As Connor McDavid has no choice but to sit on the bench for the next two, the Oilers’ first game without their captain didn’t go so well on January 21. The Oilers lost another game 3-2, this time against the Washington Capitals. Serving a three-match suspension for cross-checking Vancouver Canucks’ Conor Garland in the dying moment of the game, some say McDavid has only himself to blame. After all, a high cross-check is a serious infraction.

While the Edmonton Oilers star agrees with the sentiment, he also believes other factors played a role. The 28-year-old highlighted how the non-call from the referees led to the incident escalating. “Obviously, there’s lots of holding and holding down. He (Garland) holds my head down for a little bit,” said McDavid. He feels the referees had time to intervene.

Connor McDavid explained that a “blow of the whistle,” may have stopped the whole thing even before it happened. “But I understand that the refs have a hard job. With that being said, my job’s hard too. Everyone’s got a hard job. That’s why we’re in this business,” the three-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner said per the latest Edmonton Oilers blog. Yet, the NHL star never excused himself.

“I can’t have that reaction. I know that. Everyone knows that. It’s not a reaction that I’m proud of,” the Oilers star said while reflecting on his behavior on the ice. The forward explained his mentality ahead of the incident as the Oilers were down 3-2 against the Canucks in the final period. McDavid said that he was focused on trying to equalize the game.

However, when Garland’s infractions went unnoticed, leading to the Oilers losing a possible scoring opportunity, McDavid let his emotions get the better of him. The Edmonton Oilers coach also said something similar after the incident. “He’s frustrated because we’re down one goal and the best player in the league is getting held for 15 seconds,” said Kris Knoblauch. However, now that Connor McDavid is serving the suspension, he simply wants to put the debacle behind him.

Connor McDavid has already set new goals

As angry fans debated on the severity of the NHL Department of Player Safety’s decision, McDavid was setting new goals. While he planned to catch three games from the sidelines, there’s no reversing the NHL’s decision. So the star forward is focusing on training extra hard to get back on the ice sharper than ever. “I want to be here to get myself ready to roll when it’s time,” said McDavid.

The blog explained that Connor McDavid put in 80 extra minutes after his team had stopped practicing on the day of the interview. The 28-year-old is also looking to have a flawless string of matches before going into the NHL season break in February ahead of the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off.

McDavid will be part of the Canadian team that’ll face off against Finland, Sweden, and the United States. “I always feel that’s important. How you go into a break is important, and that’s my main focus here,” explained the Edmonton Oilers captain. And while McDavid will have to sit out more games before returning to the ice, he’ll have six games to play before the break. However, only time will tell if the three-time MVP can achieve his goal once he returns to the ice.