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NHL star Connor McDavid pulled back the curtain on his “phobia” of ketchup Saturday night after the Edmonton Oilers’ 3-2 loss to the Calgary Flames.
McDavid appeared on Sportsnet’s “After Hours” program after a one-goal game against the Flames. A fan question came into the broadcast asking how McDavid is able to handle his extreme dislike of the spice on the road.
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Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) skates against the Calgary Flames in the second period at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Dec. 27, 2025. (Sergei Belski/Imagn Images)
He said his teammates knew to keep it far away from him.
McDavid was then asked how the problem developed for him, and he said it just happened in his childhood.
“Honestly, you know, it stems from childhood,” McDavid said. “My brother feels the same way. Not sure where it came from. I want to blame him. He’s worse than I am. I learned from him, so take it up with him.”
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Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) waits for play to resume during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Minnesota Wild, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in St. Paul, Minnesota. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
He couldn’t name one thing he liked about it.
“I don’t know what it is,” he said. “The consistency, it’s the look of it, that’s all. … I think it’s a phobia, yeah.”
McDavid’s wife, Lauren, first revealed the player’s problem with ketchup during Amazon’s “FACEOFF: Inside the NHL.” He insisted last year that it was just something he and his brother grew up with.
Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid (97) celebrates Zach Hyman’s (18) goal against the Calgary Flames during second NHL action in Edmonton, Alberta, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (Amber Bracken/The Canadian Press via AP)
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Heinz Ketchup’s Canada social media account also poked fun at McDavid last October.
