Gretzky feels McDavid's pain after Oilers loss to Maple Leafs

TORONTO --Wayne Gretzky was about to disappear into the somber Edmonton Oilers locker room Sunday when he was asked what more the magnificent Connor McDavid could have done to score.
Gretzky simply shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't know," he said. "I just don't know."

No one in NHL history has scored more goals (894), assists (1,963) and points (2,857) than Gretzky. If he didn't have an answer, who does?
Standing in front of reporters, McDavid certainly didn't. On a frosty evening in Toronto, the Oilers captain turned in a jaw-dropping display with four shots on goal, hitting the intersection of the goal post and crossbar and turning in the type of line rushes that had the crowd buzzing on several occasions.
One of the litmus tests that defines a special player is if he can go into an opposing rink and actually get the home fans gasping in awe by his raw talents. Gretzky was a master of it. And during one particular line rush in the second period, McDavid had the throng at Air Canada Centre doing the same.

What McDavid and the Oilers couldn't do is score. Zach Hyman's goal 34 seconds into the game proved to be the difference in the Maple Leafs' 1-0 win.
Curtis McElhinney, the Maple Leafs backup goalie, was outstanding, making 41 saves. The Oilers also hit the goal post four times.
The visitors may have lacked goals, but not effort. That was especially true of McDavid, whose performance was described as "outstanding" by Oilers coach Todd McLellan.
"I thought we deserved better tonight (but) you don't get anything for being close," McDavid said. "Ultimately, it's disappointing. We definitely should have scored one goal, maybe a handful. Credit to them, they held the lead, they defended pretty well too. For a 1-0 hockey game, I thought it was pretty entertaining."
McDavid acknowledged this was as good a game he's ever played in the NHL without scoring a point.
"Ya," he said. "Hockey's a funny game. Hockey's a weird game. Some nights, you don't do anything and get one or two. Some nights, you have your legs and get nothing. That's the way hockey is.
"I thought I played well and generated some chances. You want that game to go five, 10 minutes longer."
Gretzky understands McDavid's frustration. He knows what it's like to be the face of a franchise.
"The thing about this sport," Gretzky said, "is that you can't do it alone. No one can.
"It's all about the team."

That, in fact, is why he was here. About three hours prior to the opening face-off, Gretzky joined Kevin Lowe, Paul Coffey and Mike Krushelnyski at a press conference inside Air Canada Centre honoring the 1984-85 Oilers, who were named the
Greatest Team of All-Time
as part of the NHL's Centennial celebration.
That Oilers squad emerged from more than 3.6 million votes through interactive digital and mobile programs from April 13 to May 25. The 96 Cup winners since the League's inaugural season in 1917-18 competed in head-to-head voting.
In winning their second consecutive Stanley Cup championship, the '84-85 Oilers were led in scoring by Gretzky, who won his fifth consecutive scoring championship with 208 points. He also was awarded the Hart Trophy as League MVP for a sixth consecutive time.
But the accolades went far beyond No. 99.
Forward Jari Kurri would score an NHL career-high 71 goals and 135 points, and win the Lady Byng Trophy for skill and sportsmanship. Paul Coffey had 121 points (37 goals, 84 assists) and won the Norris Trophy as the League's best defenseman.
On Feb. 11, 2018, the Oilers will host the NHL Centennial Greatest Team Celebration at Rogers Place in Edmonton. Members of the 1984-85 Oilers will be joined by various musical acts, along with alumni members from the Calgary Flames, New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, Winnipeg Jets and Philadelphia Flyers from that era.
"By no means in '84-85 did we set out by saying we're out to become the best team ever," Gretzky said. "And it's debatable. We know that firsthand. But we're also proud of it.
"It wasn't just one guy. It was all of us."

According to Gretzky, one star can't dictate team success like basketball does. As such, no one can carry a hockey franchise on his back; not Gretzky, not McDavid, not Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews.
"That doesn't work in hockey," Gretzky said. "You've got to have a second goaltender. You've got to have a sixth defenseman. You've got to have a seventh guy ready. You've got to have a fourth line that contributes.
"You can't win with two good hockey players. Bobby Orr would have won 12 Stanley Cups. Gordie Howe would have won 15 Stanley Cups. You can't win that way in hockey. That's what makes it such a unique team sport. And that's why we're the only sport where every player's name gets put on the actual trophy. So that shows you just how important it is to have a group of guys and have a team to be successful.
"I think the successful franchises have had great players. But more importantly, those great players, a lot of them, guys like Jean Beliveau, guys like Bryan Trottier, guys like Mario Lemieux, they understood the value of each and every guy on their team."
The Maple Leafs are learning that lesson right now.
This past weekend was supposed to be a battle of stars. On Saturday in Pittsburgh, the game was billed as being Matthews versus Sidney Crosby. In the end, Matthews failed to get a shot on goal for the second time in his NHL career. But the Maple Leafs still
defeated the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins 4-3
after center Tyler Bozak scored twice. He had gone 13 straight games without a goal.
On Sunday, anticipation in Toronto swelled for a potential Matthews-McDavid showdown. But Matthews didn't play because of an upper-body injury.
Cue the supporting cast. Toronto is 5-0-0 without Matthews this season.
The Maple Leafs won back-to-back games against the Penguins and Oilers without Matthews getting a point.
"That's what successful teams do," Gretzky said.

Matthews and McDavid are 20 years old. They are still learning. But in Gretzky's opinion, they can handle the expectations being thrust upon them. After all, it's been going on for years.
"Hey, look, I don't know if it's pressure or you just call it fact," Gretzky said. "Orr went through it. Mario Lemieux went through it. When you're a player of that caliber, you're going to get pressure thrown your way.
"Guys like Crosby and Auston and Connor, they've grown up with this. It's just a different stage. Connor was 16 years old in junior hockey. He was under the microscope. You learn to deal with it at a young age and it becomes part of your life.
"I'm very impressed at how mature and good these kids are both on and off the ice. How respectful they are to the communities and game itself. To me, that's more important."
McDavid grew up about 30 miles north of Toronto in the town of Newmarket, Ontario. He's not sure how old he was when he went to his first Maple Leafs game, but he remembers telling his dad in the car that they would beat the New York Rangers 4-1.
Later that night, they defeated the Rangers 4-1
with McDavid in the crowd.
On Nov. 1, 2016, McDavid made his first appearance in the NHL at Air Canada Centre.
The Oilers lost 3-2 in overtime
. He didn't get a point.
On Sunday, he played at the home of the Maple Leafs for the second time. He again did not get a point. But not for lack of trying.
"Like I said before, you can't do it alone in this sport," Gretzky said.