The most effective participant in hockey is having a record-breaking run within the postseason. May a Stanley Cup be sufficient to make him a family title within the U.S.?
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Hockey’s historical past books are stuffed with the identical title many times – Wayne Gretzky. His information have lengthy been considered out of attain till now. Tonight, in recreation six of the Stanley Cup ultimate, all eyes will probably be on one participant making a run at one among Gretzky’s most spectacular information. NPR’s Becky Sullivan studies.
BECKY SULLIVAN, BYLINE: I will begin by telling you about this one second from Sport 5 on Tuesday.
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UNIDENTIFIED SPORTSCASTER: Misty (ph) strikes via a double group, and Perry scores. What a play by McDavid.
SULLIVAN: The Edmonton Oilers are unfold out throughout the ice. There are 5 gamers the Florida Panthers could possibly be defending, however all of them collapse on only one man – Connor McDavid.
STEVE LEVY: 4 Florida Panther defenders are all surrounding McDavid. McDavid is the one Oiler. McDavid’s acquired the puck.
SULLIVAN: That is ESPN’s Steve Levy.
LEVY: And McDavid nonetheless, clearly, someway was capable of get via all 4 of these Florida Panthers after which beat the goalie and arrange his buddy for a tapping.
SULLIVAN: McDavid sliced via the defenders like they had been simply cones on an impediment course, flicked the puck to his teammate for the purpose, leaving everybody – the announcers, the followers, the Florida Panthers – shocked.
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UNIDENTIFIED SPORTSCASTER: For the win, the Oilers – a superb piece of labor, McDavid to Perry.
SULLIVAN: After the sport, the teammate who scored the purpose, Corey Perry, instructed reporters it was simply one other Tuesday for McDavid.
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COREY PERRY: He places his group on his again. Once we’re in opposition to the wall, he places us on his again. And, , you see why he’s the very best participant.
SULLIVAN: Not simply the very best participant on the Oilers, the very best participant in a era, the sort of skater so electrical that when he touches the puck, followers of his opponent get out of their seats to witness what may occur, Levy says.
LEVY: You do not even should know it is him. You do not have to know it is his uniform quantity. He jumps off the tv display screen, off the ice. He simply seems so totally different than everybody else.
SULLIVAN: Individuals have been anticipating nice issues from Connor McDavid for a very long time. He is been a star ever since Edmonton selected him with a high draft decide in 2015, however the Oilers simply weren’t excellent for lots of these years. So McDavid did not have a sensible likelihood on the Stanley Cup till now, and he is taking advantage of it, says Sean McIndoe, a hockey author for The Athletic.
SEAN MCINDOE: What we’re seeing from Connor McDavid on this yr’s playoffs is traditionally one of many best performances ever by an offensive participant.
SULLIVAN: McIndoe says Gretzky’s information had been set within the ’80s and ’90s, when there was much more scoring, a part of the rationale why these information have stood for therefore lengthy.
MCINDOE: But right here we’re in 2024, in an period the place it is a lot more durable to attain within the NHL. The groups are so significantly better, and but Connor McDavid is chasing a file that is held by Wayne Gretzky.
SULLIVAN: That file is factors in a single playoffs run, factors that means each objectives and assists. McDavid at present has 42. Gretzky’s file is 47. McDavid has tonight’s Sport 6 to chase it and, if the Oilers win once more, a deciding Sport 7. There’s one different factor at stake, McIndoe says. Whereas McDavid is hockey’s greatest star, he is not all that well-known exterior of the game, and his efficiency is a chance each for him and hockey.
MCINDOE: The extent of efficiency that he is at – you do not have to comply with hockey. You do not have to grasp and even like hockey to have the ability to admire true greatness.
SULLIVAN: He says the phenomenon across the basketball participant Caitlin Clark proves American audiences can, in actual fact, present up for a sport they historically have not cared a lot about. Possibly hockey could possibly be subsequent. Becky Sullivan, NPR Information.
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