After the Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers in game seven of the Stanley Cup Final, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced that Connor McDavid, the best player in the world, had won the Conn Smythe, becoming the first player since 2003 to win the Conn Smythe on the losing team.
The player in 2003 that won the Conn Smythe was Anaheim Ducks goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who was on the ice for the presentation, unlike McDavid. He called McDavid for not going out and accepting his award.
Aside from McDavid and Giguere, only Ron Hextall, Reggie Leach, Glenn Hall, and Roger Crozier have won the Conn Smythe on the losing team. It makes sense why McDavid would not come out for the trophy but Giguere had to go out for the trophy in 2003 and it makes sense why he believes McDavid would need to as well.
