Darnell Nurse Opens Up About Playing for the Oilers
NHL fans and their beloved organizations often scrutinize players, considering they invest their money to watch games and support their teams. Darnell Nurse, a lightning rod in the Edmonton Oilers organization, faces intense scrutiny.
Despite his high-profile contract and steady production, he remains under the microscope. Recently, Nurse appeared on the Mitts Off Podcast, hosted by former Oilers enforcer Luke Gazdic, where he discussed various topics, including his contract and handling fan backlash.
«I mean there was expectation before I signed the contract, of what I think I'm capable of performing and being at each and every night. I think the value or whatever you want to describe it is going to bring, I mean I've played in a high-pressure market since I first came into the league like it's, it's great. Me, personally I love it because there's that juice, fire in the summer»
Darnell Nurse comes from an athletic family, including former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. Since being selected in the 2013 entry draft as the 7th overall pick, he has faced significant expectations. He spoke candidly about the pressure he puts on himself in a high-pressure market.
Despite his talent, some fans question Nurse's hefty salary of 9.25 million per season, especially as his production has remained relatively stagnant. Nurse acknowledges the criticism but maintains that he focuses on his expectations and self-imposed pressure to perform at his best.
«I mean you also have to take a lot of stuff with a grain of salt, like sometimes I feel like I've been blamed for everything from a goal against to the traffic on Stony Plain, right so like it's just you have to be really cognizant of what the pressure you put on yourself »
«There's no one that's gonna expect more out of me than me and that's been something that has been instilled in me since I've been very young, so yeah there's a pressure that comes along with that»
Nurse shared touching moments about how he used his earnings to help his parents retire, recognizing the sacrifices they made to support his sports career. He also discussed his involvement in charitable causes, expressing a desire to give back to the community.
«One of the cooler things that have come from all this is like my parents got to retire last year, right, those are people made like sacrifices like you can't put a value on that so like any pressure that you get from someone else, I couldn't even imagine the pressure that (his parents) that they were going through when they're trying to support three people you know to play their sports and still keep the lights on»
«That's why for me the pressure will never be more than I'm gonna put on myself, secondly, I think any time that you've earned and put yourself in the position to play a lot of minutes and be a big part of your team, you don't take that lightly, that's a responsibility I've always wanted, that's a responsibility I feel like I need to earn each and every day also and then you know there's also a thank you to like the owners and management and my teammates because you know they trust that I could do that job each and every day and you don't want to let them down»
Reflecting on the media's negativity in hockey coverage, Nurse emphasizes the importance of maintaining a positive attitude and belief in the team's capabilities. As the Oilers aim for playoff success with stars like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Nurse believes their commitment and resilience will be the keys to breaking barriers.
«I find the media, especially hockey media it's so much about the negativity and trying to knock down and bring people down and look for the flaws in each player and each team in each game. I think, you know, for us to bring that positive attitude and to be able to believe in ourselves, be able to work for that belief because you can't just say, �Hey I'm going to be a great player today' and not work the day before and not come out for practice and put your skates on and lace them up and be ready to go like we have to work for our belief but we gotta believe that we are a great team because I believe we are»
«I don't think there's much rocket science behind it, it's coming in, committing to the way that we want to play and bringing that work ethic that we need each and every day to keep chipping away at, look at the teams that have won in the past seems like before they do it everyone was getting frustrated and you can't be discouraged, can't be discouraged by failure that's the biggest thing»
«For us to be able to stick with it to not get frustrated in the process that this game puts you through each and every year and believe in ourselves»
Looking towards his post-hockey career, Nurse is pursuing real estate courses and other ventures to ensure a smooth transition. He also expresses his interest in supporting charitable causes and creating a scholarship at his high school.
«Ended up taking a few real estate courses because I always loved real estate since I was young and I'm actually currently still taking courses, I'm with the UBC starter School of Business and I'm taking this thing called like the Diploma of Urban Land economics so I take a course per term so I'm taking foundational mathematics real estate, I'm doing that right now, I did micro-macro»
«I was given a great opportunity to play a sport that I love and make lots of money and then to be able to find some causes that were really near and dear to me»
«It might've been during the pandemic I was sitting down with my mom and talking, I want to help out some charities because I honestly just during that time you do a lot of self-reflection right so I was like I want to find some causes that are near and dear to me and we had gone and visited a few places but I couldn't really pinpoint something that had all the markers that I really wanted so when I was in Hamilton I said why don't we do a scholarship at my high school»
Nurse shares a close bond with Oilers teammate Leon Draisaitl, highlighting Draisaitl's honesty, competitiveness, and dedication to making his teammates better.
«He's like one of my best buddies. He's just honest you know like if he's having, if he doesn't want to talk to somebody like he's not hiding that, he comes in and he's in a bad mood, he's in a bad mood, if he's in a good mood, he's in a good mood. But he's, you talk about competitors and people who just want to win and care about winning and care about, he has a genuine care about making other guys better, he brings that every day, I think as a leader he brings a lot of things that you know me, myself personally I'm like okay I need to be a little bit more like that, you know to come in each and every day and expect to be at the top of my game»
«There's an expectation that he has and he brings with a little bit of fire, a little bit of juice and he doesn't hide the way he feels and I think as a teammate it just brings out the best in everybody»
In conclusion, Darnell Nurse provides insights into life as an Oiler and the expectations that come with being the highest-paid defenseman on the team. As he enters his prime at 28 years old, many hope to see him elevate his game and exceed the 50-point barrier for defensemen.
| POLL | ||
Do you think Darnell Nurse deserves his contract for what he brings to the Oilers? | ||
| Yes | 37 | 30.6 % |
| No | 84 | 69.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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