After a long playoff run and a short summer, the inseparable duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are back on the ice.
The two Oilers superstars made headlines Wednesday night after video clips surfaced online showing them lacing up for a beer league game in Newmarket, Ontario, which is McDavid’s hometown. The footage, first posted by BarDown, quickly went viral as fans realized who had just stepped onto the ice at their local rink.
Crowds gathered. Kids called out their names. Gasps and cheers filled the air as McDavid and Draisaitl casually skated into what must have felt like a surreal fever dream for their opponents. But if you expected them to coast through the competition and light up the scoreboard, you’d be wrong. One viral video showed the score after the first period: 4-0 for the other team.
Maybe it was a light skate to shake off the summer rust before training camp. But it sure didn’t look that way. The two were dialled in, fishing for pucks, backchecking, chasing plays, and doing their best to give the crowd a show.
All this, while Leon Draisaitl was simultaneously announced as the Best NHL Player at the ESPYs. Instead of attending the awards show, he was on a random rink in Ontario, having a laugh with his best friend.
Naturally, the internet had thoughts:
“Imagine getting outta your 9-5, going to the rink for some beer league to blow off some anger, and seeing the best player of the 21st century taking the faceoff against you.”
— @ashertanner via X
“Ugh… I hate playing a team in a higher division. This is playing against a guy from a higher UNIVERSE.”
— @bigapplehockey via X
“If I were the goalie, I would be honoured. Honoured and absolutely horrified.”
— @0xworkhorse via X
“Probably played at 30 percent out of respect. Classy move.”
— C. Kokkas via Instagram“Imagine getting off work on a Wednesday, excited to play some beer league, and now you gotta defend McDavid.”
— @ascendbetting via X
“Love that they do things like this. Other athletes in different sports don’t.”
— gest.09 via Instagram
“I’m a Cats fan but they def playing @ 20%.”
— @floridastreethockey via Instagram
Later, one of the game’s referees spoke to BarDown about what it was like to officiate the two NHL stars:
“Honestly, it’s incredible to see them coming down the ice. It’s nothing like you’ve ever seen. It’s incredible, just really cool to be on the ice with them. Kind of starstruck at the end of the day as well.”
And when asked how he kept it together while officiating:
“Honestly, man, you work harder. You work harder for these guys. Yeah, it’s a summer league in July, but you want to give these guys a good effort.”
This isn’t McDavid’s first time dropping in on local beer league games. He did the same thing in Newmarket in 2023 and also back in August 2021. At this point, it’s becoming a summer tradition, a way for him to stay grounded and give back to the place where it all began.
And for Draisaitl? Why bother going to an award show when you can be out playing the game you love?
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