Ask Dubey: McDavid’s contract, favourite goalie gear, and best rink atmospheres

Hey guys, welcome back to another episode of Ask Dubey. We’re in the last few weeks of the dog days of summer. There’s not a lot going on, and everyone’s probably as excited as I am to get this season going and get training camp rolling. Looking forward to being back with you weekly, so make sure you keep your questions coming in.

“When will Connor McDavid sign?”

I don’t have a lot of inside information for you on this one. Connor will sign when Connor wants to sign. This is such a unique scenario. To have a player that is so obviously the best player on the planet, he’s in a position where he’s going to get whatever he wants for whatever term he wants.

Edmonton knows that. If he wants the max, he’s earned the max. He deserves every penny. It’s not selfish to take the max contract — that’s what he’s worth and what he’s earned. If he shaves something off, that’s up to him, but nobody should look at him differently if he takes the full amount.

There’s no deadline right now. He can come to camp unsigned. The Oilers are almost planning their future and structure around what his deal looks like. He’s the leader, the captain, the heart of the city. He’ll want to make sure there’s a plan in place so that if he commits long-term, he has the chance to win more Stanley Cups.

“Favourite goalie equipment company that no longer exists?”

A couple of answers. I loved the Coho Revolution pads when I was a kid. My first pair was basically street-hockey Felix Potvin pads with the cat claws on the bottom. He had one of the best setups around.

Heaton was another one I loved. Marty Brodeur always had incredible Heaton pads, and the way they worked the Devils logo in was so cool. Back then, you couldn’t do custom designs like you can now, so those pads became iconic.

Michel Lefebvre has had his hands on almost every goalie brand — Koho, CCM, True, and now Lefebvre. I love how custom gear is now. Designing pads every year felt like painting a helmet. Now kids can do the same with their own gear, which is awesome.

“What was it like to see yourself in a video game?”

It was super cool. I played NHL growing up. My rating wasn’t great in Edmonton, but we still keep NHL 18 or 19 on the console because I was a starter in that one with a pretty good rating.

My kids love it. Whenever their friends come over, it’s always Minnesota vs. Minnesota, and they both use me. Every time somebody scores, I break down my own goal and chirp myself. They think it’s hilarious.

Early on, not many people were picking me in the game, but later in my career in Minnesota, my ratings got better. That’s when my kids liked playing as me.

“Best rink atmosphere you played in?”

I never got to play in an Oilers playoff atmosphere. I’ve watched it in 2006 and the last couple of years, and nothing compares. Absolutely incredible.

For me personally, two stand out.

Chicago, early in my career, was unreal. That building holds over 23,000 people, and it just keeps going up and up. My first game there after the 2010 deadline, we had a ton of AHL call-ups, and they were honoring all their Olympic medalists. I stood on the blue line doing the math and realized they had as many Olympians as we had call-ups. We lost 5–2, got outshot 52–11, but it’s a game I’ll never forget.

Montreal was the other. Every game there is electric. The stands are steep, so it feels like the fans are right on top of you. It’s packed for warmup, no matter who the opponent is. Even a midweek game against Minnesota was absolutely buzzing. It’s just a unique, incredible atmosphere.

That’s it for this week. Keep your questions coming using the hashtag #AskDubey on social media or drop them in the comments below.

Watch the full episode on our YouTube channel