EDMONTON — When Connor McDavid speaks, the hockey world listens. When he yells at his teammates — even within the confines of his team’s locker room and with the Stanley Cup on the line — people replay the clip on repeat.

“It was never my plan to be the star of the show,” the Edmonton Oilers captain joked after a 6-3 preseason loss to Calgary. “I think we were going to dip our toe in the water, but — here we are — headfirst off the diving board.”

A teaser for the upcoming Amazon Prime all-access documentary series “Faceoff: Inside the NHL” was released on Monday and the clip that caught everyone’s attention was McDavid letting loose after the Oilers lost Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals to Florida.

Connor McDavid had a FIRE moment in the new trailer for BTS’ Amazon Prime series “FACEOFF: Inside the NHL” 😳

(via @NHL) photo.twitter.com/QpROUvajfI

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) September 23, 2024

“That’s not good enough,” he shouted in the visitors’ room. “It’s the final. Go for it. Right now!”

Against teammate Zach Hyman, McDavid’s shot was perfect.

“Everybody felt that,” Hyman said. “That was awesome that he said that then.

“The closer you get, the closer it gets. We’re in the Stanley Cup Finals. We had a pretty good first game; we lost. We had a not so good second game. It’s just frustration.

“Connor is the most competitive guy you’ll ever meet. It’s a little window into what’s going on. He speaks like that, with emotion, at the right times.”

Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch has seen McDavid in two phases of his life: as a junior player with the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters and now in Edmonton after being hired last November. Leadership has always been one of McDavid’s best qualities.

“Part of the reason Connor is so good is because he’s competitive and passionate,” Knoblauch said. “Yes, he’s talented, but he’s been able to push that talent and get better every day.

“Of course he should get most of the credit for how well he plays, but he’s an excellent leader. I’ve known him since he was 15 years old and his teammates have a lot of respect for him — and they should have.”

The five-second glimpse felt like an unusual moment from someone who was seen as stoic or teased for being a hockey robot. That’s not true, Hyman said.

“For us, it’s normal,” he said. “He’s a phenomenal leader, wears his heart on his sleeve. For you guys, he might be quieter, more guarded. For us, he’s Connor. He is who he is.

“He’s a great player, obviously — the best in the world — and a phenomenal leader who takes on a lot of the team responsibility. When we’re playing poorly, he takes on a lot of the burden and tries to improve everyone’s play. That clip, you’ll see more of it on the show, I think.”

That could be. But McDavid advised that some things in the show should be taken with a grain of salt.

“You have to understand that part of the show is that they can contextualize it as much as they want,” he said. “It’s interesting how they break it down. They clearly have to create a story.

“Guys play for their dream. You’ll see that. You’ll feel that from both sides.”

Aside from the unwanted extra attention he’s getting, McDavid hopes it’s worth it for the documentary, which is set to be released October 4.

“Ultimately, everyone wants to grow the sport,” he said. “It’s worked for other sports. Hopefully it does something for our sport. That’s all we can really ask for.”

Required reading

• Mark Messier joins Amazon Prime’s ‘Monday Night Hockey’ broadcast team, along with Adnan Virk and Andi Petrillo
• NHL puts its stars front and center in Amazon documentary series launching in October

(Photo: Perry Nelson / Imagn Images)