There’s no place like (a new) home

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This article was published 06/10/2016 (3288 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

EDMONTON — If Rexall Place was the house Wayne built, Rogers Place will, undoubtedly, be the home Connor constructs.

The Edmonton Oilers’ newly minted captain, Connor McDavid, is the face of the franchise and already a genuine superstar, despite having just 45 NHL games under his belt.

At 19 years and eight months, he’s the youngest player to wear the ‘C’ in NHL history, guiding a team that — depending on its opening-night lineup — will be one of the five youngest teams in the NHL this season.

Topping it all off, McDavid and crew get the opportunity to call brand-new Rogers Place — the luxurious, $483-million, 18,500-seat downtown arena most Alberta hockey fans feel is long overdue — their home.

The Richmond Hill, Ont., native said it’s an exciting time to be in Edmonton.

“It’s unbelievable being here,” McDavid said Thursday, following the team’s practice as it prepared to battle the Winnipeg Jets in pre-season action. “You just look around the building and everything’s state of the art. Our dressing room is the best there is.

“We have all the excuses taken away now. It’s just up to us to go out and play, and we’re hoping to do that.”

The Oilers and their fans said goodbye to Rexall Place (which has since reverted to its original name: Northlands Coliseum) — the oldest rink in the league — on April 6, the team’s final home contest of 2015-16. Edmonton didn’t win often last season, but did thump the Vancouver Canucks 6-2 that memorable evening.

McDavid was a major contributor, scoring once and adding a pair of assists. Coincidentally, the legendary Wayne Gretzky had three points, all assists, the night the Oilers posted their first NHL victory at Northlands — Oct. 19, 1979, a 6-3 win over the Quebec Nordiques.

A decade later, the Great One was presented with a key to the City of Edmonton and a statue of him hoisting the Stanley Cup over his head. The bronze Gretzky likeness stood in front of the old barn until recently, when it was taken down to be refurbished for relocation to Rogers Place. Its unveiling will occur next week.

The Oilers’ championship banners are already hanging from the rafters at the new place. McDavid said they inspire him, not intimidate him.

“We’re a long way from getting back (to the glory years). No one in this room is stupid, we all understand how the Oilers have been perceived over the last decade now, so we’re obviously looking to change that,” said McDavid, who scored 16 goals and added 32 assists in a rookie season shortened by 37 games due to a broken clavicle suffered in early November.

“We’re trying turn the page on what’s been not a very good run here for the Oilers. We have a whole new mindset. It’s almost good for us to get out of that building and get a fresh start in this new one. We’re definitely happy about it.”

The Oilers open the regular season at home Wednesday against the Calgary Flames.

Edmonton is looking to end a decade-long playoff drought. The club hasn’t qualified for the post-season since 2006 and finished last in the Western Conference last season.

A healthy McDavid is key to making that happen, and the addition of free-agent power forward Milan Lucic, gritty forward Patrick Maroon, Finnish youngster Jesse Puljujarvi (selected fourth overall in the 2016 NHL Draft), the acquisition of blue-liner Adam Larsson from New Jersey, and a solid season by No. 1 goalie Cam Talbot should help the cause.

“With some new faces now and with Connor being an ambassador to the game, it’s a great situation,” said Maroon, acquired from the Anaheim Ducks prior to the trade deadline last season. “We’re on the right track and we should all be excited for this year coming up.

“Connor’s 19, but he’s not a kid. He’s really mature for his age and he’s really humble. He’s one of those guys that leads by example on the rink. Guys will follow good players who bring it every night. He represents himself well on and off the ice, and that’s what a good captain needs to do.”

Head coach Todd McLellan, in his second season behind the Edmonton bench, said the stage is set for a renaissance within the Oilers organization, but the hockey side must deliver.

“(Rogers Place) means the world to the city of Edmonton and, in fact, to northern Alberta, really. It’s a centrepiece of a downtown core that’s reclaiming itself. It’s something we’re all very proud of. From a hockey perspective, it’s second to none,” said McLellan. “But for us, it’s about what we do inside it that’s going to be, ultimately, the most important thing. We can be proud, we can be excited, but we still have to perform.

“I look at it as house versus home. We have a great house, but we’ve got to make it a home. We’ve got to set that tone early and often and forever.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell