McDavid Remembers the Message That Sparked a Decade-Long Bond
You know, one of those moments that sticks with you forever—it’s exactly what Connor McDavid recalled recently. The kind of thing that seems small at the time, but ends up defining relationships, and maybe even shaping a team’s journey. We’re talking about the text he got from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins just days after the 2015 NHL Draft Lottery. McDavid had just become the likely first overall pick. Edmonton had won the lottery, and the Oilers knew exactly who they were getting—a generational talent who’d been compared to the likes of Sidney Crosby.
But what really hit McDavid wasn't the media frenzy or the city-wide celebration in Edmonton. It was a simple, personal message—sent before the official pick was even made. Nugent-Hopkins, already a seasoned Oilers player and former No. 1 pick himself, reached out with a text welcoming McDavid to the team. McDavid, a teenager back then, thought it was a prank at first. He didn’t quite believe it. After all, it wasn’t even draft day yet. But it was real. And it was genuine.
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Fast forward ten years, and here they are—McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins—sharing the ice in their second straight Stanley Cup Final. Their bond? Stronger than ever. Their connection on and off the ice? Unshakable. McDavid talked about how meaningful it is to go through these playoff runs together, saying how the team’s family room has turned into a kind of gathering place. A space where you see the roots behind the players—parents, siblings, childhood friends—all coming together during this monumental time.
Last year, they came up short. The Oilers lost in seven games to the Florida Panthers. Still, McDavid’s performance was so dominant that he took home the Conn Smythe Trophy as Playoffs MVP—something that almost never happens to a player on the losing team. He had 42 points in 25 games. This year? He’s already at 28 points in just 17 games. And he’s not done yet.
There’s something poetic about how the storylines come full circle. That early text from Nugent-Hopkins wasn’t just a welcome—it was a passing of the torch. A gesture of belief. And today, as McDavid continues to chase the ultimate prize, he’s not doing it alone. He’s doing it with teammates who believed in him before the ink was dry on his draft card. That’s not just hockey. That’s legacy.
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