Why There is No Basis For the "McDavid to Toronto" Narrative: He Was a Penguins Fan.

[Soundwave]

Childhood fandom really doesn't mean jack ****.

Being part of an organization, living and breathing the organization every single day, knowing the people in the locker room, forming relationships in the city with people, your first NHL game, your first NHL goal, all the plane rides, friendships with teammates, pride in representing a city, first game in a shiny new NHL arena ....

I guarantee all these things mean 1000x more than which team you cheered for when you were 10 years old because of arbitrary geographic location.

Optimus Prime was my favorite character when I was 10 years old. Doesn't mean I'm going to buy a mach truck as my next vehicle. People grow out of being 10 years old.

Jarome Iginla cheered for the Edmonton Oilers as a kid, but he put his blood, sweat, and tears into the Calgary Flames as a player, as an Oilers fan even I know the two are not remotely close and I wouldn't expect Iginla to have any loyalty to us.

Especially your memories of being 18/19/20/21 ... this is a special time in someone's life, where you are in that period of your life you will always remember because these are your formative years.

 

[MardyBum]

Jets has the greatest OP's ever, god damn.

 

[BayStreetBully]

Jets has the greatest OP's ever, god damn.

Absolutely!

 

[LV*]

I'm a die hard TML fan but my favourite player has been Kane for years. Am I a chicago fan even though I tortured myself being a fan of the Leafs?

 

[Kelly]

Wow, so much work for nothing.

Who cares, he's an Oilers fan now.

But it's well known he was a Leaf fan, he probably just became a Pens fan come playoff time

 

[Captain Controversy]

Somethings us normal people do not understand. Favorite teams change once you are apart of another organization. Doesn't matter if Mcdavid liked the leafs, he is an Oiler and now his favorite team is the Oilers. Look at the all the players and their favorite teams, most don't play for their favorite team growing up. Shane Doan was from Edmonton, like the Oilers. Didn't play there and won't play there. Colton Parayko, likes the Oilers. He won't play there. Austin Mathews loves the coyotes, he will not play there. He loves T.O. Now.

 

[JA]

I'm a die hard TML fan but my favourite player has been Kane for years. Am I a chicago fan even though I tortured myself being a fan of the Leafs?

Do you call yourself a Blackhawks fan? He has identified himself as a Penguins fan, even in instances when he could have identified himself as a Leafs fan, such as for Hockey Canada's website. That is one difference.

The Toronto sports media can not cite his childhood Leafs fandom in support of the argument that he will play for Toronto. Not only is he loyal to his current organization, but he grew up cheering for another team. The fandom argument holds no weight even at the most basic level.

After last season's Stamkos to Toronto fiasco and the similar circumstances in which Connor McDavid's name has been discussed in association with the Leafs, it is necessary to examine this issue.

 

[SmoggyTwinkles]

Childhood fandom really doesn't mean jack ****.

Being part of an organization, living and breathing the organization every single day, knowing the people in the locker room, forming relationships in the city with people, your first NHL game, your first NHL goal, all the plane rides, friendships with teammates, pride in representing a city, first game in a shiny new NHL arena ....

I guarantee all these things mean 1000x more than which team you cheered for when you were 10 years old because of arbitrary geographic location.

Optimus Prime was my favorite character when I was 10 years old. Doesn't mean I'm going to buy a mach truck as my next vehicle. People grow out of being 10 years old.

Jarome Iginla cheered for the Edmonton Oilers as a kid, but he put his blood, sweat, and tears into the Calgary Flames as a player, as an Oilers fan even I know the two are not remotely close and I wouldn't expect Iginla to have any loyalty to us.

Especially your memories of being 18/19/20/21 ... this is a special time in someone's life, where you are in that period of your life you will always remember because these are your formative years.

Yeah this is what it's probably really like for players.

Let's not forget simply living somewhere for years, it will become his home. Toronto will be where he came from and grew up, but he is developing a new home at a ripe age of late teens early 20's.

He will likely be an Oiler for life.

Though the OP is not wrong that if he were to somehow sour on Edmonton (unlikely) that the Pens would be a desirable spot for him.

Maybe Crosby isn't playing anymore by then, McDavid is the perfect replacement and he was a fan. Maybe Crosby is still playing but slowing down, I'm sure he could be a big influence on McDavid joining the Pens.

That part is absolutely possible 5 years from now. But it's very unlikely he goes anywhere, it's very likely he will be in Edmonton his whole career and that's great.

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

I think if a player is going to make a FA choice for non-hockey / non-salary reasons. It's going to be location based (i.e. I want to live in that city).

Not because of whatever team they liked growing up.

 

[JohnnyBerts]

The way the Toronto media is, I wouldn't be surprised if there are no star players (born in Ontario or not) that are dying to come play for the Leafs. Maybe that will change with new management and some major success but I doubt it. There's so many better cities to play hockey.

 

[tarheelhockey]

^ And on the negative side of those two posts, I'm sure it's difficult to remain a "fan" of an organization when you have a competitive business relationship with it. These guys see NHL teams as employers, and opposing teams stand in the way of their personal success. A player has to understand that it's all business if he wants to survive mentally.

 

[BayStreetBully]

^ And on the negative side of those two posts, I'm sure it's difficult to remain a "fan" of an organization when you have a competitive business relationship with it. These guys see NHL teams as employers, and opposing teams stand in the way of their personal success. A player has to understand that it's all business if he wants to survive mentally.

I'm not making any bold claim one way or another...

