NHL stars Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl shock beer league game as surprise players

Fox News

5 days ago

Imagine showing up to your weekly ice hockey game to play with some of your friends and local talent, but two of the best players in the NHL are ready to face-off against you.
Edmonton Oilers stars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were quite the ringers at the Magna Centre in Newmarket, Ontario, last Wednesday for the beer league game, but they were actually outscored by their opponents, who have quite the hockey story for the rest of their lives.
The rink is just minutes away from where McDavid grew up, and he had his partner in crime donned in an Oilers jersey with him on the ice.
Fans in the stands couldn't believe their eyes as they watched McDavid and Draisaitl play against loved ones and friends. But the Edmonton stars didn't have the usual point tallies on the night.
In fact, neither player scored a goal.
Instead, there were clips that went viral on social media of the other team's goalie making some sweet saves on McDavid's shots.
Now, it is worth noting neither NHL All-Star was skating full speed and trying to do their patented offensive wizardry on the ice. However, they reportedly found themselves down 4-0 after the first period and eventually lost the game, 6-2.
On-ice officials at the rink were reportedly given notice that the Oilers players were going to play, per TSN.
McDavid spoke with ESPN, who said it wasn't his first time jumping on the ice in this league that he used to play in during his junior hockey days. In fact, in 2023, he dropped by to play in the championship game against a team that sported Quinton Byfield on their bench, the Los Angeles Kings star.
"That's a league I played in with my buddies for over 10 years now," McDavid told ESPN. "We joined that league back when I played junior hockey. I was a little bit surprised to see it get blown up. I've been playing in those games for over a decade now. So, it's pretty funny that it just kind of came up."
Perhaps McDavid and Draisaitl needed some good vibes with local players after yet another loss to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final.
They will try once more during the 2025-26 season to defend their Western Conference title, and hope they can lift Lord Stanley's Cup instead of going home empty-handed.
While Draisaitl is locked in with the Oilers for the future after inking an eight-year deal last year, McDavid is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent following this season.
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