Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid’s reaction to the Stanley Cup loss right after Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Connor McDavid, visibly upset, struggled to articulate his emotions following the tough loss. When asked about his feelings, he simply stated, “It sucks. It sucks. Yeah.”

Addressing the close nature of the game, McDavid acknowledged, “You knew it was going to be tight. Game Seven for the Cup. It was always going to be a real tight game. It was going to come down to one thing here and there. We were an inch away from going ahead 2-1 right before they scored to go ahead 2-1. It’s tough. They did a good job of shutting things down. We had our looks, but we just didn’t find the net.”

Reflecting on the season, McDavid expressed admiration for the team’s resilience. “Just the resilience of the group. Yeah, we went through a lot—ups and downs. We came that close,” he said. Despite the disappointment, McDavid was proud of the team’s performance. “I’m really proud. Proud of the way we fought all year. We were behind the eight ball almost immediately and fought an uphill climb for months. Yeah, just sucks.”

When asked about coming back from a 3-0 deficit to make it a series, McDavid took pride in the team’s character. “It goes back to the character of the group we showed all year long. We showed we could fight back even in the most dire situations. Obviously, it’s tough to be down three and to string four wins in a row against a good team like that. But we were right there.”

Regarding winning the Conn Smythe Trophy, McDavid acknowledged the honor but remained focused on the team’s loss. “You know, obviously it’s an honor with the names on that trophy, but… yeah,” he said.

McDavid was asked about the many opportunities the team had to score. He responded, “We never stopped believing. We really believed we were going to get one and have that one in front. Zach had a chance, Bouch had all kinds of looks. We had lots of opportunities but just didn’t capitalize

Discussing a specific high tip that went just over the net, McDavid described the play. “There’s not really many set plays 30 seconds into your shift. But, yeah, there was an opening and Bouch saw me coming from the corner. I tried to get there, he made a great play, and I was just trying to get a stick on it and hoping for the best. Obviously, it went a little high.”

He also commented on the support from fans. “Our fans are the best. They deserved to win just as much as any of us do. They were with us the whole way. Never stopped believing. We’re disappointed we couldn’t come through for them.”

Reflecting on the game, McDavid mentioned, “I thought they had a great first period. They came out flying, and we did a good job of surviving and coming out of that period tied was a win for us. For 40 minutes, we played well. We had lots of looks. Maybe if we could have scored on the power play, the game would have been different. We had the looks we wanted; it just didn’t go in. I wish I had a better explanation.”

On the difficulty of winning the trophy, McDavid confirmed, “It’s difficult. You’ve got to go through a grueling season. It’s long. You’ve got to beat four high-end opponents four times. It’s as difficult as you can think. Guys who have won it say the same thing—it’s tough.”

Finally, addressing the frustration of a close-knit group, McDavid said, “Yeah, we wanted to win.”

When asked about the challenges faced in the Panthers game, McDavid replied, “They were solid. They played really well. The first 20 minutes they were great, but I thought we were able to settle them down. We’re a great veteran group. You have to settle them down and settle the crowd. I thought we did that while the game was still tied, but we didn’t get it done.”

In closing, McDavid reflected on missed opportunities, stating, “I mean, you want me to say the chance in front, I guess. But, yeah, I wish it had gone in.”