Connor McDavid: ‘Sucks’ to Lose NHL Stanley Cup; ‘I Guess’ Conn Smythe Is ‘an Honor’

Connor McDavid wasn’t in a celebratory mood on Monday night when he became the sixth player in NHL history to win the Conn Smythe Trophy following the Edmonton Oilers’ 2-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Speaking to reporters after the game, McDavid explained it “sucks” to lose the Stanley Cup before trying to contextualize his individual honor.

“Yeah, obviously, I guess it’s an honor. With the names on that trophy. But … yeah,” he said.

The Oilers forced a Game 7 against the Panthers by winning three straight games after falling into an 0-3 hole in the series. They outscored Florida 18-5 in Games 4-6.

McDavid set a Stanley Cup Final record with eight combined points during a two-game span in Games 4 and 5.

The Panthers, despite losing Game 6, did a much better job of shutting down McDavid over the final two games in the series. He didn’t score a point in either game. It was his first time without a point in back-to-back games since a three-game stretch in the regular season from Nov. 6-11.

McDavid’s 42 points were the fourth-most in a single postseason in NHL history. The only players who scored more were Wayne Gretzky twice in 1984-85 (47) and 1987-88 (43) and Mario Lemieux in 1990-91 (44).

The last player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy on a team that didn’t win the Stanley Cup was goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere in 2002-03 when he led the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim to the Final before losing in seven games to the New Jersey Devils.

McDavid is the first non-goalie to win the award on the losing team since Reggie Leach of the Philadelphia Flyers in 1975-76.