Settle down NHL fans, Stephen A. Smith cares about hockey. He he proved it Monday morning with a segment on First Take.
Last month, Smith angered hockey fans everywhere by dismissing the NHL as a sport that isn’t worth talking about. Just as hockey fans were upset, ESPN couldn’t have enjoyed watching their premier personality mock a sport that they pay $400 million per year to partner with.
Smith quickly attempted to temper emotions with a follow up video proclaiming, “let’s do that hockey!” Six weeks later, Smith did that hockey, welcoming ESPN analyst P.K. Subban on First Take for a playoff preview segment.
During the segment, Subban stated Connor McDavid might be the best player in NHL history, a take that surprised Smith and caused him to pause.
Stephen A. Smith cares about hockey pic.twitter.com/KVTOHJcvFj
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“Are you trying to tell me Connor McDavid is better than Wayne Gretzky?” Smith asked as he dug deep into his arsenal of hockey expertise.
“The way Connor McDavid’s been playing the game, we’ve never seen a player play the game the way he has. That’s facts, Stephen A. Facts,” Subban explained on the heels of McDavid becoming the first player since Gretzky to lead the league in goals, assists and points.
“I’ve never heard of that before,” a befuddled Smith responded after learning McDavid is good. “I’ve never heard that before. I got to do my research on that one.”
Not only does Stephen A. Smith do that hockey, but he plans on doing some hockey homework after listening to Subban. That’s an epic First Take debut by Subban and by hockey.
