The Edmonton Oilers did well in the rookie games that were played recently. However, the real games are approaching in the weeks ahead, and that means the central players on the team will start entering the spotlight. The Oilers published an interview with Connor Mcdavid to their Youtube account on Thursday. The young captain of the Oilers and the reigning MVP in the NHL addressed an array of topics, some frivolous and some more serious for fans. The posted interview is about six minutes in length and starts with McDavid speaking about his involvement with producing an EA Sports skit before moving on to talking about expectations for Edmonton heading into the 2017 NHL season.
Oilers have their own expectations
Regarding those expectations, McDavid made a point about differentiating between what he called "outside expectations" and the ones that the Oilers talk about in their own meetings. By "outside expectations" he seemed to be referring to the expectations that fans, pundits, and media have regarding the 2017/18 Edmonton Oilers. They are a team that is considered the 2nd favorite to win the 2018 Stanley Cup behind the Pittsburgh Penguins (source: bet365 sportsbook). According to McDavid "outside expectations don't mean much" but the Oilers themselves "expect...to have a good year." The high expectations come with McDavid returning as the league MVP, Leon Draisaitl signed to a long-term deal, and the Oilers having done well in the playoffs relative to recent seasons.
The captain of the Oilers also spoke about getting into game shape, indicating that there is a "huge difference between being in hockey shape and gym shape." Furthermore, McDavid spoke about what he has worked on during the offseason.
McDavid reacts to Northlands Coliseum's closure
He also commented on Edmonton's Northlands Coliseum being closed down, although he did seemed surprised by the recent news.
The Northlands Coliseum is the building that the Oilers played in for every season besides the most recent one. He called the Coliseum "a historic building" and mentioned that "great names" have played there in the past, certainly a reference to players like Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Paul Coffey, Jari Kurri, and many others.
The decision to close Northlands Coliseum permanently was a recent decision coming out of Edmonton's news. CBC.ca posted an article on the matter on Wednesday: "the final fate of the building where the Oilers built their dynasty in the 1980s remains undecided. Even those councillors most committed to the old Coliseum say they can't necessarily save it from the wrecking ball."
