Hockey fans are blasting Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid after a viral video emerged of the captain wakeboarding during a summer vacation with his fiancée, Lauren Kyle.
Connor McDavid did not meet his usual standards during the Oilers’ Stanley Cup Final series vs. the Florida Panthers. This led to speculation that the 27-year-old was dealing with an injury.
After the Oilers lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in Florida, Zach Laing of Oilersnation reported that Edmonton’s franchise player “played through an abdominal injury”. It was initially believed that he would require surgery on it, but that isn’t the case.
In the video below, you can see Connor McDavid and Lauren Kyle enjoying a fun evening out wakeboarding:
The video caused some not-so-forgiving fans to accuse McDavid of merely pretending that he was dealing with the abdominal injury:
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McDavid had eight goals and 34 assists in 25 playoff games, helping the Oilers to their first Stanley Cup Final appearance in 18 years. After dropping the first three games of the series, Edmonton rallied with three straight victories to force a Game 7.
But the Panthers just barely held on for a tight 2-1 Game 7 win to secure the franchise’s first Stanley Cup while also preventing a Canadian team from winning it all for the first time since 1993.
Connor McDavid & Oilers Can Learn From Panthers
If the Oilers need inspiration, they only have to glance over at the team that defeated them in a hard-fought seven-game series. Last year’s Panthers were soundly defeated by the Vegas Golden Knights (five games) in the Stanley Cup Final.
Those Panthers responded by cruising to a second Atlantic Division title in three years before locking down another trip to the finals. Florida learned from last year’s pain and outlasted Edmonton to win the Stanley Cup.
All the Oilers have to do is follow the Panthers’ blueprint by learning from the heartbreak of a devastating defeat. And then, perhaps, they’ll finally break through with a Lord Stanley’s mug parade next year.
