Edmonton Fans have a responsibility to appreciate Connor McDavid and the Oilers WIN, LOSE, or DRAW.
I have been long contemplating making somewhat of a big deal about this issue, but after yesterday’s revelation in the form of a Connor McDavid GQ interview, I feel compelled to extend my thoughts to the Edmonton people through more than a twitter thread. In the interview, the Oilers captain said the words that should petrify anyone that has ever called themselves a fan of the team.
“When you’re winning, you’re a hero in this city, and when you’re losing they want to run you right out of it.” SOUND THE ALARMS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN THIS IS NOT A DRILL, the greatest player to grace this city since Gretzky himself feels even SLIGHTLY unwelcome, and that’s unacceptable. Now, anyone with a semblance of intelligence could probably read that and take away less of a serious message. In the interview, he cites a specific, and well-documented occurrence of a couple of guys chirping him as he’s leaving a restaurant with his family. I don’t think I’m the first to say this, and I’m sure I won’t be the last but I’ll do it anyways. That’s not cool. That’s never cool. Doesn’t matter if Kessler, Pronger, and Bieksa are sitting down to a meal where Mike Smith is bringing out drinks in a bow tie, they are people just like us and they don’t deserve to be harassed for living their lives.
That’s not a fire take, it’s an easy one. It makes sense, it follows the golden rule and most people seem to have no issue with respecting it. So with that in mind, I can see how some may minimize the importance of McDavid’s comments. It’s when you read deeper into the comments that begin to illustrate a somewhat alarming picture regarding the culture of the Edmonton fan base. When asked about how miserable Edmonton was last season, McDavid responded quite bluntly “It was awful. It was terrible. It was miserable around town. I remember everyone just chirping at you all the time.” It’s the opening sentiment about being in Edmonton that makes my heart sink. The future of the Edmonton Oilers, the 2 time Art Ross Ted Lindsay and Hart Trophy winner at 21 years of age doesn’t like being in his city unless the team is winning.
This thought inspires so many questions that maybe an interviewer wanting to talk about more than his (STUNNING) new wardrobe would have followed up with. But alas, it’s all we have to go off of. The questions I would have asked him in response to his obvious criticism of Oilers fans would have been something like “does it bother you personally when fans and local media take pot shots at your teammates?” Or “how much does the locker room talk about the fans or being chirped by locals online or in person?” I would bet my lunch that his diplomatic response would include something about “we don’t really pay attention to all of the noise” and “we don’t really have time for all the social media stuff.” But would that be the truth or just a way to avoid a barrage of criticism from the “I pay the Oilers thousands of dollars so I get to be as obnoxious as I want” fan base?
This is honestly a question that I think gets ignored and taken for granted across all forms of sport and fame. How does player A feel about constant vitriol towards Player B? I guess for me it comes down to the lessons that I learned from sports personally. When you are on the ice, or the field, you are in a battle. You and your brothers in arms are there to accomplish a task of winning at all costs. It’s not always easy and sometimes you will lose, but the one thing you will always have are the ones that are suiting up and going into battle with you. It’s not too different from your co-workers. I work with some pretty awesome people that I would most certainly defend at all costs. We don’t always get along, and sometimes one of us drops the ball. But we always help each other to get back on the right track mentally, physically, spiritually, etc. Anyone that means to challenge my teammates or my co-workers has to first go through me and they would do the same.
Imagine for a second an environment where your teammates are your co-workers. Now imagine someone on your team being so inundated with comments of ridicule, and vitriol. Constantly being reminded by the masses of social media that he doesn’t deserve to make the money he’s making. Imagine those same people taking every pot shot possible at the guy that hired you, that assembled the team that you love being a part of. Imagine being out to dinner with your teammates and wondering how many people that come up to you and ask you all for an autograph are going back to their phones during the next game you lose and pooping all over your teammates via Twitter with the hashtag “FireChiarelli.”
