McDavid meets Crosby

Sunday, 10 February 2013 22:42

Written by Shelly Anderson

Conner McDavid, a center who turned 16 last month and is easily the early favorite to be the first player taken in the 2015 NHL draft, visited Consol Energy Center tonight with a couple of his Erie Otters teammates, Stephen Harper and Hayden Hodgson.
The junior players sat for at least part of the game with Penguins co-owner Mario Lemieux in his suite. After the game, McDavid got what he earlier said would be a thrill – he met, shook hands with and got to talk to Penguins star center Sidney Crosby.
McDavid has 22 goals, 52 points in 49 games in his first season in the Ontario Hockey League, has been compared with a younger Crosby, and McDavid idolizes Crosby, but you might be surprised who McDavid compared himself with in terms of active NHL players during a brief interview session between periods.
Here's what McDavid had to say:
On sitting with Lemieux: We knew there was going to be a little tour involved, but to watch the game with Mario is absolutely unbelievable.
On seeing the game live: It's a completely different story when you come watch a game than watching in on TV. You get a sense of how fast it is, and the atmosphere in the building is just incredible.
On picturing himself playing in an NHL arena in a few years: That's a little bit tough right now. It's still so many years away, and there's a lot of work to still be done.
On the opportunity to meet Crosby: I'm really excited about that.
On what NHL player his style matches: Maybe like a Claude Giroux, someone like that. He's good offensively, but the main thing is to be good defensively.