Conclusions from the Stanley Cup Final - Post Game.

[Fatass]

Who cares about an individual trophy when you just lost the major trophy?

Also this - McDavid was likely going through a lot of those same emotions.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1805572927984640207

The Conn Smythe, like it used to be, should be presented off the ice. The Cup is celebrated as the most difficult team trophy to win. It goes against what the Cup represents to have an individual award presented while the Cup is paraded around the ice.

 

[DaPhazz]

Stop making excuses for him. Imagine being the biggest name in hockey and you're being presented by the league commissioner in what is arguably the most prestigious individual award in pro sports. The Conn Smythe is that highly regarded, it's not some chump trophy.

Some people really are offended by this?

I get the idea that you guys would jump on any reason to shit on the guy.

 

[RogerRoger]

If hey did the Conn Smythe before the hand shakes then maybe it would make more sense for players to stay out. Conn Smythe, shake hands, losing team leaves ice, Cup comes out.

That"s a neat way to avoid that, very rare issue. Although I do wonder how annoying it would be to go through a handshake line after losing the Stanley Cup and hearing the winning players say "Congrats on winning..." thirty times.

I have no issues with McD staying with his teammates, it makes sense and that's where he should be. But for a league that's trying to grow and market its stars, him not picking up the trophy was an abject (marketing) failure for the League.

 

[Spilot23]

I find hilarious the people that are pissed that McDavid didn't get his Conn Smythe trophy. Dude just lost a devastating game 7 where that game could've gone either way. Funny comment seeing that he's the face of the league. If it was Hyman, Bouchard or Draisaitl winning Conn Smythe nobody would bat an eye if he's going on the ice or not

 

[robertmac43]

That"s a neat way to avoid that, very rare issue. Although I do wonder how annoying it would be to go through a handshake line after losing the Stanley Cup and hearing the winning players say "Congrats on winning..." thirty times.

I have no issues with McD staying with his teammates, it makes sense and that's where he should be. But for a league that's trying to grow and market its stars, him not picking up the trophy was an abject (marketing) failure for the League.

If you are coming off a game 7 loss that handshake line is probably annoying regardless, but I totally get your point.

Luckily for the NHL they don't need to deal with this problem too frequently.

 

[hangman005]

I probably hate the Oilers more then any other team (well Habs too.) And even I won't hold it against McDavid for not going out for the Conn Smythe.

This win is probably the last thing on his mind. It'll become relevant when his career is over and people are debating his legacy and place in the top players of all time. Conn Smythe in a losing effort, because of record level production. Nobody will remember he didn't stick around the pick up the trophy.

Ditto this, I can understand not sticking around to pick up individual award after falling short of the ultimate prize. Funny thing is if he did stick around for the Conn Smythe the narrative would have been he's a loser, look at him eagerly collecting another individual award over the team award. Look I love making fun of McDavid and the Oilers as the next guy.... but it was lose lose no matter what he did.

 

[Bandit]

I don't understand when it became a thing to do a pissant little circle with the cup and hand it to the next guy. If I won it I'd take it for 5 complete laps. Share with the fans, it's their moment too.

 

[Fatass]

I don't understand when it became a thing to do a pissant little circle with the cup and hand it to the next guy. If I won it I'd take it for 5 complete laps. Share with the fans, it's their moment too.

The Cup is heavy (35 pounds). It’s a cool celebration. The Conn Smythe should be presented off ice though. It used to be years ago.

 

[thegazelle]

I think the Conn Smythe thing for McDavid is a losing proposition. If he had come out, some people would be all over him for "thinking selfishly", for "not being with his team", for "putting individual gain over collective loss". Honestly, either way, he will be criticized.

It is a hard call to make, I think. He is the captain, his team just lost a heart breaker, they are in their opponents' rink, and their opponent is celebrating. And precedent is overwhelmingly Conn Smythe generally goes to a player on the winning team. In that whole scenario, he may not even be thinking about the Conn Smythe. Putting myself in his shoes, I'd be mourning the loss with my team, encouraging my teammates, and comforting others. If I was the leader, I would just naturally do that, not think of myself, etc.

The only thing I will say is, at the very least, let Bettman and the league know in advance what his intentions were so that Bettman will not look like a fool standing there (yes, I know that is already natural for Bettman). I would think a good compromise would be for McDavid to send out someone from the team to pick it up.

I think requiring the players to celebrate a certain way is not necessarily great for the game. International competition is so full of protocol and such that it becomes just a rote exercise. I love the organic nature of the NHL games and post game customs, none of which are regulated, controlled and becomes merely following protocol and process.

 

[optimus2861]

I don't understand when it became a thing to do a pissant little circle with the cup and hand it to the next guy. If I won it I'd take it for 5 complete laps. Share with the fans, it's their moment too.

