How would another Stanley Cup Final loss impact McDavid's legacy?

[wetcoast]

Team accomplishments =/= individual accomplishments.
If the Oilers fail to win the Cup, It changes nothing to his legacy as far as I'm concerned unless he is the main reason they lose. Then it would slightly affect his legacy negatively.

This is how everyone should treat Connor and the SC question.

It's a 32 team NHL with a salary cap a lot of great players aren't going to win a SC ever in todays NHL.

So let's focus on what Connor McDavid the player actually has done and is doing.

His last 4 year playoff years are generational elite as as Draisaitl's.

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[Fledgemyhedge]

I wouldn’t view him differently but there’s always gonna be those people that will knock him for it and extremeists who will claim that brayden point is more valuable. Yeah that was a real argument on here

 

[LPHabsFan]

Massively. It's about narrative. Look at Ovi. We'd be having a much different conversation about him if he didn't win that cup in 2018. Even though you could look deeper at his playoff 'lack of' success, he won one, so the rest doesn't matter.

And even on top of that, he'd have brought them to the finals twice, and couldn't get them over the final line.

Is it fair? Probably not. Is that the reality? Yes. The goal of playing hockey is to win the Stanley Cup. If he doesn't, that's the narrative. It's the asterix to every single conversation about him.

He's won tons of harts, but....
He's won tons of Art Ross', but....
He's won internationally, but....
He's top 5 scoring (maybe when he's done), but....

That doesn't mean that other plays who won, but aren't as good, are better just because the other guy won. But you're asking about his legacy, and it will 100% massively take a hit.

 

[Hockey2Hockey]

Everyone remembers Crosby winning two CS's out of three in winning efforts and lifting the cup. Nobody would have that image of McDavid if he doesn't win this year. Is it fair that would likely mean Crosby is held in higher regard? Maybe not. But that's what will happen. Cups are extremely important.

Specifically, cups matter alot between similar tier players. Will people hold Andreychuk, Carbo, or Lanny in a higher regard than McDavid? No. Because they are so far off from being similar caliber of players.

 

[crowfish]

2 Smythes with zero Cups is gonna be as unbreakable of a record as Wayne's 50 in 39

 

[AvroArrow]

Haters will say he's not that good

The people that actually know hockey will still say he's the greatest player of his generation and a HOF lock, arguably top 5 all time

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

Negatively. Conversely, if he wins, I think it’ll help his legacy.

 

[RevengeOfTheDrai]

Everyone remembers Crosby winning two CS's out of three in winning efforts and lifting the cup. Nobody would have that image of McDavid if he doesn't win this year. Is it fair that would likely mean Crosby is held in higher regard? Maybe not. But that's what will happen. Cups are extremely important.

Specifically, cups matter alot between similar tier players. Will people hold Andreychuk, Carbo, or Lanny in a higher regard than McDavid? No. Because they are so far off from being similar caliber of players.

But we can agree that one cup would be enough. McDavid won’t need two or three to pass similar tier players?.

 

[Hockey2Hockey]

But we can agree that one cup would be enough. McDavid won’t need two or three to pass similar tier players?.

One cup would surpass Crosby imo. I say "Imo" because these are always subjective.

 

[sooni]

NHL Hockey is entertainment. No way McDavid will sit at ice crying again after Stanley Cup finals.

 

[NVious]

He's winning, so it's not gonna matter.

He's obviously hella thankful to the Leafs for giving the blueprint on how to beat the Panthers. If they can take them to 7 games and Edmonton nearly completed the comeback last year while Drai was basically a warm body due to his injuries, they're winning and then he's gonna do the impossible and win in Toronto (to show his gratitude).

The perfect ending:
Florida destroyed
McDavid proves haters wrong
Maurice crying on the coach's bench (wouldn't wanna shake hands with the players and drink beer at church)
McDavid trying to repeat next year as he plots to #ComeHome to #Canada'sTeam

 

[WetcoastOrca]

He's winning, so it's not gonna matter.

He's obviously hella thankful to the Leafs for giving the blueprint on how to beat the Panthers. If they can take them to 7 games and Edmonton nearly completed the comeback last year while Drai was basically a warm body due to his injuries, they're winning and then he's gonna do the impossible and win in Toronto (to show his gratitude).

The perfect ending:
Florida destroyed
McDavid proves haters wrong
Maurice crying on the coach's bench (wouldn't wanna shake hands with the players and drink beer at church)
McDavid trying to repeat next year as he plots to #ComeHome to #Canada'sTeam

Let it go.

