1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 2 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 3 00:00:10,510 --> 00:00:29,154 (♪♪♪) 4 00:00:29,237 --> 00:00:32,949 CONNOR: Around the city they'll care, and that's why 5 00:00:33,033 --> 00:00:36,036 it's special to play here. 6 00:00:36,661 --> 00:00:39,748 These fans, they care about the game, they care about you. 7 00:00:39,873 --> 00:00:47,088 (♪♪♪) 8 00:00:47,213 --> 00:00:48,715 CONNOR: It's a special place to play. 9 00:00:48,840 --> 00:01:07,901 (♪♪♪) 10 00:01:08,026 --> 00:01:09,194 (door shuts) 11 00:01:12,822 --> 00:01:14,157 CONNOR: You know, if it was probably up to my mom, 12 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:17,577 we would have been a skating family, but I think she had 13 00:01:17,702 --> 00:01:22,874 two boys and my dad loved hockey as well, so I think we 14 00:01:22,957 --> 00:01:25,543 were going to win that battle. 15 00:01:25,627 --> 00:01:28,505 Obviously we became a bit of a hockey family and loved 16 00:01:28,588 --> 00:01:29,589 every minute of it. 17 00:01:32,425 --> 00:01:37,430 tournaments in Europe, you know, events in China, 18 00:01:37,555 --> 00:01:39,808 you know, in Russia and places I would normally never get to go, 19 00:01:39,933 --> 00:01:46,147 and you see hockey is really been everything to me. 20 00:01:48,024 --> 00:01:51,277 (♪♪♪) 21 00:01:51,361 --> 00:01:52,821 CONNOR: I don't like losing. 22 00:01:52,946 --> 00:01:55,657 Nobody does. 23 00:01:58,118 --> 00:02:00,370 BRIAN: The drive, that's just who he is. 24 00:02:00,453 --> 00:02:02,455 He's been that way since he was, he would have been what, 25 00:02:02,580 --> 00:02:07,335 3-4, and we'd, you know, he refused to let us help him get 26 00:02:07,460 --> 00:02:09,629 dressed when he was going to play hockey, he had to carry 27 00:02:09,754 --> 00:02:13,633 his bag everywhere, whereas you know, most places, 28 00:02:13,716 --> 00:02:15,260 you know, when you go to the rink when the kids are 29 00:02:15,343 --> 00:02:17,345 four years old, the mom or the dad are carrying the bags in, 30 00:02:17,470 --> 00:02:19,556 but not Connor, the bag was bigger than he was. 31 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:21,641 He insisted on getting himself dressed. 32 00:02:21,766 --> 00:02:24,144 He's, you know, Kelly uses the word "determined" 33 00:02:24,227 --> 00:02:26,604 all the time. 34 00:02:26,688 --> 00:02:27,063 KELLY: Well he is. 35 00:02:27,147 --> 00:02:27,814 He's intense. 36 00:02:27,939 --> 00:02:28,898 And he's competitive. 37 00:02:28,982 --> 00:02:30,608 I think that's the biggest word. 38 00:02:31,609 --> 00:02:33,278 MAN: Can I get your name and where you go. 39 00:02:33,361 --> 00:02:34,988 YOUNG CONNOR: Um, Connor McDavid. 40 00:02:35,113 --> 00:02:39,033 Go to Premier Elite Athletics Collegiate. 41 00:02:39,159 --> 00:02:41,744 Yup. 42 00:02:41,828 --> 00:02:43,121 CONNOR: Speed, I think, that's the main thing. 43 00:02:43,204 --> 00:02:44,414 My game is all about speed. 44 00:02:44,497 --> 00:02:46,166 ANNOUNCER: Right wing point. 45 00:02:46,249 --> 00:02:48,042 Fumbled the puck, lost it on out centre to McDavid. 46 00:02:48,168 --> 00:02:49,919 He's trying to speed off. 47 00:02:50,003 --> 00:02:50,920 Just blows right by Spencer. 48 00:02:51,004 --> 00:02:51,880 Coming in on goal. 49 00:02:52,005 --> 00:02:52,964 Here's McDavid with a back hand. 50 00:02:53,047 --> 00:02:58,178 (cheering) 51 00:02:58,303 --> 00:03:00,847 MAN: He gets outside or he gets a step on you, man, 52 00:03:00,930 --> 00:03:01,931 the kid's speed. 53 00:03:02,015 --> 00:03:03,099 I've never seen anything like that. 54 00:03:03,183 --> 00:03:04,309 ANNOUNCER: Connor McDavid's speeds up. 55 00:03:04,392 --> 00:03:05,476 Gotta go through an intercept. 56 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:06,519 Get it towards the goal, gets around, goes before 57 00:03:06,603 --> 00:03:07,896 and scores! 58 00:03:08,021 --> 00:03:09,814 Sweet sassy molassey. 59 00:03:09,898 --> 00:03:12,817 Conor McDavid does it again. 60 00:03:13,526 --> 00:03:16,196 JEFF: Bobby Orr says it to me all the time, like Connor goes 61 00:03:16,321 --> 00:03:19,657 too hard to the net, but I think it's just the way that 62 00:03:19,741 --> 00:03:23,369 he plays, and he sees openings and he goes for it, 63 00:03:23,453 --> 00:03:26,122 and that's what makes him so great. 64 00:03:26,206 --> 00:03:27,081 ANNOUNCER: Left on the take. 65 00:03:27,207 --> 00:03:28,791 Trying to split, back hand shot, 66 00:03:28,875 --> 00:03:30,877 He scores! 67 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:32,503 GARY: Bobby Orr's telling me that this player's going to 68 00:03:32,587 --> 00:03:34,631 be, and remember, Bobby Orr's word's to me is, 69 00:03:34,714 --> 00:03:37,383 "Everybody said I was the greatest skater to ever play." 70 00:03:37,467 --> 00:03:42,430 He said, "This kid's going to be the best skater to ever play," 71 00:03:42,555 --> 00:03:44,641 and Connor McDavid was 15 years old when Bobby Orr 72 00:03:44,724 --> 00:03:47,810 said this. 73 00:03:47,894 --> 00:04:04,202 (♪♪♪) 74 00:04:04,285 --> 00:04:05,453 (puck bouncing) 75 00:04:05,578 --> 00:04:08,414 BOB: Yeah, you know, just because of his speed, 76 00:04:08,539 --> 00:04:12,752 how he utilizes his edges as he drives to the net. 77 00:04:12,877 --> 00:04:15,588 He's just that much quicker than anyone else. 78 00:04:15,672 --> 00:04:19,384 That's what Connor McDavid is. 79 00:04:19,926 --> 00:04:22,720 TRACY: What I love about Connor is it's all about power. 80 00:04:22,804 --> 00:04:25,848 It's all about speed and getting there. 81 00:04:25,932 --> 00:04:27,267 How you look doesn't matter. 82 00:04:27,392 --> 00:04:30,603 It's the intensity and the focus. 83 00:04:30,728 --> 00:04:31,479 (whistle blows) 84 00:04:34,315 --> 00:04:35,525 A huge event. 85 00:04:35,608 --> 00:04:37,735 Jack Eichel, the time to beat. 86 00:04:37,819 --> 00:04:40,071 13.582. 87 00:04:40,154 --> 00:04:43,241 Here comes the two-time defending champ, 88 00:04:43,324 --> 00:04:45,201 Connor McDavid. 89 00:04:45,285 --> 00:04:46,786 (cheering) 90 00:04:46,911 --> 00:04:48,579 JEFF: The ice hasn't gotten any bigger over the years, 91 00:04:48,663 --> 00:04:53,251 but he skates exceptionally fast, and hard to tell a player 92 00:04:53,334 --> 00:04:57,297 like Connor McDavid that, to slow down, you know. 93 00:04:57,380 --> 00:04:58,298 ANNOUNCER: McDavid. 94 00:04:58,423 --> 00:05:00,466 McDavid trying to split the defense. 95 00:05:00,550 --> 00:05:00,967 McDavid. 96 00:05:01,092 --> 00:05:01,759 What a play. 97 00:05:01,843 --> 00:05:03,386 What a goal. 98 00:05:03,469 --> 00:05:09,309 0-5, Connor McDavid, welcome back. 99 00:05:09,434 --> 00:05:11,686 The Oilers with a 2-1 lead. 100 00:05:11,811 --> 00:05:13,646 ZACK: He can skate so well, he can handle the puck so well. 101 00:05:13,771 --> 00:05:16,649 He does everything at such an elite level but then brings 102 00:05:16,733 --> 00:05:20,486 that speed element that, maybe we haven't seen a player 103 00:05:20,570 --> 00:05:24,198 like that in the game in maybe forever. 104 00:05:24,324 --> 00:05:25,658 ANNOUNCER: McDavid sinks a shot. 105 00:05:25,742 --> 00:05:26,993 Oh, what a goal. 106 00:05:27,076 --> 00:05:29,078 (bull horn) 107 00:05:29,162 --> 00:05:31,456 Connor McDavid. 108 00:05:32,707 --> 00:05:35,877 DAVE: Some of the things he does is, and you never see 109 00:05:36,002 --> 00:05:37,378 players do that before. 110 00:05:37,503 --> 00:05:39,464 And it's not just skating speed, it's skating with 111 00:05:39,547 --> 00:05:42,592 the puck, which is a whole other dimension. 112 00:05:42,675 --> 00:05:44,844 There's a lot of fast skaters in the league, but the people 113 00:05:44,927 --> 00:05:49,098 that skate that fast with the puck is an incredible ability. 114 00:05:49,182 --> 00:05:50,516 ANNOUNCER: (indistinct) 115 00:05:50,600 --> 00:05:53,227 McDavid, he scores. 116 00:05:53,353 --> 00:05:54,187 ANNOUNCER: McDavid cutting (indistinct) 117 00:05:54,312 --> 00:05:56,481 His backhand, scores. 118 00:05:56,564 --> 00:05:58,691 ANNOUNCER: Breaking away is Connor McDavid barreling down 119 00:05:58,775 --> 00:06:00,860 the right hand side, to the net, (indistinct) 120 00:06:00,943 --> 00:06:02,570 Scores. 121 00:06:02,695 --> 00:06:04,197 BOB: It just amazes you. 122 00:06:04,322 --> 00:06:06,657 I love watching Connor live. 123 00:06:06,741 --> 00:06:10,536 But I don't like watching him live unless I have a TV, 124 00:06:10,620 --> 00:06:13,289 because you just go watch it live and you go what did he 125 00:06:13,373 --> 00:06:14,832 just do? 126 00:06:14,916 --> 00:06:17,210 ANNOUNCER: Scores! 