SIMMONS: Beware of 'The Stare' of Connor McDavid

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The face of hockey has actually become The Face of Hockey.

It is Connor McDavid, with an expressive stare, with a glare of almost intimidating intensity without having to speak any words at all.

It is Connor McDavid, with that look, the best-player-of-his-generation look, in the conversation for best player ever, the glance down the bench, telling everyone — his teammates, those he is playing against — what’s about to happen next.

This is McDavid’s 10th National Hockey League season. He’s not a kid anymore. He’s a veteran captain and a young husband and a leader mostly by actions.

He has been to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final. He has come close to winning what he desperately wants to win. He has won a Conn Smythe Trophy. He has had playoff success. He has taken home just about everything you can take home as an individual.

But what he wants now — needs now, really — is the Stanley Cup. You can see that in his eyes. You can see that in his stern expression he carries around with him. You can see his body tighten and his speed increase when everything matters most, when tension is at its highest.

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It is like watching history happen before your eyes.

There is a certain history of Stanley Cup-winning teams that begins with a near trip-up in the early rounds of the playoffs.

It happened to the Florida Panthers against the Maple Leafs.

It happened to the Oilers in Round 1 against the Los Angeles Kings, where they were blessed to get by, mostly due to the errors made by the Kings after they took a 2-0 lead in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

This goes back to the regular season as well with both the Oilers and the Panthers. Neither team had particularly impressive campaigns after playing in the sterling final last June. The Panthers had the 11th best record in the regular season and once again look like the playoff team to beat.

The Oilers finished ninth overall in the NHL. They could be heading back to the final.

McDavid, who has finished first or second in NHL scoring seven times in the past nine years, placed sixth this season, 21 points behind Nikita Kucherov. Almost as though he was saying with his statistics and his body: This isn’t the time of year I need to be great.

That will be necessary in April, May and June.

And you see that now when it matters most. When you’re down a goal or you’re up a goal or the game is getting away from you in some way.

McDavid doesn’t have to do all the scoring now on a deeper Oilers team than others of the past. But what he still does — better than anyone in the game — is take statement shifts at statement speed at statement time when all is in doubt.

The few seconds at rapier-like speed that frankly frighten those he plays with and those he plays against. Because no one else can do what he does. Not at that speed. Not with that intensity. Not with those hands.

In other playoff years, before last season, McDavid often would display frustration. It wasn’t the best quality of his to be sharing. He also expects so much of himself — but he has come to expect so much of those he now plays with.

Then comes the look — almost like a pro wrestler signalling to the crowd that it’s time for the match to end — the look says it’s over. And usually, that means it’s over.

This isn’t always about scoring goals or setting up others to score. McDavid scored 33 playoff points a few years back and it wasn’t enough. He scored the remarkable number of 42 points last year and the Oilers came up one goal short. The 42 points is a crazy number, really. Only two players in hockey history, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, have scored more at playoff time.

And they hit their semi-unreachable numbers when it was easier to score than it is today.

McDavid has 22 points in 14 games heading into Tuesday night’s game against Dallas in Edmonton. It’s not likely he gets to the 42-point mark this season, but not everything is about scoring points in this or any other playoff hockey season.

It’s about staying alive. It’s about surviving. It’s about pushing to do the Superman things you know only you can do.

Hockey is never supposed to be about any one player — unless it’s a goaltender — but there is McDavid, on those super shifts, making it about one player.

Grabbing the game and taking it over. With his feet moving faster than anyone who has ever played before. With his hands keeping pace. And usually, when it’s needed, starting with the stare.

The Connor McDavid stare. The face of hockey being The Face of Hockey.

ssimmons@postmedia.com

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