BRAR'S BOOK: Leaders Lead

Trivial. It’s my favourite word in the English dictionary.

adjective 1. of little value or importance.

Ironically, it’s become my favourite word because I don’t believe in it. Everything serves a purpose. Everyone has a place.

To some, trivial can look something like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl patting each other reassuringly on the bench as the team found themselves down 4-0 in Carolina.

Trivial could also look like McDavid patting Stuart Skinner's pads after the Oilers netminder took a tumble during warmup earlier that night.

These are little actions that aren't so little in the big picture. They let us hockey fans and media into the headspace of these leaders. I'm a big believer that the manner which we conduct ourselves in little moments is how we'll approach the big ones.

Yes, McDavid, Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins might be three of "the best players on the planet" as Capitals Coach Spencer Carbery described following a 5-0 defeat to the Oilers on Friday. Edmonton's terrific trio combined for 10 points in an important win in Washington to close out their road trip, but their roles are so much more than being dynamic offensive weapons.

When asked about how much he and the leaders burden on their shoulders during a three-game losing streak to start the road trip, Draisaitl explained, "we've got a lot of guys in here that care a lot. And I think sometimes that's something that's a little misunderstood towards the outside. Which, obviously, is unfortunate, but we care a lot. We want to win in here."

Draisaitl followed up by showing a sense of accountability that all good teams need, saying, "has there been times or games where it hasn't gone our way as a leadership group? Yeah, of course. Have we been at our best all year? Absolutely not. A lot of pride in this room and tonight was a good step."

In every instance, big or small, they've walked this talk. Sure, the results haven't gone the way they (and everyone in the hockey world for that matter) expected, but you can't doubt the leaders in that dressing room.

When you throw Darnell Nurse into the mix – a veteran of 578 NHL games and someone who’s worn the 'A' in Edmonton for half a decade now – you have four strong individuals who have grasped the concept of leadership firmly in their hands.

"We just try to stay vocal," Nurse described. "I think that's a big thing with our group. We want to make sure the message is consistent all the time. As a group, we talk about accountability. A lot of it just comes down to making sure each and every time you go out on the ice, each and every time you come into the room, you know the standard. You know what's expected of each other."

These 'trivial' actions are true indicators of how much they care. When you do the little things right, you can further trust yourself when big challenges come your way.

"There’s no doubting they're good leaders," Coach Kris Knoblauch firmly stated.

Remember, this is someone who brings a fresh set of eyes to the Oilers locker room.

"Me being new here, I didn't see a lot of what's going on behind the scenes, knowing exactly who's saying what at certain times. One thing I know is leading by example. It's a cliche, you hear about it all the time.

"One thing that is very evident is their desire to win. And being upset when things don't go well. They push the team to be better and expecting everyone to put out their best effort. That's what I see. We're trying to create that culture of 'next guy up'.

For example, getting younger players to work at their game and get better. There's a balance of being hungry to ultimately become a better player. But I also think it's important (the leaders) are humble. They realize there are things they need to work on in their game. They're open to learning something about another player. There's a lot of lessons in that too."

While Knoblauch now has a front-row seat, we in Oil Country have had the pleasure of watching the likes of McDavid, Draisaitl, Nugent-Hopkins and Nurse showcase their prowess for years.

And as the group returned home from the United States during Thanksgiving weekend, perhaps it's more fitting to say we should be thankful to watch them grow as leaders and human beings.

In both big moments and small, good leaders find a way to lead. They did just that on Friday.