Being born in Ontario, you can hardly keep yourself away from the towering presence of the Edmonton Oilers. And that’s exactly how the childhood of Sam Bennett was: full of the Oilers. Later, playing for the Calgary Flames, we’d wager that the influence only grew. And now, as the hockey center preps for the third straight Stanley Cup Finals, he will again have an Oilers connection shadow hovering overhead.
Sam Bennett and Edmonton’s Connor McDavid were teammates during their Simcoe-York and Toronto Marlboros days. “He’s always had an extra gear,” Bennett later recalled how he always knew, even then, that McDavid was destined for greatness. And now, as the two wait to cross paths on the grandest stage for the second time in two years, that old camaraderie has once again come to the forefront.
In a YouTube upload by the official NHL Network account from June 3, Bennett could be heard talking to E.J. Hradek about what it was like playing with McDavid with mini sticks. “We were just kids, really, playing hockey, playing the game we love,” Sam said with candor. He went on to say how the two had a great link-up that always benefited their hockey.
“He was, or I was, on his line every single game. So there was a lot of me sitting back door and him setting me up,” Bennett said further on how McDavid’s assist skills were already top notch even while playing in the youth league.
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The post Sam Bennett Recalls Old Friendship With Connor McDavid Ahead of Stanley Cup Finals Battle: “Lot of Me Sitting Back Door” appeared first on EssentiallySports.
