There is little left for Connor McDavid to prove.
At 28, he has won the Hart Trophy for the NHL’s most valuable player three times, taken home five scoring titles and established himself as the successor to Sidney Crosby as the game’s best player.
Still, his résumé lacks the accolade which matters most: A Stanley Cup.
After falling short last year in an agonizing defeat at the hands of the Florida Panthers in Game 7, McDavid and the Oilers are back again to face the Panthers for a chance at redemption.
A superstar’s quest for a championship is a quintessential sports storyline. The question of “Can they win the big one?” seems to always loom large for the biggest stars, only to dissipate without a trace after consummation.
LeBron James was the subject of ridicule for years leading up to his first championship — jokes about his inability to secure a ring populated the first iteration of NBA meme culture. James won his first ring at age 28, the same age as McDavid now. Even Michael Jordan was once thought of as a scorer incapable of leading a team past the finish line prior to winning the first of his six titles at 27.
Though Gretzky won his first Stanley Cup at 23, he lost on his first attempt in 1983. Crosby became the youngest-ever captain to win a Stanley Cup at age 21, but he also lost in his first trip to the final the previous year.
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If McDavid follows in the footsteps of the greats before him and wins a Cup on his second attempt, bringing a title back to Canada for the first time since the 1993 Canadiens, his résumé will transform from impressive to bulletproof.
Should he successfully etch his name in the history books this year, could his collectibility skyrocket even further?
McDavid already is the leader in sales volume among active hockey players, with $3.2 million in his cards changing hands over the past year. The only hockey players to have cards sell for more than his top sale of $305,000 are Gretzky and Alexander Ovechkin.
Though Gretzky sits in another stratosphere when it comes to hockey collectibles, much like in the record books, it seems well within reason to think a title (or multiple) could propel McDavid even more solidly into the No. 2 position and closer to striking distance of the Great One, with collectors feeling more secure with his place in history.
Gretzky played in an era when a player’s top cards were straightforward. His 1979 Topps/O-Pee-Chee rookie card is the most coveted in the hockey world, with a top sale of $3.75 million. No other player has cleared $400,000.
But with what should be another decade of elite hockey ahead of him, during a time in which the hobby has never seen more money thrown around, and the benefit of various limited-edition cards such as RPAs and 1/1s in his portfolio, McDavid's market has plenty of room to grow.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.