127 00:06:17,293 --> 00:06:22,965 ANNOUNCER: Conor McDavid, with a career high, 31st goal 128 00:06:23,049 --> 00:06:24,050 of the season. 129 00:06:24,133 --> 00:06:25,343 ANNOUNCER: McDavid to the net. 130 00:06:25,426 --> 00:06:26,469 Great job, score. 131 00:06:26,552 --> 00:06:27,387 ANNOUNCER: McDavid. 132 00:06:27,512 --> 00:06:30,390 (audience cheering) 133 00:06:30,473 --> 00:06:32,892 ANNOUNCER: Scores. 134 00:06:33,017 --> 00:06:35,019 ANNOUNCER: I don't know the words for Conor McDavid. 135 00:06:35,103 --> 00:06:38,564 MIKE: A lot of guys have been fast in the past and have been 136 00:06:38,689 --> 00:06:41,651 really good players, but to have a guy that can stick 137 00:06:41,734 --> 00:06:44,362 handle the puck as many times as he can in a short period 138 00:06:44,445 --> 00:06:46,781 of time while going fast is pretty special. 139 00:06:46,906 --> 00:06:52,328 (♪♪♪) 140 00:06:52,412 --> 00:06:53,413 (bull horn) 141 00:06:53,538 --> 00:06:54,956 KEN: Yeah, I mean obviously watch him. 142 00:06:55,081 --> 00:06:55,998 That's how he plays. 143 00:06:56,082 --> 00:06:57,125 I mean, he plays the game. 144 00:06:57,250 --> 00:06:58,584 That's one of his gifts. 145 00:06:58,668 --> 00:07:02,880 He's got, he's got incredible speed, incredible lateral 146 00:07:02,964 --> 00:07:09,095 movement in combination with incredible hockey sense. 147 00:07:09,220 --> 00:07:13,641 (♪♪♪) 148 00:07:13,766 --> 00:07:15,935 KEN: I mean, he plays the game hard. 149 00:07:16,018 --> 00:07:17,145 He plays the game fast. 150 00:07:17,270 --> 00:07:37,623 (♪♪♪) 151 00:07:44,839 --> 00:07:47,884 CONNOR: April 6 was a bit of a different day in general. 152 00:07:47,967 --> 00:07:51,721 I mean it's the end of the season. 153 00:07:51,804 --> 00:07:54,140 You know, and we're out of the playoffs, and you know, 154 00:07:54,265 --> 00:07:55,600 not a lot of good stuff going on. 155 00:07:55,683 --> 00:08:01,355 But at the end of the day you still got to play an NHL game. 156 00:08:01,814 --> 00:08:03,858 That's something I try to take pride in. 157 00:08:03,983 --> 00:08:06,819 It's not much to hang your hat on at the end of the year 158 00:08:06,944 --> 00:08:08,613 when you're out of the playoffs, but yeah, you just 159 00:08:08,696 --> 00:08:11,657 don't mail it in, and you know, you play as hard 160 00:08:11,782 --> 00:08:14,327 as you can, and I think we were doing that. 161 00:08:14,452 --> 00:08:16,704 (♪♪♪) 162 00:08:16,829 --> 00:08:18,247 MARK: You know, I'm not going to come in here and just hand 163 00:08:18,331 --> 00:08:22,835 the Calgary Flames a freebie, so it was a high intense game. 164 00:08:22,960 --> 00:08:24,337 ANNOUNCER: Here comes McDavid straight down the middle, 165 00:08:24,420 --> 00:08:26,672 back hander, Smith down. 166 00:08:26,797 --> 00:08:27,840 ANNOUNCER: All the angles. 167 00:08:27,924 --> 00:08:30,676 Here comes McDavid, McDavid (indistinct) 168 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:35,056 And the crashes into the Flames' net. 169 00:08:35,181 --> 00:08:37,934 CONNOR: Right on the post, square, and just felt 170 00:08:38,017 --> 00:08:39,894 the pain right away. 171 00:08:40,019 --> 00:08:44,440 I thought I broke my leg into a couple pieces. 172 00:08:45,274 --> 00:08:50,363 GARY: You know, our fear for Connor throughout his career 173 00:08:50,488 --> 00:08:55,076 so far is he's going too fast. 174 00:08:55,201 --> 00:08:57,370 (♪♪♪) 175 00:08:57,495 --> 00:08:58,037 MARK: Yeah, it bothered me. 176 00:08:58,120 --> 00:08:59,163 A lot of speed. 177 00:08:59,247 --> 00:09:01,624 Obviously, he's the fastest player in the game. 178 00:09:01,707 --> 00:09:03,626 He got a step to the outside on me. 179 00:09:03,709 --> 00:09:07,255 Basically, it was I think a combination of my stick and 180 00:09:07,380 --> 00:09:09,340 the arm taking out his legs. 181 00:09:09,423 --> 00:09:12,385 He's so fast that he was going in real quick and it happened 182 00:09:12,510 --> 00:09:15,179 so fast, and then the result. 183 00:09:15,263 --> 00:09:17,682 I saw him down and I knew he was hurt right away. 184 00:09:17,765 --> 00:09:20,309 A hockey play trying to break up a guy from getting a 185 00:09:20,393 --> 00:09:23,854 scoring chance and when I saw the result, I knew he was 186 00:09:23,938 --> 00:09:25,022 hurt right away. 187 00:09:25,106 --> 00:09:26,399 You could tell by the look on his face, so there was 188 00:09:26,482 --> 00:09:29,735 immediate concern, and listen, we're all on the ice together 189 00:09:29,819 --> 00:09:32,697 at the end of the day, and we're entertaining the fans, 190 00:09:32,780 --> 00:09:34,907 and you don't want to see anyone go down, especially, 191 00:09:34,991 --> 00:09:37,702 you know, a guy who brings so much to the game, 192 00:09:37,785 --> 00:09:39,996 so it was concerning. 193 00:09:40,079 --> 00:09:40,496 ZACK: Game play. 194 00:09:40,580 --> 00:09:41,872 Game mode. 195 00:09:41,956 --> 00:09:44,166 Didn't look dirty by any means, it looked like a guy 196 00:09:44,250 --> 00:09:46,919 that was beat and did everything to try and get 197 00:09:47,003 --> 00:09:49,338 the puck from him to stop him from scoring a goal. 198 00:09:49,422 --> 00:09:50,464 MARK: Kassium's been around a while, 199 00:09:50,590 --> 00:09:53,092 all of us understand when it's a dirty play 200 00:09:53,217 --> 00:09:55,011 and you're trying to hurt a guy and when it's just a 201 00:09:55,094 --> 00:09:59,390 hockey play, and I think, you know, we all were in that 202 00:09:59,473 --> 00:10:02,101 moment sort of more concerned with the injury and the guy 203 00:10:02,184 --> 00:10:06,856 laying on the ice than, you know, all that other stuff. 204 00:10:06,939 --> 00:10:08,941 ZACK: Flew in pretty hard with a lot of force into the net, 205 00:10:09,066 --> 00:10:11,277 and the net comes off the ice, which, if anyone plays hockey, 206 00:10:11,360 --> 00:10:15,114 you realize those pegs are in their pretty good. 207 00:10:15,197 --> 00:10:17,158 He's not getting up right away, so then you're like, 208 00:10:17,283 --> 00:10:20,536 oh no, something's wrong, cause he's a tough kid and he gets 209 00:10:20,620 --> 00:10:22,455 up from a lot of things, he takes a lot of abuse 210 00:10:22,538 --> 00:10:26,250 out there, so went right over obviously and got close to him 211 00:10:26,334 --> 00:10:27,084 and asked him, "Hey. 212 00:10:27,168 --> 00:10:27,501 What's going on? 213 00:10:28,794 --> 00:10:30,504 He whispered to me, "I think it's broke." 214 00:10:30,630 --> 00:10:34,008 MIKE: I could just see the look on his face that something just 215 00:10:34,133 --> 00:10:35,635 wasn't right. 216 00:10:35,718 --> 00:10:38,512 CONNOR: I was having flashbacks to Stamcos' 217 00:10:38,638 --> 00:10:41,849 injury, and I know Stammer really well. 218 00:10:43,142 --> 00:10:45,853 ANNOUNCER: They tangled up, oh and they're jammed up, and 219 00:10:45,978 --> 00:10:49,357 he's holding on to his shin, and then he's in a 220 00:10:49,482 --> 00:11:00,201 (♪♪♪) 221 00:11:00,326 --> 00:11:02,203 CONNOR: You know, watching him go through something like 222 00:11:02,328 --> 00:11:05,289 that, you know, it was pretty scary, and thinking that I was 223 00:11:05,373 --> 00:11:08,626 gonna, and this is all in a split second, where lots go 224 00:11:08,709 --> 00:11:10,378 through your mind in a split second, but. 225 00:11:10,503 --> 00:11:14,799 MARK: Steven Stamkos texts me and the text was, 226 00:11:14,882 --> 00:11:17,885 "Did he break it?" 227 00:11:18,010 --> 00:11:19,679 He thought he fractured his tibia, especially when he was 228 00:11:19,762 --> 00:11:22,306 on the ice - just his reaction, he's grabbing his 229 00:11:22,390 --> 00:11:27,144 leg, and I'm like, "Wow, this is going to be long." 230 00:11:27,228 --> 00:11:30,815 MARK: Obviously, you know, top player in our game and a clean 231 00:11:30,898 --> 00:11:33,067 player and a guy who I respect on the other team, you know, 232 00:11:33,192 --> 00:11:36,570 we compete hard against each other where you play with 233 00:11:36,696 --> 00:11:38,072 that respect, and for that to happen. 234 00:11:38,197 --> 00:11:40,616 I said to him right after, "If I could do it all over 235 00:11:40,700 --> 00:11:43,994 again, you'd like to take it back." 236 00:11:46,414 --> 00:11:47,707 BOB: Yeah, I watched 237 00:11:47,790 --> 00:11:50,501 his lips and you know, I just had a lump in my throat. 238 00:11:50,584 --> 00:11:52,670 We hadn't had a great end to the season. 239 00:11:52,753 --> 00:11:55,381 I'm just going "it can't get worse," but looks like 240 00:11:55,464 --> 00:11:58,968 it could be. 241 00:11:59,301 --> 00:12:00,553 TD: I asked him to move his knee. 242 00:12:00,636 --> 00:12:02,096 He could move it slightly, so I wasn't concerned that it 243 00:12:02,221 --> 00:12:03,222 was dislocated. 