Shannon Sharpe rips apart Connor McDavid's Conn Smythe win despite Oilers' Stanley Cup loss

By Srihari Anand

Modified Jun 29, 2024 13:18 GMT

Connor McDavid's Conn Smythe trophy win as the playoff MVP was the topic of hot debate on ESPN's First Take show with Stephen A. Smith, Shannon Sharpe, P.K. Subban and host Molly Qerim. McDavid won the Conn Smythe despite the Edmonton Oilers losing the Stanley Cup Final in Game 7 to the Florida Panthers. He became the sixth NHL player to win the trophy in a losing effort.

Ex-NFLer and Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe talked about Connor McDavid's Conn Smythe win, and said he was not surprised with the Oilers captain being awarded the trophy, but he did not agree with the decision. He opined Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky should have been awarded the Conn Smythe trophy.

Sharpe said,

"... but damn, shouldn't it be a more emphasis on winning? The goalie from Florida, he's been just as impressive. He got to get this award."

Bobrovsky conceded 16 goals up until Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final where he conceded only one goal from 24 shots in the Cup-clinching Game 7. Sharpe acknowledged Bobrovsky's shortcomings in the series, but was of the strong opinion that the Panthers netminder deserved the Conn Smythe award over Connor McDavid.

Sharpe also acknowledged the 3-time Hart Trophy winner in McDavid as the universally regarded best player, but ripped apart his winning of the Conn Smythe trophy, and said,

" .. he didn't deserve that award. You can't be giving out awards (to) ,'Oh, he played great'. Well, he didn't play great enough with your team to win."

Connor McDavid scored 42 points (eight goals, 34 assists) throughout the 2023-24 NHL playoffs, and became only the third player (after Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux) to score 40+ points in the postseason. He also etched his name in the NHL history books after becoming the first player to score four points in consecutive games (in Games 4 and 5 of the Stanley Cup Final).

The Conn Smythe trophy ballot revealed 16 out of the 17 PHWA voters voted for Connor McDavid as the Conn Smythe trophy winner.

Stephen A. Smith shared his sentiments on Connor McDavid's Conn Smythe trophy win

ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith opined the Oilers captain deserved to win the playoff MVP trophy. He admitted McDavid's heroics in Games 4 and 5, where he scored eight points but also dwelled on McDavid's absence in crucial Games 6 and 7, and said,

"I was just so down on his performance last night that I was just thinking, 'Damn, this aint the time for that'. I just expected more from him in the Game 7...Moments are what it's all about."

Smith went on to address Connor McDavid's Hall of Fame-like career owing to his on-ice talents but opined the Oilers star's lack of Stanley Cup success, so far in his career, is the ultimate differentiator against other NHL greats. He said,

"He still hasn't won one of these (Stanley Cup), he's 0-4 now and then that's the night (Game 7) you choose to be basically neutralized, that's not a great look. I'm just saying, 'Damn, I just wish he had showed up and had been more prolific last night.'"