EDMONTON – “ I didn't know him that well when I came in, and I was very surprised.”

Corey Perry wasn’t terribly familiar with Edmonton Oilers’ captain Connor McDavid before he signed with the team, aside from playing with each other here and there during McDavid’s younger days.

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“I didn't know him that well,” Perry explained after Monday’s practice session in Florida. “I played with him in the world championships, you know, but he was a lot younger.”

Fast forward to today, and the Oilers captain is within striking distance of the Stanley Cup once again. In the time that Perry’s been with the team, he’s learned a lot about how McDavid’s leadership is manifested in his daily actions.

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“I didn't know him that well when I came in, and I was very surprised at how outgoing he is in the dressing room,” Perry revealed. “How…he's just friends with everybody, and he's that leader.”

“There's a voice, and he uses it… when something needs to be said. His actions speak louder than his words.”

Perry isn’t the only teammate who has noticed his actions. Darnell Nurse has been there from the beginning of McDavid’s career and has seen the work that the Oilers captain has put in for years. Nurse shared his perspective on his teammate’s leadership.

“His work ethic, what he brings to the rink every day, sets the example for our group,” Nurse began. “When he speaks up, everyone has a lot of respect because of the amount of work that he puts in.”

“And not only when we come to the rink and prepare, (but) practice-wise, game-wise, knowing what goes on behind closed doors and the commitment and the sacrifice and everything that he does for this game and for this team, it motivates us.”

Infamously, McDavid used his voice to speak up during last year’s dreadful start to the Cup Final. Going down 0-3 is less than ideal, and McDavid urged his team to dig in and bring their best game to the ice.

Perry might not know him as well as Nurse, but Kris Knoblauch’s knowledge of the generational talent of McDavid extends further than both of those players.

“When I first met him, he was 15 years old,” Knoblauch revealed. “He was underage in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and he was a leader there.” 

Knoblauch went on to explain something about McDavid’s young leadership that surprised him.

“The respect the players had for him,” Knoblauch said, “and not that he was the most vocal guy, but I think it was his work ethic (and) attention to detail.”

“How focused he was at his game and being the best player possibly, that I'm surprised at how much respect they had for him.”

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Playing as a 15-year-old in the OHL is hard enough, but McDavid’s maturity and commitment to making himself a better player clearly put him in good standing with his teammates at a young age. 

One aspect of that maturity was evident in how he treated his teammates, and how he continues to treat them.

“More importantly is how much he acknowledges the other players' contributions,” Knoblauch said to reporters. “As he's got older (at) junior and same here (in the NHL)…you get more comfortable, you become a leader, because you've been with the team longer, and you build that rapport with all the players.”

“So I just think, overall, I think the most important factor is that he's got so much respect from the players, and that's just because of who he is, his approach to the game, and his acknowledgement of the players, (and) other teammates’ contributions.”

It’s clear that Perry, Nurse, and Knoblauch haven’t met another player like McDavid before. His unique blend of work ethic, incredible skill, and genuine care for others set him apart as a captain.

“I mean, I wouldn't ask for a better captain.”

I’m sure everyone else in Oil Country would agree with you, Perry.

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