244 00:12:03,305 --> 00:12:05,349 So then I said "Okay Connor," I said "You know, 245 00:12:05,433 --> 00:12:06,392 we have a couple options here. " 246 00:12:06,517 --> 00:12:07,727 I said, "I'd like to get you up. 247 00:12:07,852 --> 00:12:10,688 If you don't think you can get up, then I'll call out 248 00:12:10,771 --> 00:12:12,356 the gurney and we'll take you off that way," and he 249 00:12:12,440 --> 00:12:15,317 looked at me and he says, "No no no, it's painful, 250 00:12:15,401 --> 00:12:18,988 but I think I can get up. " 251 00:12:20,072 --> 00:12:21,157 ANNOUNCER: And they're going to try to get him up 252 00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:22,408 onto his feet here. 253 00:12:24,410 --> 00:12:25,703 leg was just gonna give away. 254 00:12:25,786 --> 00:12:29,248 (applause) 255 00:12:29,331 --> 00:12:33,043 ANNOUNCER: Getting helped on the ice, and I - I mean, just 256 00:12:33,127 --> 00:12:35,296 the initial thoughts on seeing how hard he went into that 257 00:12:35,421 --> 00:12:37,173 post and how long he stayed down, I'd be surprised if he's 258 00:12:37,256 --> 00:12:39,425 able to come back. 259 00:12:39,508 --> 00:12:41,927 ZACK: Such a big part of the Edmonton Oilers and then for 260 00:12:42,011 --> 00:12:45,806 the league, he brings so much to the game of hockey that 261 00:12:45,931 --> 00:12:50,019 I think the whole league was kind of in shock. 262 00:12:50,102 --> 00:12:51,395 (applause) 263 00:12:51,479 --> 00:12:53,272 ANNOUNCER: This is a guy that doesn't stay down too often, 264 00:12:53,355 --> 00:12:56,275 doesn't miss games unless he absolutely has to. 265 00:12:56,400 --> 00:13:04,116 (♪♪♪) 266 00:13:04,867 --> 00:13:09,121 (♪♪♪) 267 00:13:09,205 --> 00:13:11,624 CONNOR: I held it together until we got through the 268 00:13:11,707 --> 00:13:13,417 tunnel, and I was a mess. 269 00:13:13,501 --> 00:13:15,628 I think it probably took us ten minutes just to get back 270 00:13:15,753 --> 00:13:17,254 to the room. 271 00:13:17,338 --> 00:13:20,966 TD: Said "Stop, just give me a second," and a lot 272 00:13:21,050 --> 00:13:23,135 of things are going on I'm sure, in his mind, I'm sure 273 00:13:23,260 --> 00:13:25,971 he's thinking about the pain that he's going through. 274 00:13:26,096 --> 00:13:28,307 What's going to happen to the short term career, 275 00:13:28,390 --> 00:13:31,185 what's happening to his long term career? 276 00:13:31,310 --> 00:13:40,653 (♪♪♪) 277 00:13:40,736 --> 00:13:42,822 CONNOR: They did a great job just trying to calm me down 278 00:13:42,905 --> 00:13:44,740 and make me feel better, but obviously I was a bit 279 00:13:44,824 --> 00:13:47,618 of a mess. 280 00:13:47,701 --> 00:14:02,258 (♪♪♪) 281 00:14:02,341 --> 00:14:04,009 LAUREN: It was, it was really hard when he called me. 282 00:14:04,093 --> 00:14:05,719 His immediate reaction was, 283 00:14:05,845 --> 00:14:08,639 "Okay. I broke my leg". 284 00:14:08,722 --> 00:14:11,559 So it was definitely emotional. 285 00:14:11,684 --> 00:14:13,519 (♪♪♪) 286 00:14:13,644 --> 00:14:15,020 BRIAN: He was very upset. 287 00:14:15,145 --> 00:14:18,023 He was in a lot of pain, which as a parent it's kind of 288 00:14:18,107 --> 00:14:20,860 hard to hear when your child's in pain. 289 00:14:20,943 --> 00:14:22,194 KELLY: It was awful. 290 00:14:22,319 --> 00:14:26,115 You know, when your kids are sick or hurt or upset or 291 00:14:26,198 --> 00:14:28,868 anything, I mean for me that is the worst thing 292 00:14:28,951 --> 00:14:30,202 in the world. 293 00:14:30,327 --> 00:14:31,120 You know? 294 00:14:31,203 --> 00:14:33,372 Doesn't matter how old they are. 295 00:14:33,497 --> 00:14:35,666 CONNOR: I remember laying down the x-ray room, they take the 296 00:14:35,749 --> 00:14:39,712 pictures, and then you know, the doc looks at the pictures, 297 00:14:39,795 --> 00:14:42,214 "Nope, nothing's broken. " 298 00:14:42,298 --> 00:14:45,259 I'm like "Well, I guess that's a good thing," 299 00:14:45,384 --> 00:14:48,470 but you know, maybe in hindsight it would have 300 00:14:48,554 --> 00:14:51,390 been better if it was broken. 301 00:14:56,687 --> 00:14:58,397 DR. NAIDU: He's in a lot of pain number one, and then once 302 00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:01,066 you get down and then you're examined by the docs and the 303 00:15:01,191 --> 00:15:03,068 head therapist, then you start thinking 304 00:15:03,152 --> 00:15:04,987 "Okay, what am I going to do? 305 00:15:05,070 --> 00:15:07,114 My knee's swollen, I can't put weight on it. 306 00:15:07,239 --> 00:15:09,450 It's sore," and that whole plan you had into the 307 00:15:09,575 --> 00:15:14,246 offseason to get ready for the next season is derailed. 308 00:15:14,330 --> 00:15:29,845 (♪♪♪) 309 00:15:29,929 --> 00:15:31,180 CONNOR: Fairly positive right now. 310 00:15:31,263 --> 00:15:32,848 I'm going to go for an MRI in a little bit here and 311 00:15:32,932 --> 00:15:34,475 clear up more. 312 00:15:34,600 --> 00:15:37,269 CONNOR: I've never had like a lower body injury before, so 313 00:15:37,353 --> 00:15:41,607 this is something new for me, but like I said, we still 314 00:15:41,732 --> 00:15:43,108 don't know too much. 315 00:15:43,233 --> 00:15:44,818 But that result, is there any way to get it 316 00:15:44,944 --> 00:15:46,111 out of your game. 317 00:15:46,236 --> 00:15:47,112 You know what, they pay me one hundred million 318 00:15:47,196 --> 00:15:48,614 dollars to play my game. 319 00:15:48,697 --> 00:15:52,451 Part of my game is beating guys wide and going to the 320 00:15:52,534 --> 00:15:55,621 net, so Daryl's going to have to, I'll have to give my money 321 00:15:55,704 --> 00:15:59,792 back if I stop doing that, so I'm not doing that, so. 322 00:15:59,875 --> 00:16:01,168 (interviewers laugh) 323 00:16:01,293 --> 00:16:05,130 CONNOR: And you know, I get in the MRI machine, they had 324 00:16:05,214 --> 00:16:12,680 said "Grade 2 strain" of my PCL. 325 00:16:12,805 --> 00:16:16,517 And it looks pretty good. 326 00:16:16,642 --> 00:16:18,686 (♪♪♪) 327 00:16:18,811 --> 00:16:20,270 DR NAIDU: You know, I have been through elite athletes 328 00:16:20,354 --> 00:16:24,733 in hockey and in other sports at this type of injury, and there 329 00:16:24,817 --> 00:16:27,736 are certain things that I saw on the exam and on the MRI 330 00:16:27,820 --> 00:16:29,196 that were very good news. 331 00:16:29,321 --> 00:16:33,409 Obviously, there are things that were bad news as well. 332 00:16:34,326 --> 00:16:35,327 MARK: There was so much swelling initially. 333 00:16:37,871 --> 00:16:42,668 damage, so he was referred to a couple other specialists 334 00:16:42,751 --> 00:16:44,670 for their opinion. 335 00:16:44,753 --> 00:16:46,672 JEFF: You immediately go get a second opinion or a third 336 00:16:46,755 --> 00:16:49,800 opinion or whatever you need, so I talked to Bob Nicholson 337 00:16:49,883 --> 00:16:52,344 and we set up a second opinion. 338 00:16:52,469 --> 00:16:53,554 BRIAN: "Hey dad, just want you to let you know I'm 339 00:16:53,679 --> 00:16:56,181 going for a second opinion on Colorado Springs." 340 00:16:56,265 --> 00:16:59,059 We were both thinking "Okay, well this is just sort of 341 00:16:59,184 --> 00:17:02,563 reaffirming what we already knew, everything's fine. " 342 00:17:02,688 --> 00:17:04,189 (wheels screaching) 343 00:17:04,314 --> 00:17:05,649 CONNOR: The doctor had told me that it was actually 344 00:17:05,733 --> 00:17:11,155 a full PCL tear, tears both sides of my meniscus, torn the 345 00:17:11,238 --> 00:17:16,452 popliteus right off the bone, so I mean at that point that 346 00:17:16,535 --> 00:17:19,163 was enough to have a full reconstruction of the knee, 347 00:17:19,246 --> 00:17:23,125 full reconstruction of the PCL and the popliteus which would 348 00:17:23,208 --> 00:17:28,213 have been over a year recovery and we don't know how it 349 00:17:28,297 --> 00:17:30,841 would have really recovered. 350 00:17:30,924 --> 00:17:32,551 BRIAN: And basically he said that the doctor told him that 351 00:17:32,634 --> 00:17:35,679 if he didn't have surgery like now, he needed surgery, 352 00:17:35,763 --> 00:17:37,765 there was no question of that, and by the way the sooner 353 00:17:37,890 --> 00:17:42,728 the better, and like the next few days would be good. 354 00:17:43,187 --> 00:17:44,396 Your career is only so long, you never know how long 355 00:17:44,521 --> 00:17:45,689 it's going to be. 356 00:17:45,773 --> 00:17:48,025 And the opportunities to win the Stanley Cup are few and 357 00:17:48,108 --> 00:17:51,653 far between, so missing an entire year is, you know, 358 00:17:51,737 --> 00:17:54,114 he's, not only is this his personal goal, but he's 359 00:17:54,239 --> 00:17:55,574 letting his team mates down too, and that's like, 360 00:17:55,699 --> 00:17:56,700 he's the leader. 