McDavid talks pressure before draft, Bedard in 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 3 of NHL.com's three-part exclusive 1-on-1 with McDavid, we look at McDavid's journey to get to this point, from being in the spotlight as a kid in hockey-crazed southern Ontario, to dealing with being called "The Next One," to overcoming a crippling knee injury to becoming the face of the NHL.

EDMONTON -- Connor McDavid knows what it's like to be Connor Bedard.
Because that's exactly who he was not so long ago.
Much like Bedard, who is the overwhelming choice to be the No. 1 pick in the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft, the spotlight has been on the Edmonton Oilers center since he was a kid. Being from Canada, he was a household name throughout the country long before he'd ever played a shift in the NHL.
Fair or not, before he was even selected No. 1 by the Oilers in the 2015 NHL Draft, McDavid heard all the comparisons that he was the next Sidney Crosby, much like Bedard has been mentioned as the next Connor McDavid.
In that sense, how does a teenager cope with such pressure before even being drafted into the NHL?
"How did I handle it? Well, you know, I was really proud of the fact that people thought I was going to be that player," McDavid told NHL.com.
Part 1: [McDavid talks legacy, goals | Part 2: McDavid on maturing, Gretzky]
The 26-year-old then admitted there was a bit of a fear factor involved with such lofty expectations and comparisons, the type that are being thrust on Bedard right now.
"It was really motivating because, well, you know, I didn't want to be a bust," McDavid said. "You know what I mean? I didn't want to be that guy."
"And, honestly, when you're touted to be this certain guy, there's a lot of pressure that comes along with that. How do you deal with that? I think I dealt with it, you know, by working harder. It really pushed me to work harder."

It was a recipe of success for McDavid. After having 120 points (44 goals, 76 assists) in 47 games during his final season with Erie, the Oilers selected him … and the rest is history.
Bedard's numbers with Regina of the Western Hockey League are similarly eye spectacular. The 17-year-old forward had 143 points (71 goals, 72 assists) in 57 games this season. The NHL Draft Lottery, aka the sweepstakes for Bedard, will be held on May 8.
As such, any advice from one Connor to another?
"It goes back to leaning on your family and your friends and just having the ability to get away," McDavid said. "And be yourself. Still be a kid. Because he's still a kid.
"All things considered I think he's handling it really well."
McDavid would know.
Here is part 3 of our Q&A with McDavid:
We discussed Connor Bedard and the difficulties of having such lofty expectations thrust upon him dating back to his childhood days, much like as was the case with you. Keeping that in mind, did Connor McDavid ever get to be just an ordinary kid like his friends? Did you get to be one, even with the omnipresent spotlight? If so, how?
"I look back at my childhood with really, really, great memories. That's because I have an amazing family, I have amazing parents and some really, really, good friends. When you have a really tight circle around you and a close-knit kind of family and friend group, I really feel that it's a great escape from whatever is going on. I think back to minor hockey days and I've nothing but amazing memories. I remember being a kid and playing street hockey going to the pond with my brother. All these amazing things and great memories."
One of those memories involves former Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Curtis Joseph. You played hockey and lacrosse with Curtis' son, Tristan, when you were a kid and even skated in the barn that Curtis had converted into his rink on his ranch in King City, north of Toronto. Being around Curtis when you were so young, how much did you glean from the way he conducted himself that you've carried with you to this day?
"When you grow up in the Toronto area, I feel the NHL presence is very strong. Obviously with the Leafs being there, anyone who plays on the Leafs were kind of heroes and are to a lot of kids there to this day. But also, there are so many different NHL players on different NHL teams that go back to Toronto in the summer. So I remember being 10, 11, 12 years old and being out there with NHL guys. So I definitely had plenty of those kind of experiences around those types of guys. And I think it helps a lot. I think it really does. And just seeing how 'Cujo' kind of handled himself while he was at the rink, you know, watching his son play, how he handled fans, but also how he was able to kind of cut out some time for himself as well. And he was always so pleasant to people, and it definitely gives you a perspective on kind of how to handle fans and how to kind of deal with that."

During an interview we did in Erie in 2015, you said it would be your dream to one day play for the Maple Leafs. You subsequently were drafted by the Oilers and have repeatedly said how much you enjoy playing in Edmonton and how great the city has treated you. But is it still special when you go back and play at Scotiabank Arena? Did you notice the energy in the rink on March 11 when you played in Toronto versus the Maple Leafs for the first time in front of a full building on a Saturday on "Hockey Night in Canada?"
"I could feel that a little bit. It's fun. It's fun to play in Toronto. You know, obviously I'm a little bit biased. I'm a Toronto kid. But I strongly consider Toronto to be kind of the Mecca of hockey. I really do. Just with all the media and the fans and, obviously, the history of the Leafs."
Having said that, who does Connor McDavid like watching on TV when he's not practicing or playing with the Oilers?
"I like watching players obviously more than teams. So I like watching Pittsburgh for obvious reasons. And I'm probably going to get in trouble for saying this (chuckles) but I like watching the Leafs just with all the talent they have. Those are probably my top two."
When was the first time you noticed people looking at you wherever you went because of your celebrity?
"I didn't really notice it, at least to that extent, until I came to Edmonton. Obviously, it's a crazy passionate hockey market. The fans love the Oilers and love their players, and that was kind of my first time noticing and kind of feeling that. It's an amazing place to play. It's great."

The fact that we're sitting here in the Oilers dressing room chatting about your career season is a testimony to the work that went in to get you back from a gruesome left knee injury. On April 6, 2019, you suffered multiple tears around the knee, and a cracked tibia when crashing into the Calgary Flames net. A number of doctors recommended surgery, but you opted for rehab. Now, four years after being hurt, how grateful are you to being back playing … and arguably at the highest level you ever have?
"I'll be honest. It was a really scary time. Think about it. You're 22 years old. You have a knee that you're getting all sorts of different opinions on. To ultimately decide on a path, well, there were some ups and downs along that path. We did a lot of MRIs and a lot of times we were advised that we should just do the surgery. Well, I felt surgery was risky. When you go under the knife you never really know, especially when it comes to your knee and my specific injury. So it was a really frightening time. I was really lucky to have support guys working with me like (soft tissue specialist and chiropractor) Mark Lindsay and (chiropractic sports physician and physical therapist) Mike Prebeg.
"Mike was there from the beginning working on my knee. I remember him coming over early in the process when I couldn't even walk and working on my quads so they didn't atrophy too much. He was amazing. Mark was amazing. Thankful to (Oilers owner) Daryl Katz and the entire Katz family, flying me around and talking to all these doctors. And my agent, Jeff Jackson, of course. I'm very lucky to have so much support and definitely would not have gotten through it without all those people."
Times have gotten much better since then. Your play and the play of the Oilers is evidence of that.
"Definitely. And hopefully they'll continue to trend in that direction."
**Part 1:** McDavid talks legacy, goals
**Part 2:** McDavid on maturing, Gretzky