Losing a Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals is probably one of the biggest heartbreaks a sportsperson can go through, and it was tough for Connor McDavid to get over the Oilers’ loss against the Florida Panthers this summer.
The Oilers came close to completing one of the greatest comebacks in sports history after being down 3-0 in the Finals against the Panthers. But ultimately, they lost a tight Game 7 in Florida, and it wasn’t much of a consolation that he won the Conn Smythe Trophy. He became the sixth player of all time to win the award as a member of a losing team.
But in Amazon Prime’s Faceoff: Inside the NHL, McDavid said that he wouldn’t have accepted the award on the ice for a million dollars.
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But it wasn’t all bad for McDavid this summer. In August, he married Lauren Kyle, and his bachelor party was planned to begin two days after Game 7. It was long planned, and the idea was for McDavid and his buddies to fly to Europe, visit Amsterdam in the Netherlands, watch some soccer in Germany, and then finish it off with a Kings of Leon concert in London.
But none of that happened. McDavid wasn’t really in the mood for partying after the devastating Game 7 loss, so instead, his friend group traveled to the Bahamas for a more relaxing trip. But McDavid still had a tough time not thinking of what had happened in the Finals against the Panthers.
”It was a bit of a weird time,” McDavid told The Athletic.
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For McDavid, it was a time of reflection more than partying and celebrating.
”There was a lot of talking amongst everybody,” McDavid said. ”In a way, it was nice to decompress, but at the same time it was a little bit strange. You’re supposed to be celebrating and having a good time, but at the same time it was … not that way.”
In early August, McDavid and Laure Kyle were married in Lake Muskoka. In the week that followed, the newlyweds spent most of their time with their families.
”There was something different about this summer,” Kelly McDavid, Connor’s mother, said. ”It seemed like Connor wanted to be close to the family.”