361 00:17:56,784 --> 00:17:59,870 He's, again, distraught would be the best word 362 00:17:59,953 --> 00:18:02,206 I can use, and that's underdescribed. 363 00:18:02,289 --> 00:18:04,458 He was very very upset. 364 00:18:04,583 --> 00:18:06,168 LAUREN: I think that's when things got really tough 365 00:18:06,251 --> 00:18:10,380 because at first we were thinking okay, this is 366 00:18:10,464 --> 00:18:11,965 an injury we can come back from it. 367 00:18:12,091 --> 00:18:14,885 And then all of a sudden there was a thought, 368 00:18:14,968 --> 00:18:20,099 "I'm never going to play again". 369 00:18:20,182 --> 00:18:21,433 (♪♪♪) 370 00:18:21,517 --> 00:18:22,601 KELLY: Well you know, I went back and forth. 371 00:18:22,684 --> 00:18:28,273 But I did think he should have the surgery. 372 00:18:28,690 --> 00:18:31,110 DR HARNESS: Surgery would be to increase the stability. 373 00:18:31,235 --> 00:18:35,906 Because when you tear a joint that much, the problem 374 00:18:35,989 --> 00:18:37,074 is instability. 375 00:18:37,157 --> 00:18:39,451 And the joint simply won't work properly if 376 00:18:39,535 --> 00:18:40,452 it's not stable. 377 00:18:40,577 --> 00:18:44,206 So the surgical intervention is to give it its 378 00:18:44,289 --> 00:18:45,541 stability back. 379 00:18:45,624 --> 00:18:49,378 Unfortunately that's done through internal implements, 380 00:18:49,461 --> 00:18:53,006 screws, anchors, and so on and so forth, rather than trying 381 00:18:53,132 --> 00:18:58,470 to get the tissue to fuse back to the bone in a natural way. 382 00:18:58,554 --> 00:19:01,140 BOB: We have to make a decision in 48 hours 383 00:19:01,265 --> 00:19:04,226 whether or not to operate. 384 00:19:04,309 --> 00:19:07,354 I remember just sitting there going, "48 hours, 385 00:19:07,479 --> 00:19:10,983 gotta make a decision". 386 00:19:11,066 --> 00:19:12,317 That was me. 387 00:19:12,442 --> 00:19:16,029 You can imagine what was going through Connor's mind. 388 00:19:16,321 --> 00:19:17,698 JEFF: He was very emotional. 389 00:19:17,823 --> 00:19:21,326 And it was very difficult for him to talk, and I could just 390 00:19:21,410 --> 00:19:24,454 sense that he was devastated by the thought that his career 391 00:19:24,538 --> 00:19:30,169 was either very much going to be altered or come to an end. 392 00:19:30,252 --> 00:19:34,715 (♪♪♪) 393 00:19:34,840 --> 00:19:37,342 CONNOR: Jeff, he said, "Listen the surgery is scheduled 394 00:19:37,467 --> 00:19:40,262 for Tuesday, but we'll go get another opinion". 395 00:19:40,345 --> 00:19:44,266 And he set that up and with the help of Mr. Katz, 396 00:19:44,349 --> 00:19:45,767 and the Oilers, he set up a third opinions. 397 00:19:45,851 --> 00:19:47,102 So, that's where we go to L.A. 398 00:19:47,186 --> 00:19:49,396 to meet with another doctor and he goes, "Yup. 399 00:19:49,521 --> 00:19:54,067 Second doctor is right: you got all that stuff, 400 00:19:54,193 --> 00:19:56,904 but the surgery is risky. 401 00:19:57,029 --> 00:20:00,532 I don't believe in the surgery. 402 00:20:00,616 --> 00:20:04,953 I would try to rehab this," so, I mean, now 403 00:20:05,037 --> 00:20:07,456 what do you do? 404 00:20:07,539 --> 00:20:08,957 I mean. 405 00:20:09,041 --> 00:20:13,086 MARK: Yeah, I think at that point I didn't want 406 00:20:13,212 --> 00:20:14,379 to be involved, to be honest with you. 407 00:20:14,463 --> 00:20:15,380 (laughs) 408 00:20:15,464 --> 00:20:17,466 INTERVIEWER: And why? 409 00:20:17,549 --> 00:20:19,801 MARK: Because to go a nonsurgical route with that 410 00:20:19,885 --> 00:20:21,887 severe of an injury, I've never done that before. 411 00:20:21,970 --> 00:20:26,391 I mean, I've rehabbed a lot of post surgical knees and hips 412 00:20:26,475 --> 00:20:31,480 and shoulders, but to do that with no surgical intervention, 413 00:20:31,563 --> 00:20:33,774 I mean, I don't know many people that have ever done 414 00:20:33,899 --> 00:20:38,528 that before. 415 00:20:38,612 --> 00:20:41,907 CONNOR: I have to make this crazy decision, I mean, that 416 00:20:42,032 --> 00:20:46,495 is either going to either make or break, 20 years of my life 417 00:20:46,578 --> 00:20:48,080 plays out, the rest of my life plays out. 418 00:20:48,163 --> 00:20:49,998 I've got to make this decision at 22 and I got to make it in 419 00:20:50,082 --> 00:20:55,003 24 hours, because they had scheduled the surgery with the 420 00:20:55,087 --> 00:21:00,217 second guy for, like, four days later. 421 00:21:00,300 --> 00:21:01,093 It was already scheduled. 422 00:21:01,176 --> 00:21:02,844 The surgery was scheduled. 423 00:21:02,928 --> 00:21:06,765 (♪♪♪) 424 00:21:07,766 --> 00:21:12,145 (♪♪♪) 425 00:21:12,271 --> 00:21:13,522 ANNOUNCER: --McDavid flying in! 426 00:21:13,605 --> 00:21:18,777 And he ceases into the Flames' net. 427 00:21:19,236 --> 00:21:20,320 DR MASCIA: When I saw that, it reminded me back of my 428 00:21:23,156 --> 00:21:25,575 We call that a dashboard injury, when the dashboard 429 00:21:25,659 --> 00:21:33,792 hits the knee, and the knee almost dislocates. 430 00:21:33,875 --> 00:21:35,669 DR MASCIA: PCL's cut right in half, so that's a complete 431 00:21:35,794 --> 00:21:39,548 tear of his Posterior Cruciate Ligament. 432 00:21:39,631 --> 00:21:42,592 The back of the knee joint, there's a lining. 433 00:21:42,676 --> 00:21:46,763 It was completely torn. 434 00:21:46,847 --> 00:21:50,642 Because a rotational component to the injury, his popliteus, 435 00:21:50,726 --> 00:21:53,812 which is a muscle at the back of the knee, on the outside, 436 00:21:53,937 --> 00:21:55,689 it was completely torn also. 437 00:21:55,814 --> 00:21:58,025 He's got a tear of his lateral meniscus. 438 00:21:58,150 --> 00:21:59,484 He has a tear of his medial meniscus. 439 00:21:59,609 --> 00:22:01,903 So both menisci, or cartilage, are torn. 440 00:22:01,987 --> 00:22:05,699 The other thing that surprised us, not only a bone bruise, 441 00:22:05,824 --> 00:22:08,827 but a crack in the front of his tibia where the impact, 442 00:22:08,910 --> 00:22:11,455 where the tibia hit the goal post, he actually had 443 00:22:11,538 --> 00:22:12,622 a fracture. 444 00:22:12,706 --> 00:22:14,708 It did not show itself until about 10 days later. 445 00:22:14,833 --> 00:22:21,506 (♪♪♪) 446 00:22:21,590 --> 00:22:23,300 JEFF: No, I think any athlete that things that they're going 447 00:22:23,383 --> 00:22:26,094 to miss an entire year, and then at the end of that not 448 00:22:26,178 --> 00:22:29,681 know what they're going to come back like is 449 00:22:29,765 --> 00:22:32,809 terrifying for them. 450 00:22:33,018 --> 00:22:34,186 CONNOR: For me, hockey is my life. 451 00:22:34,311 --> 00:22:35,687 Playing sports is my life. 452 00:22:35,812 --> 00:22:39,191 Being active is my life, and all of a sudden that was 453 00:22:39,316 --> 00:22:41,485 all up in the air, so. 454 00:22:41,568 --> 00:22:44,279 JEFF: The doctor that he saw in Los Angeles, Dr Alatrosh 455 00:22:44,363 --> 00:22:46,782 that consulted with several doctors and told him 456 00:22:46,865 --> 00:22:51,078 "It's bad, but I wouldn't do surgery right now". 457 00:22:51,203 --> 00:22:52,537 That's what he wanted to hear. 458 00:22:52,662 --> 00:22:53,455 He didn't want to hear that he was going to miss the year 459 00:22:53,538 --> 00:22:55,207 and that he had to have surgery. 460 00:22:55,332 --> 00:22:56,625 I don't think he was convinced that he didn't 461 00:22:56,708 --> 00:22:58,835 need it, but he still liked the fact that 462 00:22:58,919 --> 00:23:03,090 "Okay, I'm gonna try this". 463 00:23:03,215 --> 00:23:04,841 MARK: It had to be his decision 464 00:23:04,925 --> 00:23:07,594 And there was a silence interval there where he 465 00:23:07,719 --> 00:23:08,804 was pretty down. 466 00:23:08,887 --> 00:23:11,431 And that's when, you know, I discussed with Jeff, 467 00:23:11,556 --> 00:23:12,891 I mean if I'm gonna do this I'm gonna have to actually 468 00:23:12,974 --> 00:23:17,396 live with him because it's an emotional grind to go 469 00:23:17,521 --> 00:23:20,649 through, and for someone that's never gone through it 470 00:23:20,732 --> 00:23:25,570 before, a young guy like that, it's a full time job, 471 00:23:25,695 --> 00:23:28,156 and that's really what I emphasized to him. 472 00:23:28,240 --> 00:23:29,282 This is seven days a week. 473 00:23:29,408 --> 00:23:33,662 It's 10 hours a day until it's done. 474 00:23:33,745 --> 00:23:35,664 And that's just the reality of it. 475 00:23:36,081 --> 00:23:38,542 DR MASCIA: Here we have this bone bruise in the front, 476 00:23:38,625 --> 00:23:41,503 this is where the impact was on the goal post on the tibia. 