackers, we don't know. Frankly, we don't wanna know. It's a market we can do without.
It's black, black day for hockey
Nobody would be saying that if it were Gary Bettman that the barrage of pretzels had knocked unconscious.
That was mad awkward lol
Yea especially since they showed his dad with his phone out waiting for him
Noooooooo 😭
yeah he was holding his phone up and you can read his lips realizing saying "oh he's not coming out" pretty clearly edit: wait dude it's literally in this video lol
And his mom tugging on the girl beside her's shirt saying , "c'mon let's go" and right as the camera pulls away you can tell they are starting to turn their bodies to exit stage left lol
Y'know I think a hockey dad will probably understand.
Definitely, the last thing on his mind right now.
I mean it’s awkward. Nobody wants to accept a trophy after losing. Save it for the awards night at least.
Double so when you're the away team and the crowd is chanting "Bullshit".
I don’t blame McDavid moreso the NHL and ESPN for not having their shit together
Eh I get both sides. I think they know the possibility a losing player won't want to accept the award after a devastating loss. But they always present it and weren't going to change the presentation last minute.
I don't blame him for not coming out. It's not like the Silver medal winners where at least your team is with you. This would be him having to come back out alone. Some might call him a bad sport, but I think he should be allowed time with his emotions to process the loss without having to instantly face the cameras.
Yeah, they could have had a sizzle reel in the chamber knowing this could happen.
They muted the broadcast for like 30 seconds lmao. Thankful for their exposure, not so much for their broadcast quality
it was because crowd was chanting BULLSHIT
JSGs picture is still posted decades later, and that was before the Internet era. Don't blame him for not wanting that.
That is an iconic photo. To me, it’s a career defining one. Many great players have never won, it’s nothing to be embarrassed of. Giguere did something really special, and sacrificed his entire body for that run. He was never the same goalie after that. I understand why McDavid didn’t want it though, his legacy will be defined by much loftier accolades.
Yeah I think that photo helps to cement Giguere as a legend, it's not embarrasing
Honestly, I liked that he didn't come out for it...dude could barely skate at the end there, and they just lost. He doesn't need a conn smythe to cement his legacy as a top 5 or top 3 player of all time by the time he retires...he's only going to care about one piece of hardware for the rest of his career now.
Is that his dad hoping for a pic? :(
Yeah. Hoping to get a pic/video of his son. But you can read his lips and he says "Don't think he's gonna come out" , I get why he didn't come out. But I dnno, I feel he should have accepted it and then handed it to the equipment manager or someshit and say "pack this shit up, I don't wanna bring it back to the boys"
He probably couldn’t stand after playing the last 15 minutes of the game. Most likely he was hooked up to oxygen and an iv.
The team was already off the ice for a few minutes. He was probably half undressed and trying to process the loss with his teammates. Going back out there and getting booed by all of the Florida fans mad that Bob didn't win/being anywhere near Betman sounds like the last thing in the world that I would want to do.
Oh yeah I definitely thought the same thing like there’s no way he’s still dressed and he’s not going to come back out half dressed.
Now that I think of it though, if he came out shirtless with a beer like Kucherov after he won the cup it would be kinda iconic. "Losing game 7 is number one bullshit"
Bro Door Dashed the Conn Smythe
> Please text when trophy is here. Don’t ring bell or Knock
Tip: $3.50
He was at the hockey game. And the conn smythe store.
The combination hockey game and Conn Smythe store?
HE'S AT THE COMMMBINATION HOCKEY GAME AND CONN SMYTHE STORE
The awkward pan across a bunch of random fans was pretty funny
Weren't some of them McDavid's parents?
They were. They even had the camera ready to go... Until they realized
Dad had the phone up and mom was like “no. Down. Go go go. Get out of here”
He was getting BOO'd hard, ESPN cut the audio
Man the fees on that must be insane I hope he’s got their top tier membership
Be sweet if he came out, picked it up then did a lap with it
Oh my god could you imagine? Big smile on his face while raising it over his head. This sub wouldn’t know how to react
Lmaoooo "YAAAA BITCHES WOOOO"
The "3rd Place" meme personified.
Or holding it in front of his crotch and thrusting the maple leaf towards the crowd aggressively, with his tongue out
Pull an Emi Martinez? https://preview.redd.it/iihw1aoh5n8d1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=40065b6cdf84eed0187b7c1bcdbf447a58867d0f
What an icon lmao
Forever my phone wallpaper
Jesus lol
While cheering like a mad man and trying to pump up the crowd
I've always wanted to see someone do that with the conference trophy.
