How high can McDavid get?

[NyQuil]

Surely we can do better than Tal Bachman.

I see your Creed and I raise you:

 

[CN8]

What amazes me this year is he’s tied for the lead without a pp point

 

[Derailed75]

That’s because there’s zero nuance when it comes to many sports fans, particularly the youngest ones, who still believe that the players only care about the Cup and nothing else.

It’s a privilege to watch an all-time great QB like Marino suit up week in and week out. He didn’t lead the Dolphins to a Super Bowl win, but if you appreciate the craft and simply watching a master at work, that provides its own value. Watching Eli Manning fluke his way to a couple of Super Bowl wins doesn’t make me forget that he was a very average, often times subpar QB. Seeing Dilfer be competent surrounding by an all-time great defense doesn’t make me think any more or less of him. I don’t watch football for players like Eli Manning and Trent Dilfer, but I would tune in for someone like Marino, or Barry Sanders, or Randy Moss, or any of the other all-time greats among their positions who didn’t win a ring. I know the cities enjoyed the championships, but there’s multiple ways to enjoy sports.

I understand the “winning is the only thing that matters and everything else is a failure” mindset in sports, but I’m thankful for the journey above anything. I don’t necessarily need the payoff at the end to be able to appreciate what I’ve witnessed up to that point. It’s the same reason that a novel, movie, or show isn’t usually required to nail the ending for me to have loved it.

I’m originally from New England. I’ve seen my share of championships, to the point that it’s not particularly gratifying at this point in time. Perhaps that’s why I look at things the way I do now.

I’m quite confident McDavid will win at least one Cup, and it’s necessary to remove that wrinkle when debating his place amongst the all-time greats, but I consider it a privilege to be able to watch him perform each and every game. Years of that outweighs the fleeting good feeling of my hometown or where I’ve lived since, that comes with the culmination of a championship.

In fact, as a fan of the game, simply seeing him win it and throw off the critics once and for all, is more interesting to me than “winning” as a fan of something I realistically have zero part of. I don’t want to see them lose obviously, and I’m still invested in witnessing something great, but I don’t need it any more to complete my enjoyment.

As you said though, it’s all personal choice, but as someone part of the minority of why I continue to watch sports at this point in life, I appreciate when I do hear from someone like the poster you quoted.

Younger generation? I would have figured you were part of the younger generation. I'm 50 originally from Cleveland Ohio. I was in my late well into my 20 when the Buckeyes won the first championship of all the teams I watch, follow, and consider mine (Browns, Indians/Guardians, Buckeyes, Cavs, Canes I transplanted before the Jackets were a thing) I also played Little League sports. The way the leagues were set up for baseball we were named after real team divided into National and American Leagues and play a 3 game "World Series" with the winners of both leagues. Both yeary Giants lost to the Red Sox. The first year was learning experience the second I cried for days. We should have won and came so close and lost.

I watch sports for winners not for most goaliers, or most passing yarders.

While appreciate individual records and can acknowledge the best of the best the whole point in the damn thing is to win.

 

[Anglesmith]

All those points are wonderful INDIVIDUAL achievements but until he is part of a TEAM that wins a Stanley Cup, their value, as well as his own as a post season TEAM player, are diminished.

This mentality needs to die at some point. It's not a 6 team league any more. At most like 20 teams can win the Cup during any one player's career. Based on that alone it is impossible to expect every player to win a Cup during their career to validate their abilities.

And aside from that, there is nothing one player can do to win.

 

[landy]

View attachment 1025142

Very not true. McDvid wins 5 cups in a row and he is insta top 2 of all time.

 

[Cursed Lemon]

He's the 3rd player ever to crack 40 points in the playoffs. The sky's the limit. On the other hand, he's not getting any younger.

 

[AnInjuredJasonZucker]

Very not true. McDvid wins 5 cups in a row and he is insta top 2 of all time.

If your response to that John Candy line is "Very not true", then you're a broken person.

I suggest feeling the rhythm and feeling the ride.

 

[NVious]

Let's say he finishes these playoffs with 140 points total and let's say he has 12 more years with 15 games per year at 1.33 point rate.

That would take him to 374 points or just behind Gretz. It would be such an amazing feat to have him do this and honestly I'm cheering him on.

 

[Crunchrulz]

This mentality needs to die at some point. It's not a 6 team league any more. At most like 20 teams can win the Cup during any one player's career. Based on that alone it is impossible to expect every player to win a Cup during their career to validate their abilities.

And aside from that, there is nothing one player can do to win.

Actually, there is.
As proven in the past in various leagues, a Superstar player can restructure his/her contract to enable their team to bring in more talented support. Once the goal is achieved, both sides have an agreement to bring the player's contract back where it should be.
As for letting that mentality die, how many times have we read or heard a player say they would give up most if not all of their individual awards to be able to have earned ONE Championship ring?
If you do not want to achieve team success, take up golf or tennis.

 

[BallardEra]

He's a lock for #3 at the least.

 

[Anglesmith]

Actually, there is.
As proven in the past in various leagues, a Superstar player can restructure his/her contract to enable their team to bring in more talented support. Once the goal is achieved, both sides have an agreement to bring the player's contract back where it should be.
As for letting that mentality die, how many times have we read or heard a player say they would give up most if not all of their individual awards to be able to have earned ONE Championship ring?
If you do not want to achieve team success, take up golf or tennis.

Ok? As a thought experiment, imagine that 32 Connor McDavids (all exactly equally talented) are distributed to the 32 teams and each spends 20 seasons with their team. At least 12 of them cannot win the Cup no matter what. Is it fair to consider them inferior? No, that violates the initial premise.

The natural tendency is to then conclude that they must be the worst 12 of the 32, but the point of the thought experiment is to point out that some of them will be in this situation even if that isn't the case. They can all do team friendly deals and play their absolute heart out every year, and 12 of them (likely more) will never taste glory.

There is a reason why McDavid won the Conne Smythe Trophy last year. The Panthers were the best team, but no player on the Panthers contributed to winning the Cup as much as McDavid did.

 

[Crunchrulz]

Ok? As a thought experiment, imagine that 32 Connor McDavids (all exactly equally talented) are distributed to the 32 teams and each spends 20 seasons with their team. At least 12 of them cannot win the Cup no matter what. Is it fair to consider them inferior? No, that violates the initial premise.

The natural tendency is to then conclude that they must be the worst 12 of the 32, but the point of the thought experiment is to point out that some of them will be in this situation even if that isn't the case. They can all do team friendly deals and play their absolute heart out every year, and 12 of them (likely more) will never taste glory.

There is a reason why McDavid won the Conne Smythe Trophy last year. The Panthers were the best team, but no player on the Panthers contributed to winning the Cup as much as McDavid did.

Was not aware McDavid won the Cup last year.
Gosh, apparently either he was on the Florida roster and left off the list or the NHL Records are wrong, and Edmonton did in fact win Game 7.
As an experiment, imagine of the dog hadn't stopped for a BIO break and had indeed caught the fox. Same line of logic, same result. We will never know as neither you nor my experiments will ever become reality.

 

[authentic]

What’s more relevant is that adjusted for era his playoff career is already superior to Gretzky’s best consecutive 70 games adjusted for scoring levels, and he’s doing this on a non dynasty team in a more talented era against much harder opponents. That’s truly astonishing.

 

[acor]

Has anyone made a reference to drugs yet??

TBF, I went into this thread ONLY for drug jokes...