477 00:23:41,586 --> 00:23:45,257 Let me bring you to another picture here. 478 00:23:45,340 --> 00:23:47,259 Showing this crack right there. 479 00:23:47,342 --> 00:23:49,386 See there's a dark line? 480 00:23:49,469 --> 00:23:50,429 That's the crack in the bone. 481 00:23:50,512 --> 00:23:53,348 That's the fracture. 482 00:23:53,432 --> 00:23:55,851 Surgery, for a PCL injury is major surgery. 483 00:23:55,934 --> 00:23:59,229 ACL surgery, most athletes get back to the elite level 484 00:23:59,312 --> 00:24:00,981 in six months. 485 00:24:01,106 --> 00:24:02,691 PCL is a much bigger deal. 486 00:24:02,774 --> 00:24:03,900 It takes up to a year. 487 00:24:03,984 --> 00:24:06,778 Not wanting to have surgery, we told him that, alright, 488 00:24:06,903 --> 00:24:10,532 if you start this process that's non-operative, we got about 489 00:24:10,615 --> 00:24:15,328 a 50% chance, you know, by the end of the summer to get you 490 00:24:15,454 --> 00:24:19,166 maybe skating again, maybe. 491 00:24:19,291 --> 00:24:20,417 MARK: What's the best plan of action? 492 00:24:20,500 --> 00:24:23,795 And so it came down we were going to brace the knee, 493 00:24:23,879 --> 00:24:28,633 and we had to deal with the plateau fracture, the bone 494 00:24:28,717 --> 00:24:33,805 issue, and so he was in a hyperbaric chamber daily 495 00:24:33,889 --> 00:24:36,892 for about 40 days. 496 00:24:36,975 --> 00:24:39,978 CONNOR: Mark had suggested that I would go do a 497 00:24:40,061 --> 00:24:41,688 hyperbaric chamber every day. 498 00:24:41,813 --> 00:24:46,151 And so I was not very excited about that. 499 00:24:46,234 --> 00:24:47,569 INTERVIEWER: What was it about that you didn't like about it? 500 00:24:47,652 --> 00:24:48,695 Was it the claustrophobicness of it? 501 00:24:48,820 --> 00:24:50,780 CONNOR: Yeah well you're just in a tube. 502 00:24:50,864 --> 00:24:53,825 MARK: And we've had a lot of success in the past on 503 00:24:53,909 --> 00:24:57,078 bone tendon injuries with hyperbaric oxygen treatment, 504 00:24:57,162 --> 00:25:01,750 and it's a static treatment, so he could lay in there with 505 00:25:01,833 --> 00:25:05,670 his brace on and everything, and then we could evaluate 506 00:25:05,795 --> 00:25:06,963 healing potential. 507 00:25:07,047 --> 00:25:09,633 Because you can't load it until that foundational thing 508 00:25:09,716 --> 00:25:12,469 was established. 509 00:25:12,552 --> 00:25:15,472 CONNOR: I remember at one point a doctor had cleared me 510 00:25:15,555 --> 00:25:19,851 to flex my quad muscle. 511 00:25:19,976 --> 00:25:22,812 So I would be in there and you're in there 512 00:25:22,896 --> 00:25:24,064 for two hours. 513 00:25:24,189 --> 00:25:27,859 I would just flex my quad muscle for 10 seconds on, rest 514 00:25:27,943 --> 00:25:30,779 for 10 seconds, 10 seconds on, and I would do that over and 515 00:25:30,862 --> 00:25:34,282 over again just trying to save the muscle. 516 00:25:34,366 --> 00:25:35,951 JEFF: If we could get the bone to heal and we could get some 517 00:25:36,034 --> 00:25:38,870 fibers attaching, then we knew we had a chance to do it. 518 00:25:38,995 --> 00:25:43,708 So if that bone wasn't gonna heal, he was gonna have to 519 00:25:43,833 --> 00:25:45,961 have some kind of surgical intervention. 520 00:25:46,044 --> 00:25:48,088 (♪♪♪) 521 00:25:48,213 --> 00:25:50,131 BOB: We know that there's frustration with the fans, 522 00:25:50,215 --> 00:25:54,135 but I can tell you today, with naming Ken Holland as a 523 00:25:54,219 --> 00:25:57,889 General Manager and President of Hockey Operations, this is 524 00:25:57,973 --> 00:26:01,726 a perfect step for us to move forward in a positive way. 525 00:26:01,851 --> 00:26:04,354 KEN: Talking with Bob Nicholson as I was going through 526 00:26:04,437 --> 00:26:06,856 the process to eventually make a decision to 527 00:26:06,940 --> 00:26:10,652 become the general manager of the Edmonton Oilers. 528 00:26:10,735 --> 00:26:14,447 We did talk about Connor's injury, but it didn't seem 529 00:26:14,573 --> 00:26:18,118 to be all that significant. 530 00:26:18,243 --> 00:26:20,620 BOB: When I got to Kenny, he asked that question. 531 00:26:20,745 --> 00:26:22,872 It wasn't the first question he asked, but he certainly 532 00:26:22,956 --> 00:26:26,209 asked it fairly quickly through the process and before 533 00:26:26,293 --> 00:26:29,421 he signed, and I gave him information. 534 00:26:29,546 --> 00:26:31,423 I didn't give him all the information. 535 00:26:31,506 --> 00:26:33,049 KEN: I don't want to throw Bob under the bus. 536 00:26:33,133 --> 00:26:35,802 Certainly Bob did tell me he was hurt and he was healing, 537 00:26:35,927 --> 00:26:39,055 I really wasn't quite aware how seriously he was hurt. 538 00:26:39,139 --> 00:26:41,600 CONNOR: When Kenny came in, I don't think he really 539 00:26:41,683 --> 00:26:44,728 even knew the severity of the injury. 540 00:26:44,811 --> 00:26:46,730 BOB: We really talked about "Hey, we have to keep this as 541 00:26:46,813 --> 00:26:50,525 tight as possible, hey, there is a lot of people poking 542 00:26:50,609 --> 00:26:53,320 around, trying to get more information," and we 543 00:26:53,445 --> 00:26:54,988 just clamped it down. 544 00:26:55,113 --> 00:26:58,283 MARK: We sat down, and I think it was sort of a wakeup call 545 00:26:58,366 --> 00:26:59,701 for Ken Holland. 546 00:26:59,784 --> 00:27:01,953 Here's his best player with his new job, and like, 547 00:27:02,037 --> 00:27:04,122 we really don't have an exact timeline. 548 00:27:04,205 --> 00:27:09,002 (♪♪♪) 549 00:27:09,127 --> 00:27:09,544 CONNOR: How are you? 550 00:27:11,254 --> 00:27:13,214 JEFF: Mark Lindsay, he had a very structured plan that was 551 00:27:13,298 --> 00:27:16,468 progressive, and again, back to the imaging, that was the 552 00:27:16,551 --> 00:27:18,970 huge difference in this thing. 553 00:27:19,054 --> 00:27:23,892 We did ultrasounds and MRI imaging every 2-3 weeks. 554 00:27:23,975 --> 00:27:26,144 And you could actual see what was going on in the knee and 555 00:27:26,227 --> 00:27:29,272 then he would adjust the rehab. 556 00:27:29,356 --> 00:27:31,483 DR MASCIA: So, this multi-team approach, 557 00:27:31,608 --> 00:27:34,194 my part as a radiologist or as a 558 00:27:34,319 --> 00:27:37,822 sports medicine imager is we would image on a regular 559 00:27:37,906 --> 00:27:40,659 basis, either MRI or ultrasound. 560 00:27:40,784 --> 00:27:43,703 The imaging was as kind of little markers to say 561 00:27:43,828 --> 00:27:46,623 "Okay, we're doing well, let's continue this path, maybe not, 562 00:27:46,706 --> 00:27:50,960 let's back off this," so it's very finely tuned. 563 00:27:51,044 --> 00:27:52,879 CONNOR: I'm in this monstrous brace. 564 00:27:53,004 --> 00:27:55,173 You know, this brace went from probably here down to 565 00:27:55,298 --> 00:27:57,842 just above my ankle. 566 00:27:57,926 --> 00:27:59,511 I would go in. 567 00:27:59,594 --> 00:28:02,555 they would say okay, 568 00:28:02,681 --> 00:28:04,349 looking better, no surgery. 569 00:28:04,474 --> 00:28:05,850 What's the next steps? 570 00:28:05,975 --> 00:28:07,936 We would do the next steps, come back four weeks later. 571 00:28:08,019 --> 00:28:09,604 Another MRI. 572 00:28:09,688 --> 00:28:12,107 Is it good enough to continue with the rehab, or 573 00:28:12,190 --> 00:28:13,733 should we do the surgery? 574 00:28:13,858 --> 00:28:15,652 And there was a lot of times when we'd be sitting in that 575 00:28:15,735 --> 00:28:19,364 office, me, Dr. Mascia and Dr. Lindsay and they'd be 576 00:28:19,447 --> 00:28:23,368 like "Well, do we do the surgery or not? " 577 00:28:23,451 --> 00:28:25,537 DR MASCIA: This is the back of the knee. 578 00:28:25,662 --> 00:28:28,873 Here we see this mush here, all this white. 579 00:28:28,957 --> 00:28:31,501 This is the ligament, the two ends of the PCL which are 580 00:28:31,584 --> 00:28:33,211 shredded and kind of dangling like that. 581 00:28:33,336 --> 00:28:37,799 (♪♪♪) 582 00:28:37,882 --> 00:28:40,176 KELLY: I remember ever time he had an MRI appointment, 583 00:28:40,260 --> 00:28:42,220 you know, it was always like "When did you say the 584 00:28:42,345 --> 00:28:43,221 MRI appointment is? 585 00:28:43,346 --> 00:28:44,723 What time is it at? 586 00:28:44,848 --> 00:28:45,890 Okay, call me right after. " 587 00:28:46,015 --> 00:28:48,685 You know, so we were always sort of on pins and 588 00:28:48,768 --> 00:28:51,396 needles waiting for the results of each MRI I think. 589 00:28:51,479 --> 00:28:53,857 DR MASCIA: The more pliable it is, the more sound waves 590 00:28:53,940 --> 00:28:55,066 get absorbed. 