News alert, all hockey players swear. It's the visceral desperation and passion in McDavid's voice that make it such a must-watch, says Ken Campbell.
You may be shocked to hear this, but hockey players swear. A lot. (So do hockey writers, some more than others. And I'm looking at you, mirror.)
If you've watched one of the teasers for Amazon Prime's Faceoff: Inside the NHL series, which was released in its entirety on Friday, you'll quickly come to that conclusion after watching McDavid go off on his teammates after Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final. But it's not the F-bombs that make it so compelling, it's the emotion and desperation in McDavid's voice. And it's the fact that it's coming from the best player on the planet, not some third-line character guy who's good in the room.
After losing 4-1 in Game 2 of the final, McDavid puts his teammates on blast and does not mince words. Did it make a difference? Well, the Oilers still lost Game 3 before rallying to extend the series to seven. And there were so many days off between games, the Oilers probably had forgotten about it by the time they hit the ice for Game 3. (Reminds me of the epic speech by Phil Esposito after Game 4 of the Summit Series. Legend has it that it turned the series around. The only problem with that was that nobody on Canada's team had seen it.)
But it all makes for very compelling viewing. If you're of the opinion that these guys don't reveal enough of themselves, you'll likely be happy to see them let us in a little bit. Here's more:
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