Blue Jays' Game 7 loss in World Series leaves McDavid 'gutted'

EDMONTON -- Connor McDavid can relate with the Toronto Blue Jays and their run to Game 7 of the 2025 World Series.

McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers have also had the heartbreak of losing a Game 7 with a championship on the line, for them, the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.

The Oilers captain said he felt for the Blue Jays, who lost 5-4 in 11 innings to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the deciding game of the Series on Saturday in Toronto. Not only did the Blue Jays lose the game, they led 3-0 early and were two outs away from the championship only to see the Dodgers take it away.

“It was a historic moment and I couldn’t be more gutted for those guys,” McDavid said Saturday after a 3-2 overtime win against the Chicago Blackhawks at Rogers Place. “Obviously we know what that feels like, and for it to happen the way it happened, I’m just completely gutted for those guys. It was a fun run, they’ve given Canada a lot to cheer about and they should be very, very proud of themselves.”

Edmonton generated similar excitement throughout Canada with its two playoff runs, losing to the Florida Panthers in the Final in 2024 and in six games last season.

The Oilers were looking to become the first Canada-based NHL team to win the Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadiens in 1993.

The Blue Jays were trying to win the World Series for the first time since repeating as champions in 1993.

Each team had memorable postseason runs.

“It’s special, that’s what’s sports is all about, is bringing people together,” said McDavid, a native of Richmond Hill, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto. “Throughout the summer and the last two months especially, they really brought people together and that’s what it’s all about. Those guys can be very proud and hold their heads high, it was a special group.”

Edmonton and Chicago each had a unique perspective on the baseball game as the broadcast was played on the scoreboard through the first two periods.

“That was really, really strange,” McDavid said. “Obviously we’re all on the Jays’ bandwagon and everybody is wanting them to win and it’s so disappointing obviously, but it was strange to have it on during the game. Listening to the crowd, it was distracting for sure, I’m glad they shut it off for the third.”

Though McDavid had a rooting interest in the result of the baseball game, he needed to tend to business on the ice. He had three assists in the win, including one on the goal scored at 2:43 of overtime by defenseman Evan Bouchard.

“I found myself watching the Jays game sitting on the bench,” McDavid said. “And listening to the crowd while I’m on the ice, (wondering) what just happened?”

Toronto was two outs away from winning the game but gave up a tying home run in the top of the ninth inning.

The Oilers were up 2-1 with 2:14 left in the second period when Blue Jays pinch-runner Isiah Kiner-Falefa, representing the winning run, was thrown out at the plate with the bases loaded. There were some anxious moments in the crowd when the play went to review and the call upheld.

“It adds some excitement,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “There’s times where it looked like the Jays were going to win, there’s cheering and I thought they had won it. And then they kept on showing the game and I was wondering what had happened, because with all of the cheering and the excitement, I thought they’d done it.”

Concentration was required for each team, particularly during TV timeouts when the audio from the baseball game was broadcast in the arena.

“It was different but it was about focusing on the game,” Bouchard said. “It was hard to do when obviously you have the game on and fans are cheering, but we managed to do that and got the win out of it.”

A native of Oakville, Bouchard is one of seven players from Ontario on Edmonton’s roster. Along with McDavid, defensemen Jake Walman (Toronto), Darnell Nurse (Hamilton), forwards Adam Henrique (Brantford), Zach Hyman (Toronto), and Andrew Mangiapane (Toronto) are also originally from the province.

“That’s the part of what made it so hard to stay focused,” Bouchard said. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t look at it. I think everybody looked at it. It was about staying focused, focusing on our game and going from there.”

Some of the Blackhawks were also sneaking a peak at the scoreboard when they had a chance during stoppages.

“As a Canadian, I’m a big Jays fan, but you try to just cancel it out and focus on the game,” Chicago forward Ryan Greene said. “I know there was one shift where there was a huge roar and it kind of distracted me a little bit, but I tried not to pay attention to it too much.”

Chicago coach Jeff Blashill did his best to keep his players focused on the task at hand, and they did for the most part. It did make for an unusual experience, however.

“Yeah, it was indeed (distracting), I couldn’t help but look either,” Blashill said. “The crowd went nuts and I was trying to figure out what was going on, so it was a weird, interesting moment. It’s been neat being up here (in Canada_ just from the aspect that it’s one country’s team, and you can tell that and get that vibe, but it was an interesting moment.”