It used to be that the whole team skated around the rink as a group doing a couple of full laps, handing it off as they went. Now there are just too many people on the ice for that to work. So many media members and sponsors and the like out there crowding the ice, and that's before the family members get to come out.

 

[thegazelle]

I agree, and I think the voters lean towards a player on the winning team for the reasons you mention. But the CS is an award for the best player for the entire playoff. How do you avoid the guy who put up historic playoff numbers, including 11 pts. in the Finals? Personally, I was hoping Bobrovsky won. He was mostly great and it would've avoided the awkwardness. But if we're being objective, McDavid was on a whole other level.


I like this idea a lot. You could argue that since the CS is almost always awarded to a winning player, it adds to the victory in the moment. But maybe the post-game should be all about the team and the only trophy awarded the Stanley Cup.

Perhaps another option is if the Conn Smythe winner is going to be on the winning team, it is awarded in person then. If the Conn Smythe winner is on the losing team, it will be awarded along with the rest of the NHL awards. There doesn't seem to be much sensical reason to bring a losing team player out of his dressing room to isolate him from the rest of his dejected teammates, in order to present a trophy that does not NEED to be presented at that time.

 

[JianYang]

The setting is just really awkward.... to come out on the ice with no teammates around while watching your opponents celebrate an achievement that you have worked towards all your life.

In the old days, the conn smythe was delivered in a studio away from the ice. That setting would probably be less awkward for the losing player.

 

[SaltNPeca]

About McDavid not receiving the trophy
Interesting that people make strong opinions without knowing the facts. There's too much uncertainty here for me to comment, although I (like Connors Dad) would have liked to see him accept the trophy:

• There is no evidence someone from the League / Admin informed McDavid &/or Oilers that he should receive the trophy and further that the player or Oilers rejected it
• Was he already in the shower ?
• Was the room closed-door after the game (likely) ?

It mostly looks bush from the NHL to me. If they had a process in place Bettman wouldn't have looked so dumb/awkward in that moment.

I've worked in IIHF anti-doping for the Worlds. There's chaperones who wait at the tunnel in the 3rd to approach the player, inform, get a signature, then observe, and finally accompany to the doping test. It is common the players are hot after loosing, but that chaperone is typically a hockey player who's chill and calms the player down or simply waits in order to avoid issues.

 

[Lshap]

Perhaps another option is if the Conn Smythe winner is going to be on the winning team, it is awarded in person then. If the Conn Smythe winner is on the losing team, it will be awarded along with the rest of the NHL awards. There doesn't seem to be much sensical reason to bring a losing team player out of his dressing room to isolate him from the rest of his dejected teammates, in order to present a trophy that does not NEED to be presented at that time.

The setting is just really awkward.... to come out on the ice with no teammates around while watching your opponents celebrate an achievement that you have worked towards all your life.

In the old days, the conn smythe was delivered in a studio away from the ice. That setting would probably be less awkward for the losing player.

Lol... I've been watching the Stanley Cup being awarded for over 50 years and totally forgot the Conn Smythe never used to be part of the proceedings. At the time, it never occurred to me I was missing something. All I cared about was the Cup – the handshake line after it was won, the players skating with it, the interviews talking about it, and the photo of the team posing with it.

Based on my personal sample size of 1, it means nobody would miss the Conn Smythe trophy if it wasn't there.

 

[Bandit]

It used to be that the whole team skated around the rink as a group doing a couple of full laps, handing it off as they went. Now there are just too many people on the ice for that to work. So many media members and sponsors and the like out there crowding the ice, and that's before the family members get to come out.

Yeah I know, this is the way it should be. Don't let all the other bozos onto the ice until the team has taken it's laps, problem solved.

 

[Magic 8 Ball]

Boohoo. Who cares how McDavid feels. Be a professional and accept the trophy.
The NHL isnt paying him millions to have an awkward moment during the post game ceremony because he didn't ‘feel like’ accepting it.

But we should care how some random on an internet message board feels? Lmao.

And you’re right, the NHL isn’t paying him millions. The Oilers are, and I guarantee nobody in the organization gives two shits that he didn’t accept it.

This only matters on places like HFBoards. I swear hockey has the most pretentious and sanctimonious fans in the world.

But without the NHL for the Oilers to play in, he's a nobody working a shitty 9-5 job, showing off in beer league at night. 90 percent of the league are probably not smart enough to do anything but the most labourious jobs, or holding signs at a road construction site.

And I can't believe how many people care about the emotions on multi millionaires who wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire.