591 00:28:55,191 --> 00:28:56,901 GARY: Is that the right side that you've already done? 592 00:28:56,985 --> 00:28:58,445 You already did the right side? 593 00:28:58,570 --> 00:29:00,488 DR MASCIA: We're just doing the films. 594 00:29:00,572 --> 00:29:02,741 GARY: I had doubts initially. 595 00:29:02,824 --> 00:29:05,368 Process seemed a little slow initially. 596 00:29:05,452 --> 00:29:10,665 We knew if he had surgery it was gonna be a 10 month rehab. 597 00:29:10,749 --> 00:29:14,586 Obviously the fear was that we would go along this road to 598 00:29:14,669 --> 00:29:19,674 August, September, and it wasn't healing, it wasn't 599 00:29:19,758 --> 00:29:21,718 coming together, and initially, eventually he would 600 00:29:21,801 --> 00:29:23,428 have to have surgery. 601 00:29:23,511 --> 00:29:26,347 CONNOR: You know, we were in July and we were still saying 602 00:29:26,431 --> 00:29:27,390 should we do the surgery? 603 00:29:27,474 --> 00:29:28,892 You know? 604 00:29:28,975 --> 00:29:30,393 So it always kept coming back, you know? 605 00:29:30,477 --> 00:29:32,771 It's healing, but is it healing enough? 606 00:29:32,854 --> 00:29:36,274 Is it, is it, is it ever gonna cross? 607 00:29:36,399 --> 00:29:38,818 Because sometimes it can line up, but it's never gonna 608 00:29:38,943 --> 00:29:42,614 cross, the gap's too big, it can't cross. 609 00:29:42,739 --> 00:29:44,908 KEN: Well I would say to you, first off, my fears going 610 00:29:44,991 --> 00:29:52,248 there is you know...you know, how severe the injury is and 611 00:29:52,332 --> 00:29:56,044 how long is he going to be out, and you know, is it gonna 612 00:29:56,127 --> 00:30:00,465 be significantly longer? 613 00:30:00,590 --> 00:30:01,341 WOMAN: Hey, how are you? 614 00:30:01,466 --> 00:30:02,133 MAN: How are you? 615 00:30:02,217 --> 00:30:04,803 WOMAN: Good, good. 616 00:30:04,886 --> 00:30:06,679 JEFF: I went to the hospital when we did the imaging 617 00:30:06,805 --> 00:30:08,515 every time that he had it. 618 00:30:08,640 --> 00:30:12,268 There was a point there was a point where before we saw the 619 00:30:12,352 --> 00:30:14,813 results, it was one of those, if it's not reconnecting 620 00:30:14,938 --> 00:30:19,108 today, the PCL, the fibers, we might have to think 621 00:30:19,192 --> 00:30:20,443 about surgery. 622 00:30:20,527 --> 00:30:23,279 And he was extremely nervous that day. 623 00:30:23,363 --> 00:30:25,365 WOMAN: I think you're going to be going just now, and then 624 00:30:25,490 --> 00:30:27,116 the ultrasound after. 625 00:30:27,200 --> 00:30:29,369 Hold on. 626 00:30:29,494 --> 00:30:43,132 (♪♪♪) 627 00:30:43,216 --> 00:30:44,759 JEFF: Lo and behold that day you could see the fibers 628 00:30:44,843 --> 00:30:45,969 had started to cross. 629 00:30:46,052 --> 00:30:49,347 They said, like, "It's starting to heal," 630 00:30:49,430 --> 00:30:55,311 And at that point Connor, Connor just, you could see the relief. 631 00:30:55,395 --> 00:30:59,440 CONNOR: That's a straight line, and here, it's better. 632 00:30:59,524 --> 00:31:03,194 The meniscus is still a little white, but it's good. 633 00:31:03,278 --> 00:31:06,865 MARK: So once we got past the first six weeks, we were 634 00:31:06,990 --> 00:31:11,202 seeing the fibres were attaching, and then the bone 635 00:31:11,327 --> 00:31:12,704 fully healed. 636 00:31:12,829 --> 00:31:14,414 CONNOR: But that looks good, no? 637 00:31:14,539 --> 00:31:15,206 Better. 638 00:31:15,290 --> 00:31:15,707 JEFF: Yeah. 639 00:31:15,790 --> 00:31:19,043 (♪♪♪) 640 00:31:19,168 --> 00:31:22,046 CONNOR: Third MRI, the fibers started to cross. 641 00:31:22,130 --> 00:31:23,798 Now let's start loading it a little bit. 642 00:31:23,882 --> 00:31:27,176 And then, you know, and that's where the pool comes in. 643 00:31:27,260 --> 00:31:29,804 I mean, I spent so many hours in that pool, 644 00:31:29,888 --> 00:31:31,681 it was ridiculous. 645 00:31:31,764 --> 00:31:35,518 (♪♪♪) 646 00:31:35,602 --> 00:31:37,395 CONNOR: We tried light jumping, all with the brace 647 00:31:37,478 --> 00:31:38,479 on, still. 648 00:31:38,563 --> 00:31:39,480 Just see how it reacted. 649 00:31:39,564 --> 00:31:41,024 Then we'd MRI it again. 650 00:31:41,107 --> 00:31:43,401 (♪♪♪) 651 00:31:43,526 --> 00:31:45,361 GARY: That was something that our team had to manage every 652 00:31:45,445 --> 00:31:48,656 day was the level of stress and the anxiety that he was 653 00:31:48,740 --> 00:31:50,742 feeling, you know, when somebody tells you that, 654 00:31:50,825 --> 00:31:53,244 you know, if you don't have surgery, your career's in 655 00:31:53,369 --> 00:31:57,206 jeopardy at 22 years old, you can imagine the extreme 656 00:31:57,290 --> 00:32:01,419 anxiety and emotional stress that comes with that. 657 00:32:01,502 --> 00:32:02,921 GARY: How are you, buddy? 658 00:32:03,046 --> 00:32:05,632 I'm just gonna say these gowns make these guys look so old, eh? 659 00:32:05,757 --> 00:32:08,259 WOMAN: He's not coming back through. 660 00:32:08,343 --> 00:32:10,929 LARUEN: He put many hours into it and dedicated a lot of his 661 00:32:11,054 --> 00:32:12,764 time and a lot of his summer. 662 00:32:12,889 --> 00:32:15,350 It was hard, but worthwhile. 663 00:32:15,433 --> 00:32:17,560 (♪♪♪) 664 00:32:17,644 --> 00:32:20,897 MARK: He's in the water with a flotation suit on, and he's 665 00:32:20,980 --> 00:32:25,526 doing drills in the water, but up to throat, chest deep, 666 00:32:25,610 --> 00:32:30,990 so he's between 5-10% body weight, and then we use the 667 00:32:31,115 --> 00:32:34,535 imaging then to see how, what the response was of the 668 00:32:34,619 --> 00:32:39,123 tissue, and then we would change our bias of the loading 669 00:32:39,248 --> 00:32:44,295 from the imaging and from, daily diagnostics on it. 670 00:32:44,420 --> 00:32:46,839 LISA: I was sent the video of his injury, and the injury 671 00:32:46,965 --> 00:32:49,258 looked pretty devastating. 672 00:32:49,342 --> 00:32:51,594 And I figured I'd have to meet him, see what 673 00:32:51,678 --> 00:32:52,929 the situation was. 674 00:32:53,012 --> 00:32:55,556 I do know Mark wanted an unconventional treatment plan, 675 00:32:55,640 --> 00:32:58,643 meaning he did not want him to be immobile for four months 676 00:32:58,768 --> 00:33:00,895 and then start rehab. 677 00:33:00,979 --> 00:33:04,983 LISA: Good, and turn the thumbs down. 678 00:33:05,066 --> 00:33:06,859 MARK: So when you're rehabbing a tendon or a ligament, it's 679 00:33:06,985 --> 00:33:08,987 a little bit different than just rehabbing a muscle. 680 00:33:09,070 --> 00:33:11,447 So there's a certain amount of stiffness that you're trying 681 00:33:11,531 --> 00:33:13,658 to reestablish in that tendon. 682 00:33:13,741 --> 00:33:18,371 ADRIAN: Every exercise has a set requirement to progress 683 00:33:18,496 --> 00:33:19,747 to the next one. 684 00:33:19,831 --> 00:33:22,083 Can he do 10 single leg squats in the pool? 685 00:33:22,166 --> 00:33:23,167 Okay, great. 686 00:33:23,292 --> 00:33:25,420 Now he can do 10 single leg squats with weight 687 00:33:25,503 --> 00:33:27,171 in the pool. 688 00:33:27,296 --> 00:33:31,342 LISA: Mark saw through Connor's this is a great 689 00:33:31,467 --> 00:33:34,178 opportunity to work on all aspects on his training that 690 00:33:34,303 --> 00:33:37,015 had been lacking up to that point, and probably wouldn't 691 00:33:37,098 --> 00:33:40,101 have been noticed unless he had the injury, so it was 692 00:33:40,184 --> 00:33:43,021 Mark's idea to bring me in at that point and not just 693 00:33:43,104 --> 00:33:45,189 work with the knee, again, pelvic floor, core movement, 694 00:33:45,314 --> 00:33:47,483 rotational movement from the hip to the knee to the ankle, 695 00:33:47,567 --> 00:33:50,028 how is the body integrated. 696 00:33:50,153 --> 00:33:51,529 MARK: So we're not just looking at his knee, 697 00:33:51,612 --> 00:33:53,781 we're training around the knee, we're training his spine, 698 00:33:53,865 --> 00:33:55,366 we're training his pelvis. 699 00:33:55,450 --> 00:33:58,619 And then that transitions onto the ice so he's stable 700 00:33:58,703 --> 00:34:01,414 in his motions on the ice. 701 00:34:01,539 --> 00:34:04,500 You're walking a tightrope between doing too much and 702 00:34:04,584 --> 00:34:07,628 irritating those early fibers that are attaching, not doing 703 00:34:07,712 --> 00:34:10,381 enough, so you're not getting an attachment, so this 704 00:34:10,506 --> 00:34:12,925 is where you have to have the right people around you and 705 00:34:13,051 --> 00:34:16,637 the right backgrounds in order to do it. 706 00:34:16,721 --> 00:34:18,681 LAWSON: So in collaboration with all of those things, 707 00:34:18,765 --> 00:34:21,559 we look and say okay, well this is what I'm doing, this is 708 00:34:21,684 --> 00:34:24,103 what else is being done out there, and just making sure 709 00:34:24,228 --> 00:34:26,981 that one wasn't causing harm to the other, and that 710 00:34:27,065 --> 00:34:30,943 everybody was going at the right pace to help him. 711 00:34:31,402 --> 00:34:33,279 MARK: Doing this kind of rehab, there's a segmental 712 00:34:33,404 --> 00:34:37,116 context to it, muscle, but there's also the brain's 713 00:34:37,241 --> 00:34:40,161 interpretation of that movement of the muscle. 