They are both Toronto-area prodigies, anointed as Canada’s next great hope in their chosen sport, as familiar as one can be with the incredible heap of scrutiny and expectations such a title carries.
Connor McDavid and Andrew Wiggins are also very young.
Stepping into the gym of St. Michael’s College School on Tuesday afternoon, they looked like oversized students — closer in age, at 18 and 20, to the middle school basketball team watching them from the stands than many opponents they will face next season.
Both players — McDavid the NHL’s first overall draft pick this June, and Wiggins the NBA’s reigning rookie of the year — were in Toronto to promote a new commercial partnership, an event billed as their first public appearance together.