Perspective, Or Something

In case you’ve been living under a rock and weren’t aware, Connor McDavid got hurt last night. By all accounts it was a pretty innocent sequence of events (conspiracy theorists can disagree, but they’re wrong) where he fell into the boards more than he was pushed; if anyone is to blame, it’s probably the Rexall ice crew. Or Obama. Unfortunately McDavid broke his collarbone and is going to be out for ‘months’ according to Peter Chiarelli.

As with anything injury-related in the last few years, this brought widespread panic to the fanbase, and we learned just how many people are going to #prayforMcDavid. If you spent any time on Twitter last night (or this morning), you’ve probably seen what is amounting to insane overreaction regarding the status of the clavicle of an 18 year old. People are jumping off the bandwagon left and right, quitting hockey altogether, even wearing black armbands ‘in solidarity with McDavid’. I kid you not, that is a thing someone is doing:

@Archaeologuy I am sporting a black arm band in solidarity for Connor and Oil fans everywhere. #Clavicleshealquick pic.twitter.com/Oes8BwxG8V

— James Ward (@JimmySweet99) November 4, 2015

I texted a friend this morning and asked if the sky was still there. She said it was, but that “the ground is covered with the frozen tears of overly attached sports fans”. She’s not wrong.

The mass hysteria about this is a little alarming to me. There’s nothing we can do, but that obviously won’t stop us from panicking about it. In the words of Aaron Rodgers (after the Green Bay Packers went 1-2 in the first three games last year):

Don’t get me wrong. I know why this matters.

He’s the best player on the team by a country mile, and he’s amazing to watch in person and it sucks that the best player we’ve had since Gretzky is hurt.

I get it.

Those of us who have been fortunate to see him play live have been impressed with his speed and the way he doesn’t hesitate to get past defenders and how he seems to have his eyes on the whole ice surface and how he’s so fast he makes other fast skaters look like they’re standing still.

I get it.

He’s the skill player we’ve been waiting for, the one who’s going to carry the team on his back all the way to the Stanley Cup someday.

I. Get. It.

But I think we need to remember a few things. First, McDavid is a human being (who plays hockey exceptionally well), and sometimes human beings break bones doing things far less physically demanding than playing hockey. Second, McDavid was not going to single-handedly take us to the Stanley Cup Finals this year – he’s good, but he’s not THAT good. Third, and perhaps most important, McDavid broke his collarbone. He didn’t tear an ACL, or dislocate his shoulder, or rupture his Achilles tendon. It’s a fracture of a bone that is generally fairly easy to repair – it just takes time. And time, Oilers fans, is something we’ve had in spades. A couple more months probably won’t kill us.

And if you want some real perspective, take a look at this post from DownGoesBrown on the now-defunct Grantland, and tell me that a broken clavicle is really that big of a deal.

This isn’t Clint Malarchuk getting his throat slit open by an errant skate blade.

It’s not Trent McCleary blocking a Chris Therien slapshot with his throat, getting his larynx crushed and almost dying in the hospital.

It’s not Jiri Fischer or Rich Peverley having a heart attack on the bench.

It’s not Richard Zednik getting an Olli Jokinen skate to the throat.

It’s not Travis Roy crashing headfirst into the boards 11 seconds into his first shift at Boston University and being paralyzed from the neck down.

It’s a broken collarbone.

Time will heal this one, and McDavid will play again.

The sky’s still up there, guys. You’ve just got to wipe away those tears to see it.