It's more fun to be playing hockey than doing anything else.
Connor McDavid
My dad gave me this advice: 'Make what you want to do for the rest of your life the first thing you do in the day and then worry about hanging out with friends.'
You want to win hockey games, and it doesn't really matter how you do it.
I think I'm a guy that can relate to everyone and is fairly close with everyone on the team and can try to help bring guys together. That's what I tried to focus on when I was in Erie and I felt everyone was a part of the team. I definitely try to lead that way; I'm not the big rah-rah guy.
You've got to work hard, got to outwork the other guy and got to outwork the other team. Sometimes outsmart them every now and then, but it all starts with the work.
Obviously I get paid to score and create chances, and that's what I have to do. But just at the same time, I have to be able to be responsible defensively, good on face-offs, all the little things that coaches love and that win games.
I am never going to be much of a physical presence. For me, it's more about taking my strength and finding a way to use it as an advantage.
Everyone cheats.
I don't think you're going to see any hockey player tell the media or anyone they're the best player in the world. It's just not who we are.
Every little muscle is so important.
I'm trying to work on it - not cheating, stopping in the 'D' zone, all that kind of stuff.
If you're putting the puck in an awkward place for someone, that's right away, advantage: you.
I think I was the worst loser of all time. I couldn't stand it.
Every year is a new year, and when you look at the turnover year to year, teams that made the playoffs last year aren't a guarantee to make the playoffs this year.
My expectations on myself exceed any of those put on me.
As a kid I wore my team's tracksuit all the time. Splash pants or track pants. I wore a hat every day. And then when I got to the NHL, guys would make fun of me that I had the worse style in the league.
You look at all the elite players around the League, the guys that are responsible defensively, the guys that can score at will, they kind of do it all.
Any time you give up two shorthanded goals, you're not usually going to win.
My style was not good. It's definitely something that's grown over time.
When you're a rookie, sometimes your voice is not really heard.
I'm not a big nickname guy.
It's a slim margin of error in this league.
I need to improve my physical play and get as big and strong as I can.
I was definitely not the cocky kid. I was probably on the other end of the spectrum - I was quiet. I remember a time when there was a skills competition, and I think I was five, and I was so nervous to even compete that I chose not to do the skating part.
I definitely believe in myself. And I don't need to show that on the outside. I just don't feel like I need to tell people how I feel about myself. I know my skills and I know what I'm comfortable in, and I keep it to myself.
You can't just go out and buy players and make a super team, because it's so hard to do that. The salary cap doesn't allow it. We have a much smaller salary cap than the NBA, and they only have 12 on a roster.
I'm definitely not one of those guys that's chirping the guys that dress super nice, because you know, there's guys out there in the league - and on my team in fact - that have great style. And I'm just like, 'go for it, man, you look good!'
I think that's what you need throughout your lineup. You need guys to help each other and feed off each other and to have that chemistry.
I think the best players in the world make the players around them better. And I'm always trying to do that.
He's Bobby Orr - he's been through it all. Whatever he says, you listen. If you ask a question, you're dying to hear the answer, trying to figure out any piece of information that made him successful.
Every Hockey Canada event, the first day you just do a thousand interviews. You get used to it.
I can multitask.
You don't want to be that big shot, some guy who's some... whatever.
Hockey is a year-round job.
I take a lot of naps.
There is a lot of instinct that comes with playing hockey and playing a number of games and playing all the way up; you kind of get a feel for what's gonna happen and make plays off that.
If you're tanking to get a higher draft pick, you really shouldn't be playing hockey.
Playing in the OHL, people expect you to get a ton of points. When you go out and have a good game it's almost like people expect that out of you.
Not a lot of people get to meet their role model and idol in life, and I've been really lucky that way.
You have to make every day count toward your dream.
If you want to do something for the rest of your life, it's not going to be easy, especially being a pro hockey player, so you need to work at it.
I personally want to play in the playoffs.
We want to play in the playoffs as a team.
We owe it to the fans and we owe it to ourselves to give it everything we have to try and put ourselves in the playoffs.
I'm sure personal accolades are nice and you appreciate them very much. But it's about winning Cups and winning Olympics and winning World Cups and that kind of thing.
Edmonton has such a great history. It makes coming to the rink special to know those former players wore the jersey and had so much success here.
I'm so proud to be in Edmonton.
The OHL compared to the NHL playoffs, I don't think they really compare. You can't really rely on that experience.
You want to be ramping up toward the playoffs. You want to be peaking as you're heading in.
At the end of the day, it is hockey. It's the same game, the rules don't change. It's the same hockey game I've been playing since I was 2 years old. I think you can kind of rely on that.
