McDavid, Oilers will use memory of Cave as inspiration in Qualifiers

EDMONTON -- Connor McDavid said the Edmonton Oilers will use the memory of teammate Colby Cave as inspiration in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers.

The Oilers held the first day of training camp at Rogers Place on Monday, under a photo of Cave on the scoreboard with the hashtag, #WeSkateForColby. Cave died April 11, four days after having surgery to remove a colloid cyst causing pressure to his brain. He was 25.

"This is first time we've all been together in a big group since Colby passed," McDavid said. "Those emotions are still fresh, and it makes it even more real now that we're all together and he's not able to join us. He's going to be in our thoughts and in our hearts as we go forward and move through training camp and into the [Stanley Cup Playoffs], and hopefully, go on a deep run here. We're going to play for Colby, and he'll be with us throughout."

Edmonton (37-25-9, .585 points percentage) enters the Qualifiers as the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference. The Oilers will play the No. 12 seed, the Chicago Blackhawks (32-30-8; .514), in one of eight best-of-5 series, with the winner advancing to the playoffs and the loser having a chance at the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft in the Second Phase of the NHL Draft Lottery on Aug. 10.

Game 1 of the Oilers-Blackhawks series will be at Rogers Place on Aug. 1. Edmonton is the hub city for the 12 Western Conference teams.

McDavid said he stayed active after the NHL season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. One year ago, the Oilers captain was rehabilitating a knee injury sustained in their final game of the 2018-19 season at the Calgary Flames.

"I feel pretty good now," McDavid said. "I guess coming back to training camp in September, I hadn't been on the ice a ton. I hadn't been able to work out a ton, and so this break allowed my body to get back into the shape I used to be in, and I feel good now."

McDavid scored 97 points (34 goals, 63 assists) in 64 games, second in the NHL to teammate Leon Draisaitl (110 points; 43 goals, 67 assists in 71 games).

"If you saw our first practice here today, he's a very motivated guy," Oilers coach Dave Tippett said of McDavid. "He was leading the charge out there. It's great to see, not only Connor, but everybody back. I thought it was an excellent first day, and Connor was certainly leading the way."

McDavid returned to his hometown in Richmond Hill, Ontario during the pause and was a member of the NHL Return to Play Committee.

"Like the rest of the world, there has been a lot of unknowns; a lot of not really knowing what's going on, but I just tried to keep myself ready to go, working out at the gym and skating lots," McDavid said. "I was able to find places to do all that. So like I said, lots of unknowns, but I stayed ready and I always kind of thought that something would get done and that we would end up playing. I'm still hopeful that will get done and today was a big step towards that."

Photo courtesy of Edmonton Oilers