Connor McDavid deflects eerie Stanley Cup 'parallels' to Sidney Crosby and Wayne Gretzky
"We know what the routine is."
Kris Knoblauch on what's different between last year's Stanley Cup Final and this year's. pic.twitter.com/LeuXg9geUX — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 3, 2025
Wayne Gretzky's walk past the New York Islander's locker room after getting swept in the 1983 Stanley Cup Final has become a key piece of hockey lore. Expecting to see the Islanders' dynasty celebrating their fourth straight championship, The Great One instead found the Cup-winners hunched over with ice packs while trying to recover. Gretzky has long credited this moment with clarifying the sacrifice required to win a title.
The following year, in 1984, the Oilers defeated the Islanders in five games to win the Cup.
A generation later in 2008, Sidney Crosby found himself on the losing end of a six-game Stanley Cup Final series to the dynastic Detroit Red Wings. The heir apparent to Gretzky's throne came back a year later and won his first Stanley Cup by beating Detroit in seven games.
Sound familiar? Connor McDavid doesn't necessarily agree — even though he finds himself in the exact same position as two of the sport's legends.
As he prepares to face a Florida Panthers team in the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight year, the Oilers captain and three-time Hart Trophy winner said he isn't paying attention to the natural comparisons.
"I see, obviously, the parallels that everyone wants to write about," McDavid said Tuesday. "At the end of the day, this is a different story. Different teams, different group. Just excited to have another kick at the can here. That's all."
True, these Oilers and Panthers teams are a bit different compared to last year, but nothing has changed regarding the expectations for McDavid. Long considered the best offensive talent in the game, McDavid's legacy won't be completely written if he loses this Final rematch. But he could secure his status among the sport's best by winning it.
There's no shame in losing your first Stanley Cup Final. Just ask Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby. But it's what they did after that turned those losses into lore.
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