McDavid talks maturing, Gretzky in Part 2 of exclusive Q&A with NHL.com

Connor McDavid is putting together a season for the ages. The Edmonton Oilers center has 151 points (64 goals, 87 assists) in 80 games, the most in the NHL since Mario Lemieux had 161 in 1995-96 for the Pittsburgh Penguins. With his remarkable regular season coming to an end and the Stanley Cup Playoffs starting April 17, the generational talent and face of the NHL sat down with NHL.com staff writer Mike Zeisberger in Edmonton recently and opened up about all things Connor McDavid.
In Part 2 of NHL.com's three-part exclusive 1-on-1 with McDavid, we look at his increasing role as the face and voice of the NHL, and how he's gone from a tight-lipped guarded public figure to the more personable star of stage and screen we're seeing today.

EDMONTON -- Connor McDavid is starting to let his guard down.
We can now see the Edmonton Oilers star on numerous television commercials, including one in which he engages -- if you can call it that -- Wayne Gretzky in a Zamboni race.
We saw it March 13, when a smiling McDavid showed the world his lighter side when he presented Nickelback with their induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame during the JUNO Awards, the annual celebration of the country's music industry that was held this year at Rogers Place.
After all the years of being safe, keeping outsiders at arms' length, always careful to choose the right words, the 26-year-old is allowing the world to get a peek at the real Connor McDavid, personality and all.
Why now?
"Because you grow up," he said. "I'm 26 now. I feel more comfortable in public and in my place in the game."
It hasn't always been that way.
Imagine being McDavid. Imagine growing up in hockey-mad southern Ontario where you became a household name and celebrity long before you became a teenager. Imagine wondering who to trust, who you could rely on and who was just looking to selfishly feed off your notoriety.
Part 1: [McDavid talks legacy, goals]
It's taken a while to get comfortable with this whole fame thing. Now he's finally embracing his role in the sport, both as its face and, in recent times, one of its most influential voices.
"Like I said, I think it's part of the growth thing," he said. "I also think that, as a young kid that was my kind of, I guess, defense mechanism. You know, kind of put up a bit of a guard and kind of keep media, the public and everything like that at bay."
Not so much anymore.
Here is Part 2 of our Q&A with McDavid:
First off, you mentioned you put up a guard, a "defense mechanism" as you called it, during your younger days. I remember when you were with the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League in 2015, you played in Mississauga against the Steelheads and it took you almost half an hour to get from the dressing room to the team bus because of the swarm of fans who wanted to see you. Given all that early notoriety, how difficult was it to become the Oilers captain at 19, especially the public duties that go hand in hand with wearing the "C" in a Canadian market?
"I think back to being named captain at 19 years old, and you have no idea what's going on. You really have no idea. You're still trying to find your way in the League. And when I say that, I don't mean that I regret any decision I made or anything like that. I'm incredibly honored to wear the 'C' for the Oilers and have done it for a number of years now."

How have you evolved in your time as Oilers captain?
"I feel like I'm in a unique position to kind of grow up in that role and kind of learn from failures. And now I'm in my seventh year as captain, and I really feel as comfortable being the captain and being the leader than I ever had before."
In the same manner, you seem more comfortable in the public spotlight, certainly less guarded.
"[Being guarded], it worked, it got me kind of through that time. Now, like I said, I'm 26 years old, I've been around the League a long time and I feel more comfortable just kind of being me. I think the other thing for me was I cared a lot about what the older guys thought about me. I know in hockey, the tradition is to be respectful of the older guys and kind of earn your stripes. I feel like I took that to heart, so that was part of it too. And I feel like I'm in a place now where I have a little bit more respect in the game and can maybe speak your mind a little more freely."
You certainly did that on the BetMGM commercial when you challenge the great Wayne Gretzky to a race by saying, "Wanna go, 'Gretz?'" Who knew it would be a Zamboni race? All the while, those three words -- "Wanna go, Gretz?" -- have gone viral on social media. What's it been like developing a relationship with Gretzky, the NHL's all-time leading scorer and Oilers icon whose statue sits in front of Rogers Place?
"I mean, any time Gretz is around, there's definitely a presence. And when you come in and you're a young guy, for sure I was nervous and a little bit intimidated by him. But as I've gotten to know him, honestly, he's such a great guy. His family is great too. I've gotten to know his sons Trevor and Ty a little bit and really get along well with them. So yeah, it's been great to spend some time with him and really fun to shoot that commercial with him. We had a really, really nice time."
How about this Wayne Gretzky stat: If No. 99 never scored a goal in his career, he'd still be the NHL's leading scorer, in terms of points, of all-time. He has more assists (1,963) than the League's No. 2 scorer, Jaromir Jagr, has points (1,921).
"(Shakes head in disbelief) … That's a crazy, crazy stat. I mean, that just goes to show how dominant he was and what kind of a special player he was. What else can you say?"
You've haven't been shy to speak your mind, especially of late, with your support of Pride Night in Edmonton, and your desire to see a best-on-best international tournament. Discuss your comfort level of how you've grown into speaking out and becoming, as we mentioned earlier, being a voice in the League that matters and has influence.
"I understand my position in the game and that my voice carries some weight, so with that, what I talk about and when I talk about it is a little bit more strategic. I put a little more thought into some things. And with that being said, the League has always been super, super open with me. They've always wanted to have conversations with me, and the Players' Association the same thing. So, I feel very lucky to be in that position. I know not every guy gets that type of treatment, so if you do, you'll feel very lucky that way."
Indeed, there's always talk about making Connor McDavid more marketable and one of the, if not, the face of the NHL. What's helped you open up to those concepts?
"Again, you've got to grow into it. You've gotten to watch the kind of guys who have done it before and try to learn as much as you can, but also still speak about the things that you're passionate about. And those are the things I'm going to keep talking about."

Finally, we have to ask about the JUNOS. You get introduced by Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds, you walk onto the stage accompanied by chants of "MVP!" and you let the world know your entire family are huge Nickelback fans, sometimes to the chagrin of your neighbors back in the day. What was that like?
"The people here in Edmonton have always been great to me, and they showed it again that night. Sometimes, it's cool to step out of your comfort zone."
Coming Monday: Part 3: Connor McDavid's journey to becoming Connor McDavid