Providing context on the different situation between McDavid and Giguère winning the Conn Smythe

[MCR74]

Don't think he was in the mood to rub one out.

You never know. He'd just gone through a backbreaker playoff run.

 

[The Hockey Tonk Man]

Guys like Crosby or Yzerman would have swallowed the bitter pill and showed up.

Didn’t Crosby miss the handshake line against the Wings he was too busy?

Stop giving the smythe to someone on the losing team. Even Messier/Subban mentioned they’d give it to someone in Florida if Florida won.
Obviously, if the Oilers win, give it to McDavid

 

[blundluntman]

Don't really care that he didn't come out to accept it but I definitely figured it'd be something talked about after the fact.

Funny thing is if he had gone out to accept it people would've been like "McDavid only cares about individual awards, a real winner would be too pissed off to stand around and wait for a trophy after losing a Game 7".

 

[End on a Hinote]

Some are dogging McDavid for not coming out to accept the Conn Smythe, bringing up how past winners in a losing effort came out to accept it, and labeling him as disgracing and embarrassing the game.

I went back to take a look at the situation when Giguère won it.

Within 1 minute and 20 seconds after the clock ticked to zero, Giguère seems to be told on camera that he would be awarded the Conn Smythe trophy. Even if he wasn’t, what follows made for a very different build up.

A few minutes pass while the Devils celebrate and the Ducks wait in defeat, for the traditional handshake to ensue.

Immediately after the traditional handshake between the two teams, Bettman announces that Giguère is the winner of the Conn Smythe. I’m talking within seconds of the final handshakes.

Our example from last night sees McDavid skate over to begin shaking hands 2 minutes 3 seconds after the clock hits zero. I saw no evidence last night, or looking through it again today, that he was told he might need to stick around to accept the potential award. The hand shaking and congratulating from the Oilers goes on for at least another two minutes.

More minutes pass before Bettman finally announces the Conn Smythe winner, long after McDavid and the Oilers have cleared the ice for the new champions.

We just don’t know the behind the scenes or why it took so long for the NHL to get their shit together directly after Florida won. There was a lot more structure then, that’s for sure.

I think the stigma of him playing for the Oilers (or any Canadian team) has something to do with it.

 

[Cypher]

Bad look, should've went out and accepted it just like Jiggy did.

Guess he won't go to the NHL awards on Thursday since he won't win the Hart?

 

[Frank Drebin]

Didn’t Crosby miss the handshake line against the Wings he was too busy?

Stop giving the smythe to someone on the losing team. Even Messier/Subban mentioned they’d give it to someone in Florida if Florida won.
Obviously, if the Oilers win, give it to McDavid

Just get rid of the trophy if you want to do that.

 

[T REX]

what about the children?

Kuch is laughing somewhere

 

[Frank Drebin]

NHL fans care about the absolutely dumbest things.

Trust me, the same people that "care" about this would also care if he came out and accepted the trophy.

ie they are looking for reasons to hate on McD.

 

[Sergei Shirokov]

Doesn't matter what he does people will complain, had he come out and accepted it people would be saying he should be happier about winning it or that he should have declined.

Same people will complain no matter what happens.

If he had come out haters wouldnt have ammo on this issue.

 

[Mike C]

And grab some tissues in the washroom.

Funny one!

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Bad look, should've went out and accepted it just like Jiggy did.

Guess he won't go to the NHL awards on Thursday since he won't win the Hart?

Maybe he won't. I wouldn't. That shit is boring as hell.

Didn’t Crosby miss the handshake line against the Wings he was too busy?

Stop giving the smythe to someone on the losing team. Even Messier/Subban mentioned they’d give it to someone in Florida if Florida won.
Obviously, if the Oilers win, give it to McDavid

So essentially they're saying to give somebody the unilateral ability to change the winner of the trophy after the votes have been submitted? That's ever more ridiculous.

 

[Hoglander]

Be a man, suck it up, accept your award, then leave. That's too difficult for a coward, I guess.

 

[Tob]

McDavid would have spat in Conn Smythe's face

 

[BleedBlueNYR]

Who cares that he didn’t accept it? Guy lost the biggest game of his life, leave him alone. Some of you guys must not have played sports because if you did you’d know how devastating it is in the moment to lose a big game. There’s one trophy in this sport that matters and Mcdavid came up just short, of course he didn’t care about the conn smythe.

 

[AD1066]

I don't blame the guy at all. How long was he supposed to wait around for?

 

[Hockeyholic]

Is it possible he was already undressing his gear before he even found out about it?

I do remember someone whispering in Giguere's ear as he watched the Devils celebrating. So he likely knew immediately he won it.

 

[Old Boys Club]

Fans making a deal out of this are the same that would've been trolling about individual awards if he had. They're the same ones that were trolling every Oilers thread all SC playoffs, and the same ones that will be in every one next year.

 

[bobholly39]

I've been a huge McDavid supporter these playoffs and I was shocked he didn't show.

With hindsight - I wonder how much of this is on him vs NHL handling it wrong. Did Bettman & co talk to him/Oilers before and demand smythe winner show up even if they lose? Because unless that specifically happend, it's not McDavid's fault

If they did tell him about it with enough warning and he chose not to come out, I don't like that. I think he should have come out tbh.

 

[Frank Drebin]

Should he be honoured he won a relatively meaningless trophy in a losing cause?

 

[Hank Plank]

Oilers dressing room is not in another zip code 97 knew he won and chose to not to go back on the ice.

 

[frontsfan67]

Guys like Crosby or Yzerman would have swallowed the bitter pill and showed up.

McDavid handled it like a real captain. With the rest of his team. Why make it about him? He didn’t win the trophy everyone wants- the Stanley cup.

Announcement was also way after the oilers left the ice what is he supposed to do run back onto the ice wwe style to get booed by the home fans?

 

[Pablo El Perro]

It's a shitty situation to put a player in.

 

[Old Boys Club]

Oilers dressing room is not in another zip code 97 knew he won and chose to not to go back on the ice.

He did it just for you Hank Plank, he knew you were posting about him 24/7 for the last 3 months and wanted to give you inspiration for the next 3 months of obsessive posting.

 

[CupsOverCash]

I think I would buy an excuse saying that he either wanted to be with his teammates than accept some award for something again many even maybe including himself thought he deserved. The other being he just didn't expect it and was already getting changed to his street clothes. I think if he just didn't want to go out maybe that is probably a little sore imo but whatever like I said I don't even think he wanted it. 0 points in last 2 games I think a better excuse I'd buy was he didn't think he deserves it and said I needed to be better to help my team win. I think some people might respect him more in that scenario.

 

[Maple Leaf]

i dont care