Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl crash Beer League game in Newmarket, Ontario
(Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl played beer league at Magna Centre in Newmarket
  • The Oilers duo lost 6-2 and didn’t hit the scoresheet
  • Watch video of McDavid’s arrival, ref interviews, and full game footage below

Playing Beer League hockey is all fun and games…until Connor McDavid shows up.

That’s exactly what happened Wednesday night in Newmarket, Ontario. The Edmonton Oilers captain and his teammate Leon Draisaitl crashed a local men’s league game at the Magna Centre, McDavid’s hometown rink.

McDavid rolled into the rink wearing full Oilers gear, and Draisaitl was right there with him. Kids packed the glass with excitement, while parents pulled out their phones to capture video. It was an electric atmosphere for a random Wednesday night in the summer.

McDavid Arrives to Beer League Game Video:

You would think McDavid and Leon torched this beer league team. But here’s the thing: the squad with the two Oilers legends actually lost.

Final Score

The final score was 6-2, and McDavid and Draisaitl were held off the scoresheet entirely. No irony was lost here. The duo, with a combined 760 career NHL goals, got shut down by a group of guys heading to their 9-to-5 jobs in the morning.

So what happened? According to one of the referees interviewed by BarDown after the game, the credit goes to the goalie. “That goalie stood on his head out there,” the ref said. “So…not too shocked, actually”.

The internet had a field day. One user on X joked it was a “Panthers playoff simulation,” while another quipped, “So they’re stuck with Skinner in net here too?”


Now obviously, McDavid and Leon weren’t going full throttle. They kept it casual, made their passes, and put on a show for everyone. Nobody wants to be the NHL superstar who goes bar-down on some accountant named Steve.

You can watch the full McDavid & Drasiaitl beer league game below:

McDavid & Draisaitl Beer League Game Video:

This whole scene comes while McDavid’s contract situation hangs over Edmonton like a dark cloud. The phenom became eligible to sign a contract extension on July 1, 2025, but hasn’t put pen to paper yet. Meanwhile, Draisaitl recently inked an eight-year extension worth $112 million.

While McDavid is a local, having grown up just down the road in Richmond Hill, Draisaitl being there was quite interesting. The German star rarely spends his summers in Ontario, leading us to think he’s just sticking close to his captain to ensure he signs that extension.

Putting the result and jokes aside, this is why we love hockey. McDavid and Draisaitl weren’t there for the cameras or the pressure, just for the love of the game. And one goalie now has the ultimate story to tell for the rest of his life.

Sometimes the hockey gods have a sense of humor. And sometimes Connor McDavid loses a beer league game 6-2.