'He's driven to win': Connor McDavid's quest to be NHL's best player starts off ice

Christian Dedonato doesn't see Connor McDavid much in the off-season, at least not until at least mid-afternoon. McDavid is too busy working out in the gym or staying sharp on the ice.

When the longtime friends get together to skate, surf, kick a soccer ball around or throw a baseball, Dedonato still sees an intensity in McDavid, now seven years into a standout if frustrating NHL career.

"I see him do these skill drills and he won't stop until he gets it perfect," Dedonato said. "Even going to throw a baseball around or surfing, everything just has to be perfect, and I think that shows on the ice and shows in his personality — his commitment."

Knowing McDavid for more than a decade before the two entered high school, Dedonato isn't surprised by the success of the Edmonton Oilers captain. What he knows better than most is how much McDavid sacrifices off the ice in his drive to be the best player in the league.

At 25, McDavid is on pace to be the league's top scorer for the fourth time and led the Oilers to a third consecutive playoff appearance. His dazzling play is the culmination of decades of work designed to prepare him to be at peak performance when it matters most.

"He wants to be the best," said Dedonato, a hockey player at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont., who lives less than 10 minutes from McDavid during the off-season. "He knows it's going to take a lot of work to be the best, and he's been working his entire life to be the best."

The playoffs are now his proving ground because McDavid has done just about everything during the regular season. He is a two-time Hart Trophy winner as league MVP, a three-time pick by his peers for the Ted Lindsay/Lester B. Pearson Award as most outstanding player and five