But I half agree. McDavid is a true professional, and as such, he is loyal to the Oilers for as long as he remains under contract with them. He is out to pound the Leafs every chance he gets, just as Gretzky did when he knocked us out of the '93 conference finals. Just as Peca did when he knocked us out of the '99 conference finals. Just as O'Neill did when he knocked us out of the '02 conference finals.

But when Gretzky, Peca and O'Neill turned UFA? All 3 had Toronto as their first choice, and 2 of them ended up here in actuality. O'Neill is a radio personality in Toronto nowadays, and says all the time how he remained a Leaf fan when he was a Hurricane, except for when they would play each other. Shanny has admitted the same, about his days as a Red Wing.

I've heard enough of these stories and seen enough UFA signings in the past to realize that they have enough of a bond with their childhood team that, if they one day end their contract with their current NHL team, Toronto is usually at the top of their list. Is that bond with Toronto as strong as their bond and loyalty to their current NHL team? No way. I'm sure many GTA boys will play out their entire careers with the team that drafted them. But in the event the opportunity arises, if their team is hopelessly going nowhere, if there is a fallout, if there are contractual disputes... that bond with Toronto has re-surfaced in many past cases. We are like the annoying ex that never goes away.

Now, maybe things have changed in the last 15 years and I'm sure the Leafs have lost a generation of younger fans because we've sucked for so long. But that's certainly how it used to be. And this all being said, I wish the best for McDavid in Edmonton. He is an Oiler and I don't think of him in any other way. So Oiler fans, back off, and believe when I say I wish you well. I speak only in general terms.

 

[kk87]

I feel like you put way too much stock into this. McDavid's a lot like myself; a huge Crosby fan who gravitated towards the Penguins post 2005-lockout due to Sid and the young, exciting core, but like me I think he was always a Leafs fan first and foremost.

Nevertheless, McDavid is never going to be a Leaf, as unfortunate as that may be

 

[Suxnet]

wtf i hate connor now.

 

[Apotheosis]

Good work on this thread, but this is a common tale of being a fan of a player who plays for a different team. I'm a Leafs fan, but because of Kane, Malkin and Datsyuk, I found myself tuning into their respective team games because I am such a huge fan of them. McDavid, like that generation coming in to the 2015 draft, was MASSIVELY obsessed with the Leafs. Him and Marner specifically. Strome too. When Marner found out he would be going to the Leafs, McDavid personally went up to him smiling, saying "You're so lucky man".

 

[TheDoldrums]

Those who make claims that McDavid will return to Toronto have no basis for it. The Toronto sports media have played a major role in developing that narrative -- it is completely ludicrous.

You've yet to provide any evidence that the Toronto media is pushing this narrative. Your only links were to an Oilers-specific blog and the Hockey Writers, which seems to cover all teams (I've never read it before).

*Blames Toronto media for starting McDavid to Leafs chatter.*

*Points to an online hockey blog with no tie to Toronto, and an Oilers blog.*

Seems legit.

Pretty much.

 

[leaffaninvancouver]

This seems like a lot of work to prove something that can't actually be proven.

Will McDavid go back to Toronto? I wouldn't bet on it but I would bet that people write about the possibility because it sells papers and gets page views.

 

[nmbr_24]

So this means McDavid to the Penguins right?

 

[LeafFever]

In what world is there no basis for "McDavid to Toronto"? There's direct quotes saying he was a Leafs fan. There's been footage from his home with Leaf merchandise shown.

I'm not sure why this thread was closed and then opened up again. sure the OP did hard work, but for what reason? And his points are clearly incorrect.

 

[Kranix]

Uh, wasn't McDavid drafted by Edmonton?

 

[Community]

I think if a player is going to make a FA choice for non-hockey / non-salary reasons. It's going to be location based (i.e. I want to live in that city).

Not because of whatever team they liked growing up.

You're right that the majority of players are going to choose where to play/live based on the location over who they liked growing up. However, a lot of players would love to live in their hometown, where the majority of their families live, if given the choice. Assuming McDavid wins a cup and/or Toronto is a good team, I see no reason he wouldn't consider it down the road if he were to become a UFA. However, I believe that McDavid is somebody that's very loyal to his organization/team that drafted him and he'll be in Edmonton for a long time, possibly his entire career.

I'd love to have him in Toronto, but I doubt he'll ever leave Edmonton. However, I think it's pretty obvious he grew up a Leafs fan. If he was given the choice on draft day, to choose between Edmonton and Toronto, I'm 99.999% sure he would choose Toronto. If he was given the choice of playing anywhere in the league, I'm 99% sure he would've chosen Toronto. He was a Leafs fan, but I think it's obvious that he's a loyal player that will give everything he has for whatever team he plays for.

Now its time to drop the McDavid to Toronto ********. The majority of it doesn't even come from Toronto fans anymore... Sure, we'd love to have him, but we're also happy with the team we are putting together now and we can revisit this in 6 years if he hits UFA status.



*** I do not believe McDavid will leave Edmonton, or at least not until he is through the majority of his prime years (ie over 30yo). ***

 

[Michel Beauchamp]

Because they spent all their hopes on "Taveres will be a Leafs", Stamkos will be a Laefs", Brad Richards will be a Leafs".

 

[KlefDown]

The team Connor is a fan of is Oilers and he will be in Oiler uniform until he's at least 47.
And he'll be an oiler in management position when he's 55.
yunno

 

[DearDiary]

The team Connor is a fan of is Oilers and he will be in Oiler uniform until he's at least 47.
And he'll be an oiler in management position when he's 55.
yunno

Let's see your evidence

 

[DonskoiDonscored]

This whole topic is confusing, but:

I'm glad you did all that research, but explain this:

“I’m from Toronto. You have to be a Leafs fan,†McDavid said in the article. “So, of course, I was.