714 00:34:40,244 --> 00:34:43,956 So you're creating a new map, if you will, in the brain. 715 00:34:44,082 --> 00:34:46,876 It's like, the reason he's good is because he has an 716 00:34:46,959 --> 00:34:48,377 amazing GPS map. 717 00:34:48,461 --> 00:34:52,090 He knows exactly where his body is in space. 718 00:34:52,173 --> 00:34:55,760 So on two feet moving in space. 719 00:34:55,843 --> 00:34:59,555 And so when you have an injury at that magnitude, you have to 720 00:34:59,639 --> 00:35:02,600 reestablish that map. 721 00:35:02,725 --> 00:35:13,361 (♪♪♪) 722 00:35:14,612 --> 00:35:18,324 (♪♪♪) 723 00:35:18,449 --> 00:35:19,784 MARK: They didn't really want him to skate 'til September, 724 00:35:19,909 --> 00:35:23,079 and so I talked to him 725 00:35:23,162 --> 00:35:24,455 and I said "I think you should go out on the ice with 726 00:35:24,539 --> 00:35:26,666 your father, and just get on the ice and don't even think 727 00:35:26,791 --> 00:35:27,583 about it. 728 00:35:27,667 --> 00:35:29,627 Just move with your dad". 729 00:35:29,710 --> 00:35:32,547 CONNOR: The funny part is we were not supposed to skate 730 00:35:32,630 --> 00:35:35,967 until September. 731 00:35:36,092 --> 00:35:39,137 So it was just me and Dr Lindsay that decided to go 732 00:35:39,220 --> 00:35:42,098 skate, and my dad came out with me. 733 00:35:42,181 --> 00:35:44,433 BRIAN: Watching him get dressed and slip that brace 734 00:35:44,517 --> 00:35:47,687 over his leg and that was hard for me to see. 735 00:35:47,812 --> 00:35:51,357 (♪♪♪) 736 00:35:51,482 --> 00:35:55,611 BRIAN: Because you know there's something wrong, but 737 00:35:55,695 --> 00:35:58,489 you know, he put his shin pads on and we just got dressed 738 00:35:58,614 --> 00:36:00,449 and we went out on the ice. 739 00:36:00,533 --> 00:36:01,659 CONNOR: It was something that I'll never forget. 740 00:36:01,742 --> 00:36:04,328 I didn't really know what it was gonna feel like, 741 00:36:04,412 --> 00:36:06,247 and I didn't know if it was gonna hurt. 742 00:36:06,330 --> 00:36:08,666 I didn't know if it was gonna, you know, I had the big 743 00:36:08,791 --> 00:36:11,919 brace on, so it wasn't gonna give out, but I don't know 744 00:36:12,003 --> 00:36:13,296 what it's gonna feel like. 745 00:36:13,379 --> 00:36:17,425 MARK: That was really a pivot point I think in the whole 746 00:36:17,508 --> 00:36:22,263 Summer, because at that moment he wasn't injured for a 747 00:36:22,346 --> 00:36:27,476 moment, he was just out there with his father. 748 00:36:27,560 --> 00:36:28,561 And he totally changed emotionally from that day. 749 00:36:28,686 --> 00:36:31,689 (♪♪♪) 750 00:36:31,814 --> 00:36:34,150 CONNOR: And then I get out there and it feels great. 751 00:36:34,233 --> 00:36:36,527 MAN: How good does that feel? 752 00:36:36,652 --> 00:36:38,779 CONNOR: Mark Lindsay's like, "Okay, don't do any 753 00:36:38,863 --> 00:36:40,364 stopping, don't do anything risky." 754 00:36:40,448 --> 00:36:49,123 (♪♪♪) 755 00:36:49,207 --> 00:36:50,541 CONNOR: And in my mind I'm like, I gotta get ready 756 00:36:50,666 --> 00:36:51,459 for opening day. 757 00:36:53,794 --> 00:36:55,630 I always do. 758 00:36:55,713 --> 00:37:04,639 (♪♪♪) 759 00:37:04,722 --> 00:37:06,682 CONNOR: Yeah, it was great. 760 00:37:06,766 --> 00:37:09,560 MARK: You could just see that his face changed. 761 00:37:09,685 --> 00:37:14,482 He started to smile and he started to laugh, and that was 762 00:37:14,565 --> 00:37:17,235 a really big moment. 763 00:37:17,318 --> 00:37:20,321 CONNOR: Just to know that even if this thing doesn't heal 764 00:37:20,404 --> 00:37:23,574 anymore, I'll wear this brace and I can still play. 765 00:37:23,658 --> 00:37:26,702 Obviously that wasn't the end goal, but it was still 766 00:37:26,786 --> 00:37:27,995 a special moment. 767 00:37:28,079 --> 00:37:34,001 (♪♪♪) 768 00:37:34,085 --> 00:37:36,337 MARK: And they would do it a couple times a week then once 769 00:37:36,420 --> 00:37:39,382 that first time he did it. 770 00:37:39,465 --> 00:37:40,883 KELLY: It was huge, yeah. 771 00:37:40,967 --> 00:37:43,135 BRIAN: I remember telling Kelly I was so excited just to 772 00:37:43,261 --> 00:37:44,011 be skating with him again. 773 00:37:44,095 --> 00:37:47,515 It was cool. 774 00:37:48,015 --> 00:37:49,433 GARY: He was skating, believe me, initially in the summer 775 00:37:49,517 --> 00:37:52,395 he wanted to skate, and was pushing to skate. 776 00:37:52,478 --> 00:37:55,940 I was crossing my fingers every day he went on the ice, 777 00:37:56,023 --> 00:38:00,444 and he'd be doing a drill out there that I thought was, you 778 00:38:00,569 --> 00:38:03,197 know, too excessive for where he was at, and I'd be standing 779 00:38:03,281 --> 00:38:06,701 on the boards looking at him going...no. 780 00:38:06,784 --> 00:38:08,202 (laughing) 781 00:38:08,911 --> 00:38:13,749 (puck clattering) 782 00:38:13,833 --> 00:38:17,920 KEN: The question certainly was on my mind. 783 00:38:18,004 --> 00:38:20,631 On one hand the athlete can come back. 784 00:38:20,756 --> 00:38:25,428 But where's the athlete in relation to where his 785 00:38:25,511 --> 00:38:28,389 performance had been in the past? 786 00:38:28,472 --> 00:38:30,641 CONNOR: It's one thing to be out there playing the game, 787 00:38:30,725 --> 00:38:34,145 but it's another to, you know, be doing it at a 788 00:38:34,228 --> 00:38:37,857 high level and at that I think I'm capable of. 789 00:38:37,982 --> 00:38:42,486 MARK: We started skating him with no brace, and so he would 790 00:38:42,611 --> 00:38:45,323 do hockey skating in the morning, and then he would 791 00:38:45,406 --> 00:38:49,452 do Tracy Wilson's, for edging. 792 00:38:49,535 --> 00:38:52,496 So what I mean by edging is his position on his skates 793 00:38:52,580 --> 00:38:57,877 in different transitions of movement. 794 00:38:58,794 --> 00:39:00,838 TRACY: I think it's really important that you put the 795 00:39:00,963 --> 00:39:03,674 athlete through a whole bunch of different movement so they 796 00:39:03,799 --> 00:39:07,595 gain that confidence, because it's always in the back of 797 00:39:07,678 --> 00:39:10,139 your mind when you undergo that kind of an injury with 798 00:39:10,222 --> 00:39:11,474 that kind of a pain. 799 00:39:11,557 --> 00:39:14,894 Any athlete is going to have that lack of confidence, 800 00:39:15,019 --> 00:39:17,730 and you want to eliminate that. 801 00:39:17,855 --> 00:39:20,900 You can't put your finger on one thing with Connor, because 802 00:39:21,025 --> 00:39:22,276 it isn't one thing. 803 00:39:22,360 --> 00:39:26,697 Physically he's a force, and his athleticism, but also 804 00:39:26,781 --> 00:39:31,035 his mindset and intensity, and he is a student. 805 00:39:31,535 --> 00:39:33,954 MARK: He was getting better and better with Tracy's 806 00:39:34,038 --> 00:39:36,207 edging and transitioning of movements. 807 00:39:36,290 --> 00:39:40,586 No pain, like really dramatic improvement, and I think 808 00:39:40,711 --> 00:39:43,923 that's where really it all started to come together then. 809 00:39:44,048 --> 00:39:46,842 (♪♪♪) 810 00:39:46,926 --> 00:39:49,053 KEN: Twice a week I'm getting video tapes sent to me from 811 00:39:49,136 --> 00:39:51,972 Mark Lindsay with Connor on the ice skating and they're 812 00:39:52,056 --> 00:39:53,391 taking pictures of him. 813 00:39:53,516 --> 00:39:55,393 They're taking, showing me pictures of him in the gym. 814 00:39:55,476 --> 00:39:58,896 Dr. Lindsay's talking about opening 815 00:39:59,021 --> 00:40:02,900 night's a possibility. 816 00:40:03,484 --> 00:40:04,527 LAWSON: I looked at my calendar and I said 817 00:40:04,610 --> 00:40:05,236 "Training camp?" 818 00:40:05,319 --> 00:40:06,404 and he said "Yep." 819 00:40:06,529 --> 00:40:08,072 And I said "okay, we've got work to do." 820 00:40:08,155 --> 00:40:39,353 (♪♪♪) 821 00:40:40,855 --> 00:40:42,606 CONNOR: Just focusing on my rehab and on the 822 00:40:42,690 --> 00:40:44,024 injury itself. 