Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl Lose The Big One Again After Showing Up To Random Beer League Game In Newmarket And Scoring 0 Goals
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have now lost back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals. They pushed the Panthers to the brink in 2024 by going to a game 7. But this year, they weren't even close. The Panthers got stronger, and the Oilers looked like a team that knew they couldn't keep up.
When you lose in that fashion, there's no offseason. There's no time to take a break and just relax at the cottage. You're immediately back on the ice looking to go up against the best competition you can find. For 97 and 29, that was this random summer league game in Connor's hometown of Newmarket, Ontario.
2 of the top 5 players in the world, going at it against a bunch of guys who are all washed up and need to wake up at 5am the next morning for work. McDavid and Draisaitl combined for 206 points during the NHL season, so you figured they could at least both have a multi point night against guys who showed up to the rink 13 minutes before the game and forgot one of their gloves at home.
But you'd be wrong.
People don't realize that beer league hockey goalies are actually the best hockey goalies on the planet. You could have all the skill in the world like Sergei Bobrovsky. But nothing will ever prepare you for having to see constant 2v1's and 2v0's for an hour every week at 11pm. Nobody sees more shots than a beer league goalie. Nobody has to bail their team out of shitty defense more than a beer league goalie. This goalie doesn't care whose stick that puck is coming off of. You think he's scared of Connor McDavid? Fella,,,,,,everyone he plays against think they are Connor McDavid already.
To be fair, they didn't get the true beer league experience. Obviously once everyone on the other team realized McDrai would be out there together, they started to actually play a little defense. Getting sticks in lanes, battling for pucks along the boards, actually making sure they keep a forward high to stop any breaks. There was probably more defense being played in this game than every other game this summer combined. You even heard the refs mention that they made sure they were on their A game for these guys instead of just cruising around talking shit to the boys all night.
But what a win for that squad, and what a night from the goalie. A story they all get to tell for the rest of their lives. When all is said and done, Connor McDavid will be on the Mount Rushmore of hockey. And this goalie will get to tell his grandkids about the time when he shut him down all night long. Hell, the Oilers could use a goalie like that next season. Get this man a PTO for crying out loud.
