Photos: Getty Images; Collage: Gabe Conte

Connor McDavid is feeling pretty damn good. His Edmonton Oilers entered the NHL’s All-Star break on a 16-game winning streak, he’s getting married this summer and he’s a million dollars richer, having just won the Dr. Evil-approved cash prize after dominating the skills competition for the fourth time in seven years during All-Star weekend in his hometown of Toronto.

At 27, he’s come a long way since entering the NHL as a painfully shy prodigy touted as “The Next One.” And today, reigning MVP Connor McDavid isn’t afraid to speak his mind. And when he speaks, the hockey world listens, whether he’s advocating for the NHL’s return to the Winter Olympics — plans for that just happened to be announced over the weekend — or expressing his unabashed love for Nickelback. He’s less interested in chasing points than he is in team wins — but when he wants to, he can still destroy the league’s best players at talent shows, reminding us what he really is: one of the greatest to ever live.

As the second half of the season begins, McDavid talked about the evolution of his style, his friendship with Chad Kroeger, Wayne Gretzky’s latest records and his wedding plans.

Connor, the last time you were with GQYou said that when you were a rookie, players would berate you for having the “worst style in the league.” Would you say your style has evolved since then?

It’s definitely gotten better. I definitely have a lot of help now. When they ask who’s the worst dressed on the team, my name never comes up anymore. So I’d say that’s an improvement.

So who is the worst dressed on the team at the moment?

Who is the worst dressed in Edmonton? I would say Brett Kulak is just a good Alberta boy. He doesn’t really care what he wears. He’s just a good Alberta boy.

Who is the fitness king of the NHL right now?

I would choose Auston Matthews. He has some wild outfits. But he wears them really well.

I feel like people are paying more attention to what hockey players wear now than ever before.

I would definitely say there has been a style change (in the league). I think the old suit and tie and dress shoes combo is definitely outdated. You see some guys bringing cool looks and trying different things, which is great for the game. The stereotype about hockey players is that we’re just boring. You see some guys breaking that trend, and one of the ways they do that is with their style and demonstrating a little bit of personality.

I heard you’re a big fan of Nickelback.

I mean, I’m a huge Nickelback fan. They remind me of my childhood days when I would be in the car with my dad on the way to a game and stuff. He would always have Nickelback on.

Are you guys hanging out with Chad Kroeger?

Yes, we know each other. I wouldn’t say we hang out every day or talk on the phone every day, but yes, we have a certain relationship. I think it goes back to the Junos last year. (Editor’s note: The Junos are Canada’s Grammys.) They asked me to present them with their Hall of Fame award, and then earlier this year they did the same for me on Canada’s Walk of Fame. It’s kind of weird how that went down, but I really like those guys. And I really think they’re a great band. One of the best bands of all time, for sure.

You do realize that this is a controversial statement, right?

I know, I know. I feel like it was almost a fad to hate Nickelback for a while. But I think deep down, everyone secretly loves them.

What is your favorite Nickelback song of all time?

Um, that’s good. I could take it in a lot of different directions. I can think of songs that bring back childhood memories with my family. I can think of songs that get me pumped up for a game. But I think I’m going to go with “This Afternoon.” I really like that.

Wow, that’s a deep cut. I’ve never seen it before.

It’s good. You grew up in Alberta, so the song has a little bit of that Alberta feel to it.

When Nickelback played against Edmonton last year, Chad told the crowd he wanted to celebrate with the Oilers when they won the Stanley Cup. He said, and I quote, “Connor and I are going to do all kinds of horrible things to that damn Cup when that kid holds it up.” What horrible things do you think he was talking about?

That’s a damn difficult question. You’ll have to discuss it with him. (Laughs) I don’t know what he was thinking, but if we win the trophy, he can do whatever he wants with it. It would just be an honour to hopefully lift that thing one day. It’s something I’ve dreamed of doing since I was a kid and to do it in Edmonton would be really special.

Will you ask Nickelback to play at your wedding to your fiancée Lauren Kyle this summer?

I don’t know. We’re in the middle of planning the wedding right now. As far as entertainment goes, we still have to think about it. Actually, we don’t even have to think about it, we have a few surprises. But I’m not sure if Nickelback will be there. We’ll see.

What surprises?

If Lauren found out I was telling people, she would be mad. She wants it to be a surprise for everyone who’s there.

What role do you play in wedding planning?

Not that important. I have to make sure my boys are dressed, look good, and get to the altar on time. That’s been my role so far. Maybe Lauren will ask for help as we get closer. But so far it’s been easy.

Nice! What does it look like when you dress your boys?

I work with a company in Montreal called Cloakroom. They do some custom work and I get all the guys nice black suits so they look good on the big day. We went through a few different ideas. It’s a summer wedding so I was worried the guys would be too hot. I suggested something lighter and no black suits. But ultimately Lauren wanted something more traditional so we went with it.

What will you wear?

Lauren wants it to be more of a classic black suit. With a tuxedo-like fit. So, I think that’s what we’re going to do.

Will you wear sneakers with a suit?

No, no, I don’t think so. She wants it to be clean. Something more traditional.

Some time ago, Lauren posted a picture of you on Instagram, where you were characters from Friends. What’s going on? Are you a big Friends Head?

My brother and I are with the FriendsSo every day. We had all the seasons on DVD. We watched them all and then when we got to the end we started again. We watched it from start to finish so many times.

Who is your favorite character? \

I’m rooting for Ross. I think he’s hilarious. His sense of humor just makes me laugh.

Friends has recently seen a resurgence among Generation Z. How do you explain this?

Well, it’s just about normal people. You’re watching normal people living their lives. And I think a lot of people can relate to that. When you watch it, you can see yourself in some of the characters and see how they deal with certain situations. It’s hilarious. I think people are going to love the show for a very, very long time.

I heard that you are keeping another tradition of the 90s alive: inline skating.

(Laughs) I love it. I grew up rollerblading. As a kid growing up in Toronto, it’s not always easy to get ice time. There’s so much demand for it. When I couldn’t be on the ice, rollerblading was the closest thing I could get. I still do it at home at my sports field. I always rollerblade there. My dad loves it too, so it’s always fun to rollerblade with him. We did that all the time growing up.

Has Blade always been your secret to success?

(Laughs) I would say it helped me with turning. Of course you can’t stop on rollerblades, so when rollerblading you have to be able to slow down and maintain speed when turning. That’s probably the only thing I learned from it.

The Oilers are on a winning streak after a difficult start to the season. How does it feel to silence the haters who have criticized you?

It feels good, man. Really. Obviously, we didn’t get off to the start we wanted and people start doubting us. People start saying negative things. We as a group just stuck together and worked our way out of it. You know, when you lose in Edmonton, the fans are rooting for you. And rightfully so. They’re a passionate fan base, they love their hockey and they want to see a successful team. And when you win, they love you. It can be a little bit of a rollercoaster, but overall, the fans treat us really well.

You’ve won the Art Ross Trophy (awarded to the league’s top point scorer) five times. You’ve won it the last three years. Right now, you’re the league’s fifth-leading point scorer and you’ve got guys like Kucherov and MacKinnon to catch up to. How badly do you want to win that fourth trophy in a row?

You know what? Our group in Edmonton is all about winning. We just want to win and that’s what we’re focused on. And if that requires playing a little bit differently, that’s great. I’ve won Art Ross trophies. Leon (Draisaitl) has won Art Ross trophies. Our group has just been through that. It’s time for us to put all our energy and focus on winning. A little maturity helps, of course. We’ve had some good runs in the playoffs and have been getting closer and closer, so we know what it takes to hopefully win one day.

That’s a good, healthy attitude. Very mature. That being said, do you ever think about breaking Gretzky’s record of 10 Art Ross trophies?

Is that what he is? He’s at 10?

You’re already halfway there!

My goodness. That’s a lot of Art Ross trophies. My goodness… you know, Gretzky’s records were so long ago. They’re almost forgotten. You don’t think about things like that. He’s obviously an Edmonton legend. He’s a legend of our game. It was great to have him in Edmonton for a couple of years when he worked for the team. I see him in the announcer’s booth and we cross paths every now and then. He still has close ties to Edmonton. Anytime he’s around, it’s great. With a guy like that, you’re like a sponge and you try to soak it all up.

The Great One had some legendary moments playing for Canada in the Olympics. That’s something you haven’t had the opportunity to do yet. How excited are you to finally get the chance?

It would be a dream come true. It’s something I’ve been advocating for a long time. I’m a firm believer that hockey needs to be on the biggest stage in the sport. And that’s the Olympics. We need to send our best there. And to have the opportunity to play in a best-on-best tournament and represent my country, play with other great hockey players from Canada, that would be special. I’m excited for the opportunity to take that chance.

Originally published on GQ