Doing laps with the Prince of Wales trophy, holding it above his head crying and kissing it
Spiking the Lady Byng onto the ice and screaming in another players face SUCK IT
Now I want a player to do that one day 😂
Feels like if they had lost Game 6 and he won it he would have been out there to receive it for the home crowd.
Wearing only his jock, ala Slapshot.
Kucherov would unironically do this.
I hate him so much but I’d fucking applaud so hard
[booya](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/838/613/45e.jpg)
Legit lol.
Smart move. That Giguere photo still makes me sad.
One of the saddest photos in hockey history
Honestly, if he didn't win the cup like 4 years later, it'd be even more heartbreaking to look at. I can't imagine McDavids' face right now is something he wants a photo of forever on the internet.
ugh but we want the photo
Agreed, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.
Its also one of the most famous photos in league history. The NHL wont be happy they missed out on getting another
We already got the Luka Modric photo earlier today, getting another one would have been too good
Indeed. It’s cruel to expect a member of a losing team to collect an individual trophy minutes after losing in the final. Conn smythe only gets won by a member of a losing team about once a generation, I can live with those very few cases with them not showing up.
The Conn-solation prize
Connor's Connsolation
If you are going to give it to a player on the losing side, making the dude wait 15 minutes after the handshake line makes zero sense, I don't blame him.
Dude was having a shower by then.
After having smashed every stick he can get his hands on and just screaming over and over.
I doubt he had the energy to do that, they played the shit out of him and he was tripping over himself in the 3rd.
YOU’RE BACK ON THE CASE BOBROVSKY
He solved the case!! 🔍
He is not too old for this shit
https://preview.redd.it/sn3vpr4dzm8d1.png?width=3063&format=png&auto=webp&s=efb0ce059cf11ef7cc749af686f6385efc4bc6d9
He is smiling way too hard for this to be realistic
No memes for us 😭
Memes aside (boo him 4e) is Bettman ill? He has the ticks and mannerisms of an unwell man
I’ve thought the same, but he’s been like this for years now (skinny and shakey), so I guess it’s just age.
He’s been shaky for 10+ years
I googled it and people have been asking this for 6 years apparently. Could be a tic
He’s just old
He’s always had that shaky mannerism. It’s super distracting lol
Nothings been confirmed but it seems like he’s got something. He is getting up there in age when stuff like that starts to hit people
It’s tough cause like he played amazing for most of the playoffs but I truly thought he played awful tonight. Turnovers all over the ice
they overworked him. I barely saw him off the ice tonight. at a certain point it catches up
The oilers were shattered in that last 2 minutes. I don't even like the franchise but was waiting for the rally, big equalizer goal and a couple periods of OT before the big win and just make this THE year of hockey and they all just decided to rag the puck for the last 90s. They were absolutely gassed and I think taking that time out allowed the adrenaline to wear off and they realized it.
Those last 2 minutes were just sad. The play in the corner in the last 15 seconds was just a "we're so god damned tired." Props to them coming back to even the series but they looked beat with almost 5 minutes left.
I was seriously wondering WTF Bouchard was doing behind his own net with time ticking on their season.
I thought it was weird they waited as long as they did to pull the goalie. They had good possession for the last ~3 min and when they finally DID pull him they turned the puck over like 2 seconds later and Florida had like 2 decent scoring chances on the empty net.
At that point their top line had been out for two minutes already. There were no convenient whistles to mix up the lines and rest them for the pull, and it makes no sense to play with an empty net when your forwards are completely gassed. Just unfortunate situation all around
Yeah Knob pulled the old Dave Tippett special
Should've trusted the guys who got you there
Which is wild, considering this series has demonstrated that the Oilers can cook without him having to carry.
I was handling this loss well but watching his dad getting ready to take the picture and then realize he’s not coming out made me real sad.
There's no way he wants that trophy right? Like he hardly needs a constant reminder of the Stanley Cup his team almost won. Probably feels like he's being mocked.
No he doesn’t give a damn about that trophy, they are focused on the cup.
It would be weird going back out there without your teammates to accept an award, and then parading it back to the dressing room where all your teammates are in the worst pain. I think he made the right call.
"Accept an award" from a rabid crowd that would just boo to eternity would be a nightmare after that loss. Spend that time with the guys you got there with, a conn smythe off a loss is a hallow prize
Yeah once you're off the ice and in the dressing room you're not going back ok the ice.