823 00:40:44,108 --> 00:40:45,943 It's tough to focus on anything else. 824 00:40:46,026 --> 00:40:48,362 It's coming back together and everything like that, but 825 00:40:48,446 --> 00:40:50,531 ultimately, you know, you don't want to come back too 826 00:40:50,614 --> 00:40:54,285 early and make sure that it's fully healed and you're not 827 00:40:54,368 --> 00:40:55,619 gonna get hurt again. 828 00:40:55,744 --> 00:40:57,788 KEN: Certainly when the Biosteel there's lots of 829 00:40:57,913 --> 00:41:00,040 questions and media are calling and they're starting 830 00:41:00,124 --> 00:41:03,043 to, then rumours start and but certainly internally there was 831 00:41:03,127 --> 00:41:05,671 a real comfort level. 832 00:41:05,796 --> 00:41:17,266 (♪♪♪) 833 00:41:17,349 --> 00:41:18,934 CONNOR: You know, you want to be healthy. 834 00:41:19,018 --> 00:41:20,144 I hate missing games, and so I was doing everything I could, 835 00:41:23,647 --> 00:41:26,984 make sure that that didn't have to happen. 836 00:41:27,067 --> 00:41:30,154 We say the ultimate goal is to win a championship, 837 00:41:30,237 --> 00:41:33,157 and obviously that's what I'm trying to do. 838 00:41:33,282 --> 00:41:36,619 Yeah, that's the main goal. 839 00:41:36,702 --> 00:41:39,914 DAVE: The biggest thing for me were the doctors finally 840 00:41:39,997 --> 00:41:43,834 getting comfortable with him pushing a little bit, and 841 00:41:43,959 --> 00:41:46,003 Connor getting on the ice and getting comfortable, and the 842 00:41:46,086 --> 00:41:49,048 more he was around his teammates, the more things 843 00:41:49,173 --> 00:41:52,510 he felt comfortable doing out there. 844 00:41:52,593 --> 00:41:55,554 DAVE: Really fight that center. 845 00:41:55,679 --> 00:41:57,181 You're way back, way back, way back. 846 00:41:57,306 --> 00:42:01,143 DAVE: When he first came, we were talking, I said "How many 847 00:42:01,227 --> 00:42:03,020 exhibition games you want?" 848 00:42:03,103 --> 00:42:03,896 He says "Seven." 849 00:42:04,021 --> 00:42:05,147 (laughing) 850 00:42:05,231 --> 00:42:06,357 We had seven. 851 00:42:06,482 --> 00:42:08,359 I said, "well, most veterans play four." 852 00:42:08,484 --> 00:42:11,070 "I gotta get going." 853 00:42:11,195 --> 00:42:15,074 (skates scraping) 854 00:42:15,199 --> 00:42:16,867 BOB: It was tough, because Connor wanted to play, 855 00:42:16,992 --> 00:42:18,118 you know? 856 00:42:18,202 --> 00:42:20,371 Connor wanted to get in and play the exhibition game. 857 00:42:20,454 --> 00:42:24,291 (♪♪♪) 858 00:42:24,375 --> 00:42:29,129 MIKE: I was just in awe of how fast this kid bounced back from 859 00:42:29,213 --> 00:42:31,215 a career-threatening injury. 860 00:42:31,298 --> 00:42:35,219 And how impressive the time he put in and the way his body 861 00:42:35,302 --> 00:42:38,681 responded was unlike anything I've ever seen. 862 00:42:38,764 --> 00:42:41,976 (♪♪♪) 863 00:42:42,059 --> 00:42:43,519 CONNOR: Yeah, I got two pre-season games in, 864 00:42:43,602 --> 00:42:46,230 and didn't feel that good at all. 865 00:42:46,313 --> 00:43:00,911 (♪♪♪) 866 00:43:00,995 --> 00:43:03,247 CONNOR: Like my first game all over again. 867 00:43:03,372 --> 00:43:05,749 I was nervous. 868 00:43:05,833 --> 00:43:09,420 (♪♪♪) 869 00:43:09,503 --> 00:43:14,258 CONNOR: I prepared, rehab wise, a ton. 870 00:43:14,341 --> 00:43:18,429 On ice wise was probably the least prepared I've ever been 871 00:43:18,554 --> 00:43:19,388 for an opening night. 872 00:43:19,471 --> 00:43:23,267 (♪♪♪) 873 00:43:23,350 --> 00:43:25,436 CONNOR: There's lots of questions about my own game. 874 00:43:25,519 --> 00:43:28,564 (♪♪♪) 875 00:43:28,647 --> 00:43:30,024 CONNOW: How am I gonna feel? 876 00:43:30,107 --> 00:43:31,984 How am I gonna play? 877 00:43:32,109 --> 00:43:36,822 (♪♪♪) 878 00:43:36,947 --> 00:43:40,993 KEN: Seeing him on opening night was, to have lived it 879 00:43:41,118 --> 00:43:46,123 from May 6 to October, to see where we had gone over the 880 00:43:46,248 --> 00:43:51,295 course of five months, really for me was incredible. 881 00:43:51,378 --> 00:44:02,765 (♪♪♪) 882 00:44:02,848 --> 00:44:04,475 ANNOUNCER: Picked up again by McDavid, straight up 883 00:44:04,558 --> 00:44:06,435 the middle, it's in, scores! 884 00:44:06,518 --> 00:44:08,646 What a goal! 885 00:44:08,729 --> 00:44:09,813 BRIAN: It was relief. 886 00:44:09,938 --> 00:44:12,316 I got pretty emotional actually when he scored. 887 00:44:12,399 --> 00:44:13,317 KELLY: So happy. 888 00:44:13,442 --> 00:44:15,861 Just so much excitement. 889 00:44:15,986 --> 00:44:17,154 BRIAN: Oh yes, you have no idea. 890 00:44:17,237 --> 00:44:18,656 You could see the relief coming out of him too with 891 00:44:18,739 --> 00:44:19,990 his reaction after he scored. 892 00:44:20,115 --> 00:44:23,702 If you watch, like he's, you know, he gets excited, and he 893 00:44:23,827 --> 00:44:26,288 reacts when he scores, but there was a different level 894 00:44:26,372 --> 00:44:30,042 in that one, you could tell. 895 00:44:30,167 --> 00:44:33,879 BOB: He's back, and Kenny goes "Wow, this is special." 896 00:44:34,004 --> 00:44:35,172 I say "Hey, wait. 897 00:44:35,255 --> 00:44:38,342 There's a lot more games coming." 898 00:44:38,425 --> 00:44:40,344 ANNOUNCER: Down the ice, and look at McDavid going after 899 00:44:40,427 --> 00:44:44,682 that area pass, what a change, what a goal! 900 00:44:44,807 --> 00:44:46,517 In front of McDavid, scores! 901 00:44:46,600 --> 00:44:50,854 Here's McDavid alone, scores! 902 00:44:50,979 --> 00:44:55,275 GARY: There's nobody that has done what Connor has done to 903 00:44:55,359 --> 00:44:59,988 rehabilitate himself back from a serious knee injury 904 00:45:00,072 --> 00:45:02,616 in that period of time. 905 00:45:02,700 --> 00:45:03,992 ANNOUNCER: Zips across the blue line, and with a shot 906 00:45:04,076 --> 00:45:05,953 he scores. 907 00:45:06,036 --> 00:45:08,872 Down the midline to present, here's McDavid, scores! 908 00:45:08,956 --> 00:45:11,041 It's answer time for the Oilers. 909 00:45:11,125 --> 00:45:13,794 MAN: It's incredible that not only did he will himself back, 910 00:45:13,877 --> 00:45:16,046 he willed himself back before the majority of people thought 911 00:45:16,130 --> 00:45:17,381 he would be back. 912 00:45:17,464 --> 00:45:22,219 (♪♪♪) 913 00:45:22,302 --> 00:45:23,887 ZACK: I don't think people realize all the work that he 914 00:45:24,012 --> 00:45:28,100 put into to not miss much time with the injury he had, 915 00:45:28,225 --> 00:45:31,103 so it just shows the type of character and determination 916 00:45:31,228 --> 00:45:32,020 that he had. 917 00:45:32,104 --> 00:45:40,070 (♪♪♪) 918 00:45:40,154 --> 00:45:40,571 MARK: Oh, absolutely. 919 00:45:41,905 --> 00:45:44,575 MAN: He's not a normal person, obviously. 920 00:45:44,658 --> 00:45:47,035 The difference in this rehab is he injured not just a 921 00:45:47,119 --> 00:45:50,914 ligament but, you know, all the tissues, and no one 922 00:45:51,039 --> 00:45:55,043 has really seen the PCL reattach to this level. 923 00:45:55,127 --> 00:45:57,755 (♪♪♪) 924 00:45:57,880 --> 00:46:00,007 ANNOUNCER: McDavid, McDavid drives his way, and here 925 00:46:00,090 --> 00:46:01,216 is Connor McDavid! 926 00:46:01,300 --> 00:46:03,010 Upstairs, what a goal! 927 00:46:03,093 --> 00:46:05,179 Wow. 928 00:46:05,262 --> 00:46:09,975 (♪♪♪) 929 00:46:10,100 --> 00:46:13,020 CONNOR: To think that if I'd done the surgery I'd for sure 930 00:46:13,103 --> 00:46:16,106 wouldn't be playing right now, it was a question whether or 931 00:46:16,231 --> 00:46:18,442 not I'd play before the new year, whether or not I'd 932 00:46:18,567 --> 00:46:19,860 play this year at all. 933 00:46:19,943 --> 00:46:22,988 In fact, I've been able to play 30 games and been able to 934 00:46:23,113 --> 00:46:26,950 play at a fairly high level and the team is doing well. 935 00:46:27,075 --> 00:46:29,077 I definitely feel very lucky and I'm excited for 936 00:46:29,161 --> 00:46:30,370 what's ahead. 937 00:46:30,454 --> 00:46:33,332 ANNOUNCER: McDavid, what a move! 938 00:46:33,457 --> 00:46:34,541 What a play! 939 00:46:34,625 --> 00:46:35,959 What a goal! 940 00:46:36,043 --> 00:46:37,461 (♪♪♪) 941 00:46:37,586 --> 00:46:40,214 ANNOUNCER: Connor McDavid! 942 00:46:40,297 --> 00:46:41,548 (♪♪♪) 943 00:46:41,632 --> 00:46:43,217 ♪ I'm going to another level. 944 00:46:43,300 --> 00:46:48,472 (♪♪♪) 945 00:46:48,555 --> 00:46:51,850 ♪ To another level. 946 00:46:51,975 --> 00:46:53,435 ♪ Let's go, let's go, let's go. ♪ 947 00:46:53,519 --> 00:46:56,146 CONNOR: Very lucky I have the group around me that I do. 948 00:46:56,230 --> 00:46:58,649 Definitely wouldn't be sitting here in this position 949 00:46:58,732 --> 00:46:59,983 without them. 950 00:47:00,067 --> 00:47:01,568 (♪♪♪) 951 00:47:01,652 --> 00:47:04,196 (♪♪♪)