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Mark Cuban rips NHL, doesn't know who Connor McDavid is
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- Mark Cuban rips NHL, doesn't know who Connor McDavid is
Mark Cuban has never been one to keep his thoughts to himself.
The outspoken owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks — who took his frank approach to the masses as a star on ABC's Shark Tank — is certainly not afraid to speak his mind, even if it means dragging a country's national pastime through the mud.
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Cuban has long been extolling the virtues of the NBA, a "superstar driven" league with talent that appears to have a greater international reach than that of the other three major North American sports.
He recently sat down with NBC Sports to discuss the merits of top prospects playing in the G League as opposed to taking the college route, but it didn't take long for Cuban to shift his focus to the NHL.
It's a "league driven league," says Cuban, much like the NFL — the talent in these leagues just doesn't seem to have the same international appeal as that of the NBA.
And he didn't mince words when illustrating his point.
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"I couldn't name you who the best player in the NHL is if it's not Sidney Crosby ," said Cuban in his interview with NBC Sports . "I heard someone say Connor McDavid . I don't know who that is or where he plays."
Cuban was probably a little hyperbolic with his assessment of the NHL, but he may have a point. It's certainly tougher for McDavid to earn international appeal while playing with a small-market Canadian team that often lives at the bottom of the NHL's standings.
Nevertheless, it's a strange comment coming from a guy who once had eyes on becoming a minority owner of the NHL's Dallas Stars .
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