Oilers reporter faces backlash after insensitive question to Connor McDavid

Connor McDavid is the Edmonton Oilers captain and the face of the franchise, but he represents even more. Many fans would say he represents hope and optimism and the ushering in of a new era. When the Oilers drafted McDavid, the generational superstar, first overall at the 2015 NHL Draft, he represented a turning point. Although there was skepticism, when you are able to add in a player of his calibre, it is usually transformative for that franchise.

Now, just over ten years out it is clear that he has had that impact. The Oilers have made back-to-back Stanley Cup finals appearances and multiple deep runs, all while McDavid fills his individual trophy cabinet for his efforts. It is not outlandish to say that the Oilers would not be even close to where they are as a franchise, without McDavid.

The Oilers' failure to get over the hump and win the Stanley Cup has little to do with the efforts of McDavid. The same too can be said for Team Canada, with him stepping up to take over as captain with Sidney Crosby sidelined with an injury. but that did not stop one reporter, Mark Spector of Sportsnet from rubbing salt in the wound.

McDavid fields 'nice question' from reporter

Starting his question with McDavid following the morning skate on Wednesday, Spector said "This is a hard question, but..." which is a great way to start off a question to the club you cover's superstar days after a heartbreaking loss at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.

Continuing, he said "Stanley Cups found [Wayne] Gretzky, and [Sidney] Crosby, and those guys, and gold medals... And you've put yourself in position and it's not finding you, did you think it would be this hard?"

McDavid responds in the way everybody was thinking "That's a nice question, thank you." adding "It's disappointing, no way around it, we could be sitting here having a totally different conversation if things had gone a little bit differently... Yeah, It's hard, it's hard, it's hard to win at any level, especially when we're talking about the best of the very, very best in the NHL and the Olympics, the margins are very, very small..."

It is clear that it was a question that caught him off guard and was a tough one to respond to, especially in such close proximity to a heart breaking loss against a heated rival, like Team USA. He was stammering and stuttering and repeating his words.

Fans react harshly to question

The backlash was almost instant from fans on X (formerly Twitter) when the question was posted on the Oilers page. Some even went as far to call the clip and question "disrespectful".

As well, there were supporters, mainly other media sources who are backing their fellow colleague through the backlash.

It is clear that this will be a contentious issue for fans and media members who disagree on the severity of the question at hand.

One thing is true for McDavid, he is directly back into the pressure cooker that is a major Canadian NHL market. One that is starved for a Stanley Cup with all of the expectations that come with being a contender.