Asked if he was surprised that Oilers superstar Connor McDavid lived up to the hype that accompanied him coming out of the 2015 draft, Jonathan Toews hesitated only for a second and said: “Yeah, because it rarely ever happens. You can compare him to a guy like (Sidney) Crosby when he stepped into the league. That’s the type of player that comes around every 10 years.”
McDavid, whose Oilers are enjoying a playoff-caliber season and were in town Saturday to take on the Blackhawks, leads the NHL with 67 points. His blazing speed sets him apart from almost every other player in the league, but he also possesses an awareness normally only seen from players who have 5-10 years of experience.
Scouting report
“When you have pure, raw ability you don’t need to really develop anything else,” Toews said. “It seems like he’s the whole package in that sense. His hands and his stickhandling keeps up with his footwork, and he sees the ice really well as well.”
McDavid, who missed 37 games during his rookie season after breaking his clavicle in November 2015, now has 115 points (36 goals) in 104 games.
Said Hawks coach Joel Quenneville: “The different gears he has and his acceleration from either going in a cruising motion and acceleration to a top gear is as amazing as I’ve ever seen. And he can slow it down and can gear it up again. It’s just pretty amazing.”
The Hawks used Saturday’s game against the Oilers to promote the NHL’s Hockey Is For Everyone initiative. Players used “pride tape” on their sticks during warmups. Some will be auctioned online from Feb. 20-27, benefits going to the You Can Play Project.
Trevor van Riemsdyk was selected as the Blackhawks’ You Can Play ambassador.
Teams coming out of their bye weeks are 3-11-4 in their first game back, and 1 of those wins came when both teams were coming off the bye. … Brent Seabrook played in his 900th game Saturday. … Michal Rozsival and Jordin Tootoo were the Hawks’ healthy scratches. … Jonathan Toews won 19 of 24 faceoffs vs. the Oilers. He also had an assist and 4 shots on goal.
“Ryan’s got a big heart. Gryba’s a big man, but Hartman did a good job stepping in and defending a teammate.”
Edmonton’s Connor McDavid on the Ryan Hartman vs. Eric Gryba fight during Saturday’s game at the United Center
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