Greg Wyshynski, ESPNJun 2, 2024, 07:00 AM ET
CloseGreg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.
DALLAS — Leon Draisaitl is a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins fan.
“He’s so valuable, right? In every facet of the game. He touches every part of it,” the Edmonton Oilers star said of his longtime teammate. “Have you guys ever seen him make a mistake? I really haven’t.”
Nugent-Hopkins rejected his alleged infallibility.
“I make mistakes. I make mistakes, for sure,” he said, laughing. “But you try to limit them. I try to play as smart as I can.”
Kris Knoblauch is also a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins fan.
After Draisaitl joked that Nugent-Hopkins was “a coach’s favorite hockey player in the world,” the Oilers’ current coach agreed that there are times when the Edmonton forward is in fact his favorite player in the world. Like after Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, when Nugent-Hopkins scored two power-play goals to reenergize that struggling unit, hand all the momentum to the Oilers and spark them to a victory over the Dallas Stars that put them ahead 3-2 in the series.
“I actually saw Ryan after the game and I told him that, tonight, he’s my favorite,” the coach said. “Two goals. Played a really big part on the penalty kill, too.”
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Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner has always been a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins fan — in the “collecting his hockey cards, poster on the bedroom wall” sense.
The “Nuge” was his favorite player growing up as a fan, before they became Oilers teammates in 2021.
“That is a little bit embarrassing [to admit] with him sitting right beside me,” Skinner, 25, joked as he and the 31-year-old Nugent-Hopkins chatted with the media after Game 5.
“I truly believe he’s one of the best two-way players in the league. It’s pretty remarkable what this guy does, his work ethic day in and day out,” Skinner said. “But I’m more impressed with the type of person that he is when he is off the ice. He was my favorite player growing up, and being able to play with him, I’ve learned a…
Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/40259269/nhl-playoffs-2024-stanley-cup-edmonton-oilers-ryan-nugent-hopkins-career
Author : Greg Wyshynski
Publish date : 2024-06-02 12:38:35
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