The Erie Otters will honor Connor McDavid by retiring his number 97 jersey on Friday night, acknowledging his incredible journey. 

Jack Michaels, the play-by-play announcer for the Oilers, brings a special connection to this moment. Born and raised in Meadville, he began his career calling high school games for the Meadville Bulldogs. Michaels has witnessed McDavid's evolution from a talented young player with the Otters to an NHL superstar, including McDavid's time with the Erie Otters, where he was an exceptional player. As Michaels recalls, even before McDavid was drafted by the Oilers, "there was a buzz in Edmonton about the possibility of him joining the team," he said.

"The privilege I had to watch Connor's development. He's almost a statesman off the ice as much as he is a superstar on it," Michael said.

Jack Michaels brings us back to when McDavid was drafted as the Most Valuable Player in the 2015 NHL Draft. "As they say in Edmonton, they sent our assistant general manager, Bill Scott, with lucky socks for the draft lottery, and sure enough, that was the ticket that was pulled. I don’t know if Bill has taken his socks off yet," Michaels said.

As Otters captain at age 17, McDavid won the Red Tilson Trophy and CHL Player of the Year, but his legacy makes retiring his jersey even more fitting.

"Even before the Oilers acquired the draft lottery rights to him, there was a lot of buzz about McDavid in and around the city of Edmonton and the chance that he might be an Oiler. And 10 years later, he's got them on the verge of a Stanley Cup," Michaels said.