To assume that any player that deals with these realities is somehow numb to it, or okay with it, or fine with the status quo would be insanely unfair to a passionate guy like Connor McDavid. He has dealt with shortcomings on the ice from his team in seasons that he has decorated his trophy case, and I’m sure his first criticism would be of himself. He’s humble, a leader that knows what it means to eat last, and the day to day commentary from the fanbase that has to quarantine himself from probably heavily outweighs the instances of guys coming up to him and chirping his family. That doesn’t lend any less severity to one over the other.
I’m a big believer that perception is reality. Connor illustrated very well that his perception of the fan base is largely negative unless the team is putting up consistent W’s. A player like 97 will certainly use that as motivation, but it’s not fair to ignore the sentiment. To the fans, he is Connor McDavid, the 2nd coming of Gretz, the future of the Edmonton Oilers. To himself, he’s the captain of a team of 20 guys that go to battle every night same as him. A group assembled by Peter Chiarelli, the man that drafted him, and directed by Todd McLellan, the man that coached him to a Hart trophy and an exciting playoff run.
So here’s what I’m proposing. Let’s take a page out of Vegas’ handbook. Instead of complaining about the burnt orange jerseys, let’s bleed burnt orange. Instead of tweeting about how inept of a defencemen Kris Russell is, let’s voice our support for the ENTIRE D core especially number 4. Instead of mentioning every time the Oilers don’t score, that they could have had Barzal and Taylor Hall, let’s hold up signs at Rogers Place saying how much we love having guys like Lucic and Strome. We know McDavid does. “Doesn’t that sound a little cheerleader-ish?” Sure it does, but what’s the harm in supporting someone publicly and verbally? After all, many fans love to go back to how much they support the team financially. Why don’t we try putting our mouth where our money is?
So let’s run down the list of reasons why what I’m proposing is at best an absurdly, immature or somehow unconstitutional notion.
“They make millions of dollars, so I’m allowed to complain.”
“The management needs to be held accountable after so much lack of production.”
“If this were a job, the whole staff would have been fired and replaced by now.”
“The only way we are going to see change is by demanding it from the ownership.”
“Screw you, don’t tell me how to fan.”
“McDavid was only talking about the fans that chirp him in public and your thoughts are too in depth.”
“I’m a blogger with some kind of platform and it’s not up to me to cheer on players, it’s up to me to analyze them honestly.”
“I pay so much money to go every game and see the same crappy product and find a lack of motivation to change unacceptable.”
“It’s a free country and I can say whatever the hell I want.
If you were moved to respond with any of these, or identify with their messages, that’s 100% your prerogative. A pretty good rule of thumb is to ask yourself, “would I say this comment about a player or a manager to their face? Would I say it in front of McDavid?” If the answer is no, there is probably a valid reason. So rather than pretending that players don’t spend time on social media, reading their mentions and ruining their days, let’s try to contribute some positivity. Failing to appreciate the fact that a disregard for the feelings of players has likely cost Edmonton star power, and maybe even motivation to win games is a miss for growth. Let’s take the opportunities to change the entire persona of Oilers twitter BEFORE the season starts and then keep it moving through the season all the way to a Cup Run. Vegas did it with a bunch of unwanted players motivated by hard work and love from their city, why shouldn’t the Oilers be able to do it with Connor freaking McDavid?
Let’s look forward to next offseason, no matter what happens from now until June, and be excited about the fact that we have done everything to make Edmonton a viable option for UFAs or potential trade targets to bring their families, and skillsets. Let’s redefine the narrative that players don’t want to play in Edmonton to one where players are chomping at the bit to get to a city where they are appreciated by diehard hockey fans. Maybe that will outweigh the excuse of “weather conditions” when a player puts Edmonton on their no-trade list. That McDavid quote will be on my timeline, on my phone, on my desk at work and any time I need a reminder of what’s at stake here. We may not have all been on Twitter or been alive in some cases, but losing Gretzky was something that has affected the city and the fans for a long, long time. I don’t know what would happen if one day we were forced to endure seeing a picture of a 9-year-old Connor McDavid in his Leafs pajamas as he signs his next deal.
This was a guest post by a great friend and follower of the blog named Jeremy Thompson. You can follow him on Twitter here.
