BLOG: Erie Otters retire McDavid's jersey number

ERIE, PA – Number 97 to the rafters at Erie Insurance Arena.

Oilers captain Connor McDavid made a detour from his team's four-game road trip on Friday to spend the day in Erie, Pennsylvania – the city he called home for three Ontario Hockey League seasons as an exceptional status, superstar forward for the Otters.

The junior club held a pre-game ceremony for McDavid as they retired his number 97 jersey with a banner unveiling in front of a sold-out crowd of more than 6,700 in attendance.

"A trip down memory lane," McDavid said during his pre-game media availability. "Being back here in Erie, being in the rink, seeing the room, just being in the environment, it's been really fun.

"It means a lot to be recognized for my time here and the great teams that were here."

McDavid, who turns 28 on Monday, scored a fitting 97 career goals for the Otters, along with 188 assists for 285 career OHL points in 166 games, playing with fellow future NHLers like Oilers teammate Connor Brown, Detroit's Alex DeBrincat and Washington's Dylan Strome.

He also scored 21 goals and 28 assists in 20 playoff appearances in 2015 as Erie won the Western Conference title prior to his first-overall selection by Edmonton at the NHL Draft.

"We had great teams and went on some really fun runs and I remember this building being rocking," he said of his Otters tenure. "So it's just fun to be back here."

McDavid's coach in Erie is also now his bench boss with the Oilers as Kris Knoblauch led the Otters from 2012 to 2017, winning the OHL championship in his final season before he began his NHL coaching career as an assistant with Philadelphia Flyers.

"I feel like his time here in Erie was kind of the golden age of Otters hockey," McDavid said. "Four 50-win seasons, the playoff runs, and ultimately them winning in 2017. What he's done as a coach is so impressive and he continues to do great work with us each and every day in Edmonton."

McDavid gave a pre-game speech and read the starting lineup for the current Otters squad prior to his number retirement ceremony.

After showing his love to the Erie faithful and cheering the Otters on against the Saginaw Spirit, he was off to the Windy City to rejoin the Oilers ahead of their matchup with the Blackhawks on Saturday.