The picture you see above sent Oilers fans into a frenzy.
"He touched the trophy! You idiot!" they all cried as they watched from back home in Edmonton. Little do they know that this is the penultimate step for McDavid to become his idol: Sidney Crosby.
Identical Paths
Connor McDavid is often referred to as The Chosen One in hockey circles. He's undoubtedly the greatest hockey player on the planet right now, but his legacy is incomplete without a Stanley Cup, and now he's guaranteed to get it.
Back in 2008 when Sidney Crosby and the Penguins lost in the Stanley Cup Final to the Evil Empire Detroit Red Wings, Crosby honored the tradition (superstition?) of not touching the trophy awarded to the conference champion.
The very next year Crosby embraced the trophy, and he went on to defeat those same Red Wings in the 2009 Stanley Cup - his first championship, coming at just 21 years old.
For McDavid, he's 28 years old, but the path is still identical as a fellow first overall pick to a disgruntled team. Last season, he made it to his first Stanley Cup Final where he fell to the Florida Panthers in seven games. He did not touch the trophy last season.
This season, he's right back in the Cup Final, this time touching the trophy and again matching up against the Florida Panthers. And while the Panthers are far from the Evil Empire Red Wings, they're beginning to stake their claim as a staple late in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It's their third straight year making it to the Final.
The Final Step
The only remaining step for McDavid is to actually win it all. Last season we saw how brutal it was when the Oilers went down in the series, and McDavid singlehandedly willed them back after a 3-0 series deficit.
They stormed all the way back to force Game 7, where they lost by just a single goal in Florida. This time, if Game 7 happens, it will happen on Canadian soil in Edmonton.
Crosby's three Stanley Cups are still attainable for Connor McDavid, but he has to get one first. McDavid's legacy is not hingent upon winning as many Cups as Crosby - the undeniable hockey icon of the 2000's and 2010's - but without at least one, the legacy is muddied for sure.
McDavid grew up idolizing Sidney Crosby, and he's following in his footsteps in almost every way possible. The greats of today follow the greats of the past. In reality, some greats of the past are still with us.
Looking at things from an NHL fan (not Penguins fan) perspective, if McDavid wins a Stanley Cup then he'll immediately be considered with higher regards than Sidney Crosby in all-time player rankings.
But...Crosby can take those honors right back even if McDavid does win the Cup this year (or within the next few years). If Sid wins a Stanley Cup in his late 30's for the fourth of his esteemed career, McDavid would have to answer with one of his own when he's of a similar age.
Being the ultra-competitive person Sidney Crosby is, another Cup is on his mind. The only hope is that it comes with Pittsburgh. Anywhere else would feel wrong. Very wrong.