Does naming Connor lead to NHL success?

Connor McDavid recently surpassed his career high for points in a season and has continued to climb, with over 140 points (60+ goals, 80+ assists) on the season. Many in hockey the world already considers the 26-year-old center one of the best to ever play the game. He is explosive, deceptive with his shot and one of the fastest skaters in the league.

There’s also another Connor to watch out for.

The NHL draft class of 2023 is led by young superstar Connor Bedard. He got excited 143 points in the Western Hockey League (WHL). He is only 17 years old and has already broken international records such as the World Junior Championship total points record (previously held by Peter Forsberg). Bedard had 36 points for Team Canada, and his 16 goals surpassed compatriot Jordan Eberle’s WJC record of 14 goals. His name has been mentioned as someone who has the potential to be a generational talent like McDavid.

What about Connors?

Connor was 96th highest popular a boy’s name for babies born in 2021. Relatively common, but this may not be a coincidence. Two phenomenal hockey players, both named Connor.

There are a handful of players in the league who have the first or last name Connor or some variation of the spelling. If your name is Connor, are you destined to be a talented hockey player? Is Connor the best name in the NHL?

Besides McDavid, there are nine other Connors or Conors at the NHL level:

• Conor Sheary
• Connor Brown
• Conor Garland
• Connor Clifton
• Connor Dewar
• Connor Murphy
• Conor Timmins
• Connor Ingram
• Connor Hellebuyck

There’s also Kyle Connor, who we’re including in our all-Connor line-up of current players even though that’s his last name.

Let’s break it down

Analyzing our starting five, we have McDavid in the middle and Sheary and Garland on the left and right wings. Sheary is a two-time Stanley Cup winner whose play is highlighted by his physicality, willingness to fight for the puck and score when his team needs it most. The left wing currently has over 30 points in the season.

Garland is a physical wing, similar to Sheary, who creates separation between himself and his opponent. He had 27 assists in the first 73 games, proving his ability to create opportunities with the puck.

Now, Timmins could go here, but a veteran with tons of experience is the better choice to help bolster the blue line. In that case, Murphy has been consistent on the Chicago Blackhawks defense. A defensive player whose game is characterized by his ability to match up and read the body well, he is reliable and can play a significant amount of minutes.

We could also put Timmins in here, but Kyle Connor is one of the best defensive players in the league right now. If we’re trying to win, Kyle Connor has to be in this first pairing. The blueliner currently has 75 points through 75 games, and he happened to be drafted in the same class as McDavid, albeit 16 spots later. He is the dictionary definition of an offensive defenseman. He can score, generate offense and is quick, which comes in handy on the powerplay.

And finally, Hellebuyck. The Winnipeg Jets netminder is once again in the Vezina Trophy conversation as one of the league’s best goaltenders. He won the award in the 2019-2020 season. and is consistently solid for the Jets. They rallied their defense around him, and in return, he gives them a chance to win every night. Currently there is a .918 save percentage and a 32-23 record.

Initial setup

To summarize; this is what we look like:

Conor Sheary – Connor McDavid – Conor Garland
Connor Murphy – Kyle Connor
Connor Hellebuyck

The All-Connor line looks pretty good on paper.

Let’s try it

To really test his effectiveness, let’s compare the Connor line to the league’s best team, the Boston Bruins.

Boston’s starting lineup against the Nashville Predators on March 28 was:

Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – Jake Debrusk
Matt Grzelcyk – Charlie McAvoy
Linus Ullmark

Starting in the faceoff round, we have two very elite centers in Bergeron and McDavid. Through that match, Bergeron had won 60.6 percentage of all the faceoffs he’s made this season compared to McDavid’s 51.4 winning percentage. McDavid has even said in the past that he studies Bergeron’s game because he’s one of the best two-way centers in the game. This matchup seems very even, as McDavid excels offensively, but Bergeron will play great defense and help create the play.

Wings The match looks as physical as it gets. Debrusk has better hands than Sheary, but Sheary has slightly better awareness. Marchand runs all over Garland though. Marchand is a pest, in every sense of the word. Physically, he has a great shot, likes to twitter and mess with the guys around him, and if he frustrates Garland enough to draw a penalty, Marchand is one of the best forwards in the league on the powerplay.

Boston’s defense is incredibly offensive-minded. That’s not a problem as long as Hellebuyck is playing at the peak of his abilities, as he’ll see a lot of shots from the point and a lot of offense generated from the blue line. A defense made up of Connor will play very well in their own zone and will be really solid in breaking through. The trick to winning this hypothetical game against Boston will come from taking care of the puck, finishing quality chances and playing stay-at-home defense.

Conclusion

Connor (and its variations) is definitely the most skilled name in all of the sport, even if it’s not the most common name. Adding Bedard to the Connor lineup could make it one of the most skilled when it enters the league. Maybe just the name Connor gives you a complete edge. Either way, McDavid is the most exciting player in the league right now and Bedard will be the most exciting player of the future, and fans will be able to experience the two in the NHL for the foreseeable future.