Connor McDavid wins ESPY Award for top NHL player

Connor McDavid (Connor Mah, Wikimedia Commons)

According to Aaron Vickers of Offside on Thursday, Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid of Richmond Hill, Ontario won the ESPY Award on Wednesday for the top National Hockey League player of the year.

McDavid led the NHL in points with a career-high 123 during the 2021-22 season. He had 44 goals and a career-high 79 assists. McDavid also was a +28 with 45 penalty minutes, 44 power-play points, nine game-winning goals, one shorthanded point, 314 shots on goal, 562 faceoff wins, 26 blocked shots, 75 hits, 73 takeaways, and 68 giveaways. By leading the NHL in points, McDavid won the Art Ross Trophy for the fourth time.

McDavid also had an exceptional run in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. In 16 games, McDavid led all players in postseason scoring (33 points) and postseason plus/minus (+15) despite not playing in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Oilers were swept in the Western Conference Finals by the Colorado Avalanche. In 16 postseason, McDavid had 10 goals and 23 assists, 10 penalty minutes, two power-play goals, one game-winning goal, 61 shots on goal, 92 faceoff wins, four blocked shots, 51 hits, 14 takeaways and 20 giveaways.

The last Canadian player to win the ESPY Award for the best NHL player was Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby of Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2017. It was the eighth time Crosby won the award.

Written by 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *