That’s the position the young Jack Eichel-Connor McDavid rivalry -- one both players insist doesn’t really exist -- found itself in on Tuesday night, at least in terms of exposure on U.S. television.
With NBCSN originally having scheduled the tilt between the Buffalo Eichels and Edmonton McDavids as its national game, the cable network weeks ago opted to change paths and go with the established head-to-head matchup between Alex Ovechkin’s Washington Capitals and Sidney Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins, one that has been going on for more than a decade.
As Eichel and McDavid prepared to face off for the first time against each other at the National Hockey League level in the inaugural McEichel Bowl Tuesday night, you almost get the impression that they were more than happy that the American television spotlight had shifted off them.