Lisa Evans, a co-host with Oilers Nation’s The Sauce podcast, shares the reverence Edmonton fans have for Connor McDavid.

“Connor McDavid has the kind of fame where people are proud when they get a picture of his back sitting in a restaurant. I’m not joking,” Evans said on The SportsCage.

“We had a listener text in a picture. They’re like, ‘I saw Connor McDavid at the Chilli’s at the airport.’ I was like, ‘That’s just the back of someone’s head.'”

McDavid’s popularity comes from being a superstar on the ice and helping the Oilers reach the Stanley Cup Final in two straight seasons, though Edmonton lost to the Florida Panthers both times. During No. 97’s first trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2024, he won the Conn Smythe Trophy.

Individually, McDavid has won the Art Ross Trophy five times, the Ted Lindsay award four times, the Hart Memorial Trophy three times, and the Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard Trophy once.

In the 2025-2026 NHL season, McDavid has played 58 games for the Oilers, scoring 34 goals and recording 62 assists. The Oilers lost to the Minnesota Wild 7-3 on Saturday, January 31, but losses like that do not diminish the respect he has earned from fans in the Alberta capital.

“We were talking about it on The Sauce, the level of fame that the Oilers have,” Evans recalled. “I was at the same bar as them after they lost over the weekend. Even the vibe in a bar when they’re in the same space as you, people act like they freeze up because they’re like, ‘It’s the Oilers.'”

When it comes to more Oilers possibly joining McDavid on the trip to Italy for the Winter Olympic Games such as Zach Hyman, Evans wants to be cautious about the rumours.

“Is it happening? Is it not? Was there an injury? What is the answer to that? Hyman is our favourite,” Evans said. “He writes children’s books. He has his own line of bubble gum. Big fans of Hyman in Edmonton.”

Edmonton Journal reporter Jim Matheson speculated that if Brayden Point or Brad Marchand are unable to play, Hyman could be considered an injury replacement.

Regarding the 2022 Winter Olympics, no active NHL players participated. However, that changed last July when the NHL, NHLPA, and IIHF reached an agreement allowing them to play in 2026 and 2030.

The Canadian men’s hockey team plays their first round robin game at the Olympics against Czechia on Thursday, February 12.