 

[JianYang]

Lol... I've been watching the Stanley Cup being awarded for over 50 years and totally forgot the Conn Smythe never used to be part of the proceedings. At the time, it never occurred to me I was missing something. All I cared about was the Cup – the handshake line after it was won, the players skating with it, the interviews talking about it, and the photo of the team posing with it.

Based on my personal sample size of 1, it means nobody would miss the Conn Smythe trophy if it wasn't there.

Yeah, I can't quite recall exactly when the conn smythe became part of the on ice celebrations. My guess would be sometime around 1990. I clearly remember Roy receiving it on the ice in 1993 but its fuzzy for me prior to that.

 

[Cup or Bust]

I mean the whole thing is pretty stupid. Why should a player on the losing team sit around and wait to see if they won the MVP? The player skates and shakes Gary's hand and it's over. I get that losers need pictures of everything to put on their social media accounts, but honestly who cares.

 

[heksagon]

Personally I think the Conn Smythe should be awarded after the playoffs at the same time that awards like the Vezina are awarded. Only award the Cup in the Finals.

It's all about right place, right time and to be totally honest, as much as I feel you should show up and accept your award (and there should be a way for a player to decline it, if there isn't one), I don't feel that awarding that at the Finals is appropriate for reasons given unless you make a Finals MVP award like the NBA.

This is it. Exactly.

Even if a winning team player gets the Smythe, all they care about at that very moment is the Stanley Cup. Right now it's: "Let's get this pose with the Smythe over with quickly, I want to touch the Cup already and celebrate with the team!" The Smythe will only matter to them afterwards when looking back, not at that very moment. That's why it makes so much sense to award it afterwards. It also prevents situations like this year, when they had to vote before the series is even decided.

 

[Garbageyuk]

But without the NHL for the Oilers to play in, he's a nobody working a shitty 9-5 job, showing off in beer league at night. 90 percent of the league are probably not smart enough to do anything but the most labourious jobs, or holding signs at a road construction site.

And I can't believe how many people care about the emotions on multi millionaires who wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire.

What a weird f***ing post.

 

[thegazelle]

Lol... I've been watching the Stanley Cup being awarded for over 50 years and totally forgot the Conn Smythe never used to be part of the proceedings. At the time, it never occurred to me I was missing something. All I cared about was the Cup – the handshake line after it was won, the players skating with it, the interviews talking about it, and the photo of the team posing with it.

Based on my personal sample size of 1, it means nobody would miss the Conn Smythe trophy if it wasn't there.

Agree. I remember the days when Conn Smythe wasn't part of the ceremony. Probably better this way.

Or the NHL can maybe do perhaps this: Stanley Cup Finals MVP to a player on the winning team, to be presented before the Stanley Cup, just like how the NFL and NBA do it), whereas the Conn Smythe for playoff MVP can be awarded along with the other awards during award night. That way, in the unlikely event that a player already on a team eliminated earned the Conn Smythe by his play even before the Finals, there is provision for consistency how they award it going forward.

I think in the NFL only one player has ever won SB MVP that was on the losing team. Rest have been on the winning teams, which generally is the overwhelming pattern

I agree with you that many fans (myself included) look forward to seeing the celebration, handshakes, SC awarded, interviews, and as much as I hate the CBC, the closing playoff montage is part of our family's tradition in watching. Anything else, including the Conn Smythe is really on the periphery.

 

[KickHimPedro]

There was a fairly long wait between the handshakes and the conn smyth coming out. Was the whole Oiler team supposed to wait around? Is just McDavid supposed to wait while his team is all in the dressing room?

He’s the captain of the team. It seems weird for him to not be with his team during this time.

Now he goes out and gets the trophy. Can he shake Bettmans hand and pose for a picture and leave the trophy? Probably not. That’s also disrespectful. Tradition states he needs to happily carry the trophy back to the room! Then hide it in another room like Giguere did so your teammates don’t know. How awkward

If anything, McDavid started a new tradition here. Future players can decide for themselves what they feel is appropriate.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

Stop making excuses for him. Imagine being the biggest name in hockey and you're being presented by the league commissioner in what is arguably the most prestigious individual award in pro sports. The Conn Smythe is that highly regarded, it's not some chump trophy.

If it wasn’t McDavid you wouldn’t give a f*** lmfao

 

[kingsholygrail]

Who cares about an individual trophy when you just lost the major trophy?

Also this - McDavid was likely going through a lot of those same emotions.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1805572927984640207

Honestly, they should stop giving the Conn Smythe to a losing player. Simple as.

 

[McShogun99]

Honestly, they should stop giving the Conn Smythe to a losing player. Simple as.

Always makes zero sense to me when the losing team's player wins the playoff mvp. Each writer should just make 3 votes for each team in a game 7 situation and the winning vote getter from the winning team wins the Smythe.