As fans, it’s easy to look at players on the ice like pieces on a chessboard. Criticisms, suggestions, frustrations, and exultations of joy spill from our lips as we watch our favorite (or least favorite) players dance around the ice attacking opponents like a knight or beating defenders like a rook.

Hockey, like chess, is a game, and as fans we have every right to become emotionally invested in this game we love. This is what makes sport one of the ultimate outlets for human emotion. This has been the case for millennia. Unlike chess, where pieces are inanimate objects, hockey players are people: individuals with ambitions, fears, hopes, desires, and all sorts of other emotions that you and I experience.

NHL players are known for keeping all non-hockey emotions close to their chest. We know they are passionate on the ice. Watch this montage of players breaking sticks in blind rage if you need proof. However, when it comes to life off the ice, players are pretty buttoned-up. Only recently have we seen the curtain rise and the personalities shine brighter.

Consider how teams like it Toronto Maple LeafsThe Philadelphia Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings offer behind-the-scenes shows that follow players on and off the ice. Social media, of course, allows teams to connect with fans, and vice versa, in new ways by highlighting the relationship between players. Team social media accounts constantly share videos of players getting into all kinds of shenanigans.

The Amazon series “Faceoff: Inside the NHL” is the latest and greatest production. Like many fans who craved a show like this, my wife and I were captivated. We’ve seen players balance the demands of the NHL and their personal lives, often seeing their passion and commitment rise above everything else.

While watching this show, I was struck by the human nature of NHL players. Aside from the millions of dollars they earn for doing things on the ice that I could only dream of, these guys go through the ups and downs of life like everyone else. Two elite players – Connor McDavid and Elias Pettersson – are an example of this. Despite their skills and all the pressure, they can’t help but react to everything thrown at them like the rest of us.

Connor McDavid is not a robot

Connor McDavid can be described in many ways. The greatest hockey player in the world. Incredibly fast. Otherworldly vision and off-the-charts hockey IQ. Soft, silky hands.

No matter what it looks like on the ice, it’s not a robot.

“You know, people call me boring; People call me a robot. It’s hard. It’s a challenge,” McDavid told the cameras in episode 5 of “Faceoff.” The offhand comment can easily be overlooked. After all, McDavid has been speaking to the media for nearly two decades. He had never given such insight into his life before, and this remark showed the slightest of cracks in his usually thick skin.

You see, McDavid wasn’t talking about how he handles criticism of his game or the Edmonton Oilers. He responded to what people said about him as a person. Since his arrival in the NHL, people have called him immobile. There is an entire Reddit thread dedicated to the topic. So when a trailer was released in October showing a clip of the Oilers captain losing his mind after Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, people appreciated the passion it exuded.

The clip gave me chills not only because you can see how much McDavid wants to win and how much he cares, but also because we rarely see this side of him. However, the more I thought about the clip after watching the entire Amazon series, the more I realized that we shouldn’t be surprised by its brilliance.

It’s almost as if we think McDavid doesn’t care, and all these years he’s been an emotionless robot who came to the rink, did his job, and left his worries on the ice when he went home . Amid all the criticism of his “emotionless” appearances, we’ve left little room to consider that he might simply be more introverted, that he channels his passion so intensely into his craft than being a media darling n It’s not even on his radar. Sure, he answers questions and provides insight, but it stops there because he doesn’t waste any energy trying to be someone he’s not. He does not need to act like King Leonidas at the Battle of Thermopylae, shouting, “For Sparta!” ” to prove that he cares.

Related: 7 reasons why Connor McDavid is the best hockey player in the world

McDavid’s teammates have nothing but praise for his leadership, commitment and work ethic. How many times over the years have we heard them say that? Behind the locker room doors, they have seen for a decade what we saw for the first time.

“They call me boring; People call me a robot. It’s hard. It’s a challenge.

McDavid never complains about the way people treat him. This quickly delivered response should remind us that the players hear and read what is said about them. Under the helmet and under the breastplates, there are brains and hearts that process and feel all the emotions we feel. Just because they don’t express it the way we would expect or want doesn’t mean they aren’t there.

There is no need to rehash the fact that Elias Pettersson is in difficulty. Enough ink has been spilled on the subject since it signed his 8-year contract worth $92.8 million. Vancouver Canucks fans and media have covered almost every facet and potential remedy to the situation. You can take any position you want. Either way, it won’t change the fact that what Pettersson is experiencing is one of the most human stories we’ve seen unfold this calendar year.

Pettersson experiences a mix of emotions: increasing pressure, underperformance, anxiety, discouragement, lack of confidence, criticism everywhere he turns, frustration with himself and frustration of his teammates. To make matters worse, his naturally more stoic personality leads some to think he doesn’t care and isn’t competing.

Eliott Friedman said it on 32 thoughts.

Sometimes the way he reacts to tough times, or tough times, or when things aren’t going so well, isn’t as moving as (JT Miller and Quinn Huges). Just because you’re more stoic than emotional doesn’t mean you don’t care, it doesn’t mean you don’t want to win just as hard as anyone else. But I think people who do that in sport are sometimes penalized for it.

Please spare me the comments that Pettersson is paid millions of dollars and therefore needs to get over it. That kind of comeback misses the mark, because if he could get over it, he would. Once again, the blinders we wear as spectators often make us forget that these players are experiencing exactly the same emotions as us. This seems to be even more true in Pettersson’s case, as someone who doesn’t care wouldn’t let themselves be overwhelmed by criticism to the point of inhibiting their performance.

“I always say about markets like Vancouver that the rewards are high, but the risks are high.”

In the last 32 thoughts, @sportsnetkyle And @FriedgeHNIC discuss Elias Pettersson’s recent struggles, the undefeated Jets and more!

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– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 21, 2024

Given Pettersson’s reserved personality, internal and external expectations, and poor play, it’s no wonder he looks disengaged and unhappy. To make matters worse, he can’t help but look at what everyone is saying about him online. Whether it’s social media, the media, or even fan blogs, he sees it. His friends even send him the content. Imagine what it must be like to be immersed in this environment.

Again, don’t respond with the rebuttal he needs to get over it. I don’t even disagree with you. In fact, most people agree that he needs to have thicker skin. It takes time. But Pettersson’s situation reminds us that before he’s a hockey player, he’s a person going through a difficult situation that neither he nor the people who care about him want. We can all empathize, but few can understand what it would be like to simply search your name on the Internet and find dozens of articles criticizing the smallest details of your game.

Much like McDavid, Pettersson doesn’t have the flashiest personality. It’s safe to say that he’s more immature, which makes him susceptible to obsessing over what others think of him. He puts a lot of pressure on himself and carries the immense weight of a huge contract he won. Now he is struggling and wants to do better. I don’t know about you, but the emotions this brings up don’t seem unfamiliar to me, even if the precise details are.

Big paychecks don’t make it easy

McDavid and Pettersson are world-class hockey players. They are also people. The large sums deposited into their bank accounts every two weeks don’t make it any easier to deal with the ups and downs that life throws at them.

Imagine if this was you and you were getting paid to do something you love, something you’ve wanted to do since you were a kid. Then you start having difficulties or people comment on your personality. Doubts arise or people start to question your commitment. Does the salary make this easier to bear? No, it’s not because you’re in it for more than the money. Like all of us, like McDavid and Pettersson, you care about your performance and what people say.