Two months with Connor McMichael

In a two-month span, the 20-year-old former Knights star spent a month in quarantine, won a silver medal with the Canadian Juniors, and made his NHL debut.

Connor McMichael in pre-tournament action against Russia. The 20-year-old earned a silver medal with Team Canada at this year’s World Juniors. (Photo: Matthew Murnaghan/Hockey Canada Images)

January 24th, 2021

His ‘rookie lap,’ the traditional solo tour of the ice before the national anthem to mark a player’s first NHL game, is unconventional. Empty arena, piped-in fan noise. But the live baritoned voice of announcer Wes Johnson is powerful as he bellows McMichael’s name. His teammates, too, shout from the tunnel, “Let’s go! Let’s go!” as coloured spotlights light up the ice. 

As 20-year-old former London Knight Connor McMichael hits the ice alone in his NHL debut, unable to contain his smile, he puts his first warmup shot – his signature wrister – off the crossbar. The arena comes alight, his teammates join him on the ice, and it’s official – McMichael is an NHLer. He finishes the night with 13 shifts, one shot on net, a minor penalty and 9:54 of ice time.

After the game, McMichael tells the reporters in the post-game press conference that he has worked hard for this moment. 

“I had a lot of nerves,” he says, “but I felt I had a good game.”

That same day, his mom, Catherine, tweets a picture of a younger McMichael dressed up in a Caps uniform and armour for Halloween – Alexander Ovechkin’s captain ‘C’ over his heart and a beaming smile from beneath his cage.

Flashback to November 26th, 2020

Team Canada’s World Junior Hockey Championship evaluation camp in Red Deer, Alberta, is in full swing. McMichael, a returning vet, is competing for the role as number one centre when two players test positive for COVID-19. After an intrasquad game is cancelled, the camp is halted indefinitely. Players, coaches and staff are all sent to their hotel rooms for a 14-day quarantine.

The rooms are bleak. Windows don’t open. Meals are delivered to rooms on carts and left in the hallways. Zoom workouts and video chats with current NHLers, and a few rock stars, fill their day. A Team Canada staffer somehow finds 60 stationary bikes in Red Deer – a city of barely 100,000 people – for their hotel rooms. Daily tests and regular temperature checks are the norm. Mental health experts are on-call. The players also chime in with solutions on how to survive the isolation. And poker, of course.

It’s a minor miracle the tournament went ahead, and that McMichael, wearing an ‘A,’ and his teammates would have a chance to defend gold. But before that opportunity, players and staff had to spend four more days in quarantine in their hotel before entering what to hockey fans is the word of the year – The Bubble. They hit the ice for their first practices on Dec. 18. McMichael and his comrades endured 18 days in solitary lockdown – a slightly twisted take on Groundhog Day.

McMichael and his teammates lose the gold medal game, 2-1, to the Americans, in what many call the most competitive gold medal game in the tournament’s recent history. He finishes the tournament 7th in scoring with four goals and four helpers. 

Arrival in Washington

After a quick day-trip home to Ajax, Ontario, to share his WJC silver medal with his family, McMichael heads to Washington to face another seven days in quarantine before joining his teammates. He spends the days skating on his own at the team’s Arlington, Virginia, home base while waiting for the Caps to end a road trip.

When he arrives in Washington, he’s greeted by armed National Guard troops and boarded up businesses near his downtown hotel as the entire city locks down in preparation for president-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony. The hotel room that he calls home is across the street from Capital One Arena, and just a few blocks from the capital lawn where Donald Trump held his now infamous rally before the storming of the Capital Building.

McMichael during his NHL debut with the Washington Capitals on Jan. 24. (Photo: Washington Capitals Photography)

All told, McMichael spends almost a month in isolated lockdown since the end of November.

“It was a lot,” he says a few days before making his NHL debut. “But honestly, I’m pretty excited. I mean, just being around the team and stuff like that, not every kid gets the opportunity to play in the NHL or be around the NHL, so I think it’s very cool and I’m really excited to play.”

And play he does. He gets the call to suit up for his first game on January 24th, when four Caps, including captain Alex Ovechkin, are sidelined under the league’s COVID-related protocols. When Caps forward, Tom Wilson, goes down with an injury, McMichael’s services are summoned from the taxi squad. 

The call comes from Caps assistant coach, Scott Arniel, and satisfies anxious fans who have been tweeting: “Play McMichael, you cowards!”

“Normalcy”

During practice, McMichael said he can get a bit star-struck with the Caps’ veteran line-up that includes T.J. Oshie, future hall of famer Alex Ovechkin, and former London Knight, John Carlson. He’ll often watch Ovechkin blast one-timers long after practice is over. It’s a shot that, even on close inspection, defies logic, says McMichael.

“His shot is so good. Every team knows it’s coming, but he still scores,” says McMichael. “And it’s always hard and clean. He’s also just really big and strong. I was surprised by how big he is.”

After McMichael’s NHL debut, Caps coach Pierre Laviolette praised his performance and resiliency through quarantines, lack of training camp, and adjusting to a new city that was under an armed lockdown when he arrived.

“It’s always a tall order jumping onto a team, especially when you haven’t had a training camp,” Laviolette told reporters after the game. “I thought he did a good job.”

A London Knights star, McMichael had a team-best 47 goals and 102 points in 52 games before the 2019-20 OHL season shut down due to COVID-19. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography)

Q&A with Connor McMichael:

What are your tips for young hockey players during a COVID lockdown?

CM: The biggest thing is just to stay positive. That’s my number one tip. Pay attention to the opportunities that will come your way and focus on the bigger picture. I’m always stickhandling to keep my skills sharp and working on my core – there’s a lot you can do in a small room. And I also recommend watching as much NHL as possible to see what the players are doing. It’s awesome [that] it’s back on tv!

Instagram or TikTok?

CM: Instagram, for sure. I think it’s just the best way to stay connected with your friends. You can see what’s going on in people’s lives and stay inspired, and I think that’s cool.

Books or Netflix:

CM: Right now, I’d have to say Netflix. I just binged on Schitt's Creek and it’s awesome!

Black tape, or white tape?

CM: I used to use white and then I had a couple of bad games, so I switched to black. I started getting a couple of lucky bounces and some goals, so I stuck with black. 

Who’s your favourite former London Knight?

CM: I’d have to say John Carlson [McMichael’s current teammate]. His patience and poise and his vision are unbelievable. He must have assisted on hundreds of Ovi’s goals. He’s just a great passer.

You’re the captain in a pond hockey game. Who’s your first overall pick: Matthews or McDavid?

CM: Gotta go with McDavid. I mean, he’s probably the best player in the NHL. It’s his speed and he’d do pretty good on the pond with his hands, too. But I spend a lot of time watching video of Matthews shooting, so it wouldn’t be an easy choice.