Oilers players wore hilarious custom shirts after McDavid milestone
The Edmonton Oilers pulled out all the stops to celebrate Connor McDavid’s 1,000th NHL point, including some embarrassing custom shirts.
In what appears to have become a tradition among NHL teams, both Oilers players and team staff were wearing a custom shirt to commemorate their captain’s latest milestone after Thursday night’s victory over the Nashville Predators.
The design was truly unique as it featured a somewhat unflattering photo of the captain with the caption “This guy’s got 1,000 NHL points.”
Evan Bouchard graciously served as the dressing room model of the shirt following the game.
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— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 15, 2024
We were able to get some background on the unique shirts from a few players. Leon Draisaitl revealed that he was the one who snapped that photo of McDavid, but that was all he contributed to the design.
“I took this picture… it was a couple years ago,” Draisaitl revealed. “I didn’t make them myself, but I was the guy to send out the picture and then Brad Harrison, our equipment manager, takes it from there.”
"I didn't make them myself, but I was the guy to send out the picture & then Brad Harrison, our equipment manager, takes it from there."
Leon Draisaitl on creating the shirts that the #Oilers wore to celebrate Connor McDavid's 1,000th point.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/AgEe2jcMMJ
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 15, 2024
Darnell Nurse, who potted two goals and assisted on McDavid’s 1,000th point, was also wearing the shirt. You could tell that, when asked, he got a kick out of the design as well.
“Amazing, I saw the concept, I didn’t think they would turn out nice. Nice fabric. I’ll wear it a lot,” Nurse said with a sly smile.
"Been through the ups & downs & it all comes together at the right moments. It's pretty cool to be out there & be a part of something that Connor did."
Darnell Nurse on picking up the secondary assist on Connor McDavid's 1,000th @NHL point. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/eidGf84RgY
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 15, 2024
Predictably so, McDavid was not wearing the custom shirt with his face on it. He is famously averse to talking about himself when it comes to these sorts of accomplishments and tried his best to redirect the praise on his teammates.
He doesn’t recall when or where the photo on the shirt was taken.
“I don’t know, you’ll have to ask [Leon Draisaitl] that,” the Oilers captain said with a laugh.
McDavid also confirmed that he did not receive one of the shirts, but that may have been his choice.
It was a sweet peek behind the curtain on the human side of one of the world’s best hockey players. While his teammates certainly respect his ability on the ice, there is also a genuine connection between McDavid and these players that often gets swept up in the game.
To see how much this night meant to his Oilers teammates is a testament to the type of person and leader he is off the ice. Hopefully, one day he will have a similar type of shirt made with “2,000” on it.