McDavid closing in on 1,000 points, rare company at ‘remarkable’ pace

EDMONTON -- For Connor McDavid, reaching 1,000 points is another milestone on the road to his ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup.

The Edmonton Oilers captain was reluctant to talk about the mark that is within reach this week. He enters the Oilers’ home game against the New York Islanders at Rogers Place on Tuesday (9 p.m. ET; TVAS, SNW, MSGSN) with 995 career points (339 goals, 656 assists) in 657 NHL games.

The 27-year-old is on pace to become the fourth fastest to 1,000 points behind Wayne Gretzky (424 games), Mario Lemieux (513), and Mike Bossy (656).

He is on track to reach 1,000 points ahead of Peter Stastny (682), Jari Kurri (716), Guy Lafleur (720), Bryan Trottier (726), Denis Savard (727), Steve Yzerman (737), Marcel Dionne (740), Phil Esposito (745), Sidney Crosby (757), Jaromir Jagr (763), and Paul Coffey (770) among other members of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

“It’s a huge milestone and I’m not surprised he doesn’t want to talk about it,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “But for him to reach that at this point in his career and the way NHL scoring has been since he got into the NHL, it’s absolutely remarkable. I’d be very happy if he got that (Tuesday) night and not strung it along, and we are cheering for him.”

After hosting the Islanders on Tuesday, the Oilers play at home against the Nashville Predators on Thursday and travel to face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.

“It’s a big milestone,” said Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour, who had 1,184 points as a player. “You have to be a good player to get 1,000 points and you have to be around. To do it as early as he’s done, is impressive. He’s an elite player and when it’s all said and done, is he going to be the best player ever? That’s high praise when you have guys like Gretzky, Lemieux and those guys; guys you can never even fathom putting someone in that category. But just the way he dominates a game, it’s very similar and that’s pretty special.”

McDavid has 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 12 games this season