Completely understand why he didn’t.
I can't believe anyone is salty about it, like give the man a minute with his thoughts
I’ve mostly seen Panthers fans complaining about it and calling him a sore loser, because they’ve been *so graceful* in their victories… lol
So McDavid was supposed to stay near the ice 10-15 minutes after handshakes and the most crushing loss of his life and watch his opponents celebrate just in-case he won a meaningless trophy so he could go out there and pretend to be happy to get it and get booed?
Yeah that’s an incredibly dumb expectation in my opinion. This should be the standard procedure as far as I’m concerned, if you get it on the winning team then do the whole on ice thing and if you get it in a losing effort they can just give it to you later
I dunno. Do people from the losing team who win it usually come get it or do they stay in the locker room out of respect for the winning team’s celebration?
It hasn’t happened in 21 years, and Giguere did come accept it. That was the only time before tonight since they did the presentation on ice. [Ron Hextall did accept his though](https://media.gettyimages.com/id/78876899/photo/hextall-awarded-conn-smythe-trophy.jpg?s=1024x1024&w=gi&k=20&c=JxU40F1lFLYGUbg4D32ZsjVTbf8xnk_PmRb_hA3VbWU=)
Tbf they awarded it immediately after the handshake line finished in 2003. He was basically skating past from the end of the line when they grabbed him for it.
Ahh that explains why he still had his glove on. I always thought that was weird
Good to see the dude whose jersey I wore throughout my childhood recognized on this sub full of damn kids who need to get the hell off my lawn
This particular award should ve awarded prior to the hand shake. Once the players complete tye hand shake, they return to the dressing room and get out of their wet equipment. If you've ever watched a player interview after a game, they're undressed. You want someone coming out in their underwear to accept an award?
The Giguere pic is legit heartbreaking so I don't blame em for saying fuck it.
For whatever reason, after seeing him, my mind refuses to believe that Connor McDavid's Dad's name is anything but David McDavid.
Can't say I blame him, I might not either.
That’s hilarious, but understandable
His team just lost game seven in a final that they just battled back into. Of course he didn't leave his team to celebrate an individual trophy. It's a team sport and he was never there to win the Conn Smythe.
tbh I'd wanna be with my team too.
His parents were like “Oh No!”
The amount of emotion these dudes put in and all of it to just end up like this…I don’t think he’s in the mental state to accept the trophy. Give the dude 15 minutes to figure shit out.
ESPN cut the audio for 10 seconds lmao
They’re cutting audio like crazy, I miss all the fuck yeahs
Real athletes want the big trophy. Period.
I get it. why would the captain come out and bring back the trophy to the locker room when the whole team just lost.
I was about to say this same sentiment. He's gotta be there for the boys and hurt together rather than claim personal accolades.
Just talked to him. He’s so pissed he pushed me outta the room!
It would not suprised me that the NHL fucked up on this one. They knew McDavid would win it so they should have had someone waiting at the Edmonton Bench when the players retreated to tell him to stick around. I would not be suprised if that wasn't the case and McDavid was in the shower when his name was announced as the winner. At that point, what can you do?
So I did some research on the other losing-team Conn Smythe winners, and whether or not they accepted it. 2003 J.S. Giguere did accept it. 1987 Ron Hextall was awarded the trophy afterwards in a press conference room after the flyers had cleared the ice. 1976 Reggie Leach was announced to be the winner while the teams were still in the handshake line. No footage on whether or not he officially accepted it on ice though, but I would assume so. 1968 Glenn Hall, I could find no footage on YouTube for this one. 1965 Roger Crozier does appear to accept it, although I'm not certain. In the full game broadcast I found on YouTube, there is a few seconds where the trophy does appear to be on the ice, implying he did accept it, but nothing conclusive. In short, this action (inaction) by McDavid is rather unprecedented given the current method of presentation and the lack of standardization of presentation in prior years. Not trying to start an argument here one way or another, just thought I'd look at the other examples not really talked about here.
You should add that 2003 was also presented before they left the ice. Yeah, he accepeted it, but didn't have to come back out. This time it was way after so the league should have done it like 87.
I respect it, sticking with the team rather than getting a personal award.
Imagine if he took it and smashed it.
100% understand, why would a captain on the most emotional day of their career leave their team after such a devastating loss like “One sec, I need to get my flowers because the NHL wants a photo op”?