Connor McDavid wins Conn Smythe as playoff MVP despite Oilers losing Stanley Cup Final to Panthers
Connor McDavid has won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP despite he and the Edmonton Oilers losing the Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers in seven games
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Connor McDavid won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP on Monday night despite Edmonton’s Stanley Cup Final loss to Florida, a nod to one of the greatest postseason performances in NHL history.
McDavid, who was held without a point the final two games of the final, still led all playoff scorers with 42 points, five shy of the record of 47 set by Wayne Gretzky in 1985. He did not return from the locker room to accept the trophy from Commissioner Gary Bettman, leaving it sitting on its stand while the Panthers celebrated nearby.
“It’s an honor with the names on that trophy, but yeah,” McDavid said.
After not scoring (but still leading the team with three assists) through the first three games against Florida, McDavid changed the course of the series by doing something no other player in history has done, including Gretzky. He had four points in consecutive games in the final to keep the Oilers from being eliminated.
