It was fair to question whether the Edmonton Oilers might have been getting too much hype entering the 2017-18 campaign, but it might not be as fair to question that after Wednesday's season kickoff.

OK, so one game doesn't change everything, but if one could, Connor McDavid did his best to convince the rest of the league that he and the Oilers are for real. The 20-year-old captain and $100 million man, a favorite to repeat as MVP after his 100-point Hart Trophy run a season ago, did nothing but score a hat trick as Edmonton shut out the Calgary Flames, 3-0, to start the season on Wednesday night.

Oh, and he looked like a superhuman as he did it.

If that speed doesn't tantalize, then what does? That is the reason McDavid alone makes the Oilers fun to watch. That is the reason the Oilers dished out the dough over the summer. That is the reason Edmonton is in the conversation for a serious run.

Thankfully for fans across the NHL, McDavid wasn't the only one lighting up the ice, either. The San Jose Sharks fell to the Philadelphia Flyers, 5-3, on Opening Night, but Kevin Labanc, 21-year-old winger for San Jose, got himself a spot on the highlight reel with a midair puck swat that put the Sharks on the board early in Wednesday's action. Talk about concentration on this one.