 

[NVious]

Let it go.

It's happening bro, McDavid respects my generational post:like ratio and wouldn't want to upset me.

 

[BudBundy]

I hope that doesn’t come to pass.

His legacy shouldn’t be affected if he never wins a Cup, but we all know in the minds of some that it would. Over time, more and more excellent players will finish their careers without winning and it will become more normalized. 32 teams and a salary cap make it somewhat inevitable. For now, the stigma remains.

 

[Cool Hand Puke]

You can’t properly diagnose someone’s legacy halfway through their career… wtf?

What if he loses this one then goes on to win the next 7 straight? Will anyone even remember that he lost two in a row? The haters will for sure… history won’t.

 

[RevengeOfTheDrai]

He's winning, so it's not gonna matter.

He's obviously hella thankful to the Leafs for giving the blueprint on how to beat the Panthers. If they can take them to 7 games and Edmonton nearly completed the comeback last year while Drai was basically a warm body due to his injuries, they're winning and then he's gonna do the impossible and win in Toronto (to show his gratitude).

The perfect ending:
Florida destroyed
McDavid proves haters wrong
Maurice crying on the coach's bench (wouldn't wanna shake hands with the players and drink beer at church)
McDavid trying to repeat next year as he plots to #ComeHome to #Canada'sTeam

The blueprint appears to have support forwards for the D to eat pressure and chip pucks after Florida tends to spam the hard-rim entry. I think Edmonton's stretch passes would also be very important. If they solve Florida's forcheck, this series is over in 4 or 5.

 

[Ratsreign]

How will it impact his legacy when his team loses a second straight Cup, but then comes storming back and reaches a third straight Final and wins the Cup?

 

[Ghost of Murph]

I hope he wins a Cup at some point for the same reason I was happy Bourque and Ovi won Cups. Hate to see legendary players never win a Cup because some people make a big deal out of it.

In my mind losing this SCF affects McDavid's legacy zero percent. First, just look at his career playoff stats -- awesome.

Second, his teams have not been highly favored to win Cups so far in his career. I'd have a different opinion if the Oilers kept losing while being heavily favored and McDavid was putting up Matthews numbers

Third, FLA has been a machine. No shame in losing to the Panthers.

McDavid is so good that his legacy of being one of the best ever is already set. A Cup or more would just be icing on the cake. Aside from all of that, lots of career left for him.

 

[CokenoPepsi]

Unless he goes 0G 2A -11... I don't see a loss hurting him here.

 

[mr figgles]

He has a Conn Smythe, the single season playoff points record, and more playoff points per game than anyone other than Gretzky and Lemieux. If your opinion is that he is anything other than one of the all time greats, your opinion isn't worth much.

 

[Oleksiak]

Same as it is now. Great player with massive character issues. Lindros would be a good comparable.

 

[Fatass]

He has a Conn Smythe, the single season playoff points record, and more playoff points per game than anyone other than Gretzky and Lemieux. If your opinion is that he is anything other than one of the all time greats, your opinion isn't worth much.

Yes, McDavid is one of the greats. He’s in the top 10 tier, imo. But without leading a team to the Cup he’s 10 on the list.
It will make him crazy if he never gets a Cup though. That would always eat away at him.

 

[PistolPete]

This is how everyone should treat Connor and the SC question.

It's a 32 team NHL with a salary cap a lot of great players aren't going to win a SC ever in todays NHL.

In any era

Boston and NYR never won a Cup and Chicago won 1 during the 25 years of the Original 6 era.

From 68 to 92, there were only 7 winners for the 25 seasons. So 14 of the 21 teams never won the Cup

Ironically enough, the era people complain about the Big Spenders, 93 to '04, there were 7 winners in 12 seasons.

 

[Sniper99]

Same as it is now. Great player with massive character issues. Lindros would be a good comparable.

LOL wtaf is this? sees poster. Oh right.

 

[landy]

It wouldnt.

IMO and I really dont see the argument against this:

He is currently a top 100 player of all time from pure point production (71st). Throw in some Dmen ahead of him who may not have the point totals for obvious reasons and he is still top 100 from even the greatest haters argument.

He is then a top 20 player of all time from individual accolades.

A Cup catapults him into the top 10.

10-12 more years of points and likely more individual trophies; he is top 5, assuming no more Cups in his career

Multiple Cups and he is on the Mt Rushmore kicking out Howe or Orr, whichever way your argument wants to take you.