Oilers captain McDavid details recovery from knee injury in documentary

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is detailing in a documentary his recovery and rehab process from the major knee injury he sustained last season.

‘Connor McDavid: Whatever It Takes’ will air on Sportsnet on Friday night after the NHL all-star skills competition.

The documentary, made by longtime Oilers filmmaker Don Metz, details McDavid’s decision not to have surgery on his badly injured left knee — which he sustained April 6 during Edmonton’s final game of the 2018-19 season — taking the route of intense physiotherapy and rehab instead.

“Connor McDavid made the decision, he wanted to rehab this,” former Maple Leaf and current fitness trainer Gary Roberts said in the trailer for the documentary that was released earlier this week. “No one has done what Connor has done to rehabilitate himself back from a serious knee injury in that period of time.”

McDavid suffered a torn PCL along with other multiple tears around the knee, and a cracked tibia when he crashed into the Calgary Flames net.

The 22-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., worked with Roberts, Dr. Mark Lindsay and a team of physiotherapists and coaches over the summer in order to reach his goal of being ready for the first game of the 2019-20 season — just six months after the injury.

McDavid not only reached his goal but has also thrived through the first half of the season. He entered the all-star break leading the NHL in points with 76 (27 goals and 49 assists) through 49 games.

The Canadian Press