On a cold January evening, during a highly anticipated NHL game, Edmonton Oilers’ captain Connor McDavid made a heartwarming gesture that left fans and viewers around the world deeply moved.

As McDavid was skating during warmups at Rogers Place, he noticed someone in the crowd—his former teacher, Mrs. Shaw. What happened next was nothing short of emotional.

McDavid, known for his extraordinary skills on the ice, has always been humble and down-to-earth, but this moment revealed his deep gratitude and appreciation for the people who helped shape him as both a player and a person. As soon as he spotted Mrs. Shaw, who had taught him during his early years in the minor leagues, McDavid stopped in his tracks. With a warm smile and a wave, he acknowledged her presence in the stands.

The camera quickly panned to Mrs. Shaw, who appeared visibly overwhelmed with emotion. Tears welled up in her eyes as she smiled and waved back. McDavid then pointed toward her and gave a thumbs-up, a simple yet powerful gesture that spoke volumes about the bond they shared.

Later, McDavid reflected on the moment in a post-game interview, explaining how significant Mrs. Shaw had been in his early development, not just as a hockey player, but also as a young man. “She believed in me when I was just starting out,” McDavid shared. “I’ll never forget the impact she had on my life.”

This beautiful exchange between McDavid and his teacher highlights the often-overlooked role educators play in shaping the lives of their students. For fans, it was a reminder that kindness, respect, and gratitude can go a long way, both on and off the ice.

Oilers Prove They Can Win When McDavid Is Not Producing

The Edmonton Oilers have been one of the best teams in the NHL over the last couple months, and they just keep on rolling. On Saturday (Jan. 11), Edmonton rallied from a two-goal deficit to defeat the host Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 at United Center. Forwards Adam Henrique, Zach Hyman, Corey Perry and Vasily Podkolzin scored for the Oilers.

Edmonton is now 5-1-0 in its last six games, and Oilers captain Connor McDavid has exactly three points total in those five wins. He has been held without a point in three of the Oilers’ last four wins. Those are astonishing stats, considering he has averaged more than 1.7 points per game over the past five years.

McDavid Is Averaging Fewer Points This Season

McDavid’s production is down overall this season. After Saturday, the superstar centre is now averaging less than 1.5 points per game and is on pace to finish the season with fewer than 120 points for the first time since the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 campaign.

These observations are not intended to be in criticism of McDavid. Even with a reduction in his goals and assists, he is still putting up numbers that all but a very few players could even dream of achieving. Rather, these observations are meant to demonstrate something of great importance for the Oilers: that they can win without McDavid having to play like a superhuman every game.

Many Oilers Are Stepping Up Lately

In Edmonton’s four victories since New Year’s Day, a dozen Oilers have totalled at least two points. That list includes the likes of Brett Kulak, Kasperi Kapanen, and Darnell Nurse, but not McDavid.

McDavid went pointless as the Oilers defeated the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 on Jan. 3 and beat the Seattle Kraken 4-2 on Jan. 4. It was the first time with McDavid in the lineup that the Oilers have won back-to-back games in which he did not record a point.

Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

On Saturday, the Oilers even managed to win a game without either McDavid or the league’s leading goal scorer, Leon Draisaitl, lighting the lamp. That’s happened on only three occasions in 2024-25, all since U.S. Thanksgiving.

When Edmonton stumbled out of the gate in October, starting the season with a 2-4-1 record, Draisaitl and McDavid accounted for nearly half of the team’s total goals over its first seven games. Now a lot more players are chipping in.

In just the last week, Henrique has doubled his season total from three to six goals, scoring three times, all in wins. Viktor Arvidsson has eight points in the last nine games, after being held pointless in 15 of his first 18 games as an Oiler. Podkolzin has 13 points in his last 23 games after starting the season with zero goals and three assists in Edmonton’s first 19 contests. Hyman began the season with three goals in 20 games before being sidelined with an injury, now he’s scored 11 times in 17 outings since returning.

Teamwide Contributions Propelled Playoff Run

Depth scoring was key for the Oilers in the 2023-24 regular season and then during their postseason run to Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. McDavid was brilliant during last year’s playoffs, racking up 42 points, the fourth-highest single-postseason total in NHL history, but he got a ton of help, and not just from the likes of Draisaitl and Hyman. From Henrique to Mattias Janmak to Connor Brown, and players no longer with Edmonton like Dylan Holloway and Ryan McLeod, nearly every Oiler had at least one pivotal goal last spring.

Without digging too deep into the dip in McDavid’s offensive output, it is fair to wonder why the most talented player on the planet, in his prime having just turned 28, has gone from scoring 64 goals in 2022-23 to just 48 goals in the last season and a half. His assists per game went up last season, but they too have now declined in 2024-25.

But as strange as it sounds, Oilers fans can actually draw positive feelings from McDavid’s reduced production. Edmonton has gone 20-6-2 in its last 28 games and boasts the best point percentage in the NHL over the last 10 weeks. Now just imagine what the Oilers are capable of if their captain cranks it up a couple notches. McDavid could flip that switch at any time, and he’ll have to if Edmonton is going to celebrate an NHL championship this year.