KId throws Connor McDavid jersey in water after not receiving autograph

A video of a young Edmonton Oilers fan throwing his Connor McDavid jersey in the water after he didn’t receive an autograph on it has gone viral.

The incident occurred at an autograph session at West Edmonton Mall on Monday. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were among Oilers players who signed autographs after an open practice at Mayfield Toyota Ice Palace.

Fans lined up for the signing hours in advance as Upper Deck stated that only the first 400 people in line were guaranteed access to McDavid and Draisaitl’s table. The team held a similar autograph session last year on Family Day that drew an incredible turnout.

A video posted to Twitter appears to show McDavid signing a hockey card for a kid, but not his jersey. After getting the autographed card from McDavid, the kid goes and throws his jersey over a nearby bridge and into the water.

Fans were quick to jump on McDavid for not signing the kid’s jersey, but there is more context to him not signing the jersey. According to reports, McDavid is contracted to legally sign Upper Deck memorabilia only. The card company specifically stated that McDavid would only be signing one Upper Deck photo that was provided at the table per person.

We were also able to obtain the specific instructions handed out to each fan that went to McDavid’s table.

According to people at the event, McDavid did actually sign a few jerseys but his manager told him he was prohibited to do so. It’s likely that McDavid didn’t sign this kid’s jersey because he would get in trouble if he did so.

Whether or not this incident had anything to with it, it doesn’t sound like McDavid will be back in West Edmonton Mall anytime soon. “I only ever come here if I absolutely need to come here”, McDavid told Sportsnet’s Mark Spector on Monday.

It’s easy to pile onto an NHL superstar for not signing a jersey, but in this case, there was certainly more going on behind the scenes that led to the incident.