McDavid Scare Overshadows Oilers’ 5-4 Loss to Ducks: "Too Close to Home For Me"

The Edmonton Oilers made a game of it late, but the 5-4 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night will be remembered for the nastiness following a dangerous play that hit a little too close to home for Connor McDavid. 

As the typically fearless superstar -- who drives the net with speed more than perhaps any other player in the NHL -- went flying through the air and his leg wrapped around the post, flashes of past injuries came roaring back. 

In April 2019, McDavid sustained a serious knee injury during the season finale against the Calgary Flames when he crashed into the goalpost. He had to undergo an intensive six-month non-surgical rehab program.

During his rookie season in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers after he fell shoulder-first into the boards, he needed surgery, sidelining him for several months.

As McDavid seemed to hint following the loss to the Ducks, one never really forgets.

To be fair, Drew Helleson can't let McDavid have a free pass to the net. It's his job to stop players from getting there with ease. That said, McDavid and Vasily Podkolzin saw that play differently. He saw it as a dangerous play, one that shouldn't be allowed. 

"Yeah, obviously it's a play that you know is, I guess, a little sensitive to me. Those are plays that I've been really, really hurt on before. You know, going into the end wall, going into the net- those types of plays are, I find, dangerous. And obviously, I didn't love it."

"I don't think anyone really knows what it's like to go into the net Mach 1... but as I said, obviously a play that's close to home for me. Those are plays that you know you have really really hurt me. .. It's a situation I find myself a lot in."

After taking a moment to catch his bearings and get to his feet, it was clear that McDavid was frustrated. He gave Helleson an earful, and that was the only clue Podkolzin needed. He went right after Helleson with a fury unlike any other incident so far this season. 

He got booted from the game as a result. 

"I've never seen that call before," said McDavid. 

That call was a 5-minute major and a game misconduct that the official called a "One-man fight" as he was running down the list of infractions. The rule essentially states that the "aggressor" is given the game when he fights someone in a vulnerable position or an unwilling combatant. 

Podkolzin didn't care. He saw McDavid get run into the net and could see the concern on his captain's face. At that point, he was ready to run through a wall for his superstar captain. "I appreciate the response, obviously," McDavid said.

"I think people have me pegged as some type of robot, but I got feelings and emotions too, and you know, what that comes out, it can rattle the game up. I appreciated the response from Podsy. As I said, I thought it was an unfortunate call. Didn't like the call really one bit. It is what it is."

"The response to that play was what it should have been," said Mike Babock, who also didn't like the call but said little about the officiating, which heavily impacted the outcome. 

All Babcock added was that Helleson's hit seemed to be the real instigator, and the coach wasn't aware it was against the rules to run a player into the net. Beyond that, Babcock said he hated the other penalties that cost the Oilers the game. 

The result was a loss. It might not feel that way in the room, however. McDavid is fine, and the sense of team that likely comes out of this game might mean more than the two points. 

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