In his 659th regular season game on Thursday, after a four-point night on Tuesday, Connor McDavid aims to record his 1,000th point in the NHL. He would be the fourth-youngest player to ever reach this accomplishment, behind only Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Mike Bossy. Sidney Crosby (1,612) and Alex Ovechkin (1,568) are 10th and 13th on the list, respectively, and considering McDavid has played for half as long as both of them, he’s on pace to blow past both of them. It’s hard to appreciate it at the moment, but we are witnessing one of the greatest players of all time, and when he hits 1,000, it will be just one more checkmark in an already cemented legacy.
At 27, Connor McDavid is Already Among the Greats
It’s moments like this where we look at what could be, compared to what has already taken place in NHL history. At 1,000 career points, that will place Connor McDavid 1,857 points behind Wayne Gretzky, who has the NHL record at 2,857 points. Unless McDavid players for the next 20 years, it appears that is unattainable. However, second place is absolutely up for grabs.
Jaromir Jagr had 1,921 points in 1,733 games, scoring 1.11 points per game. Connor McDavid is currently a 1.431 PPG player with 658 games played. Simply put, if McDavid continues on this pace, he will clear Jagr in 644 games. It may seem lofty, but considering how long superstars like McDavid have played historically, it is definitely in the realm of possibility. His PPG rate is already fourth all-time amongst players with 500 points or more, putting him above players like Bobby Orr, Sidney Crosby, and Phil Esposito. Time will tell where he will land on this list, but right now, he is named one of the greatest players of all time.
Connor McDavid Hopes To Hit Milestone on Thursday
The Toronto Maple Leafs host the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night on Hockey Night In Canada, which is equivalent to Sunday Night Football in the United States. Rogers Sportsnet, the T.V. conglomerate that will televise Saturday night’s contest, would love McDavid to push the milestone until the weekend. McDavid himself? No way. “I would have liked to get it done tonight, but a five-point night is not, well, it’s not every day,” McDavid said after his four-point night on Tuesday. “I’d like to not bring it in there (to Toronto), and it’s another big game for us against Nashville.”
“I’d be lying if I said he doesn’t want to achieve (1,000 points) as soon as possible,” said teammate and fellow superstar Leon Draisaitl. “That’s human nature. But he’s not in it for the show. — I hope I’m not going to jinx it, but I have a feeling it is not going to get to Toronto. Knock on wood, I am sure he would love to do it in front of our fans at home.”
Final Thoughts
As for the game itself, this is as big of a game as you can have in early November. For both teams. The Nashville Predators (5-9-2) come into Thursday night with 12 points, which is dead last in the Central Division. Yet, they are only five points back of a playoff spot. In a season that was full of Stanley Cup aspirations, the Preds have been lifeless, to say the least, for much of the season and are in desperate need of a winning streak. After starting the season 0-5, they are 4-4-2 in their last 10 and are hoping for a big win on Thursday.
The Edmonton Oilers (8-7-1) have also started the season slowly, much like they did last year, which ended one win away from lifting the Stanley Cup. They are 6-3-1 in their last 10, but are only 3-5-1 at home. With Connor McDavid healthy and the offense starting to come together, the Oilers are hoping to better that home record on Thursday.
Whether McDavid gets his 1,000th point on Thursday or not, just know that we are watching one of the best players in NHL history. Take in every moment we can because we may not see anything like it ever again. The puck drops at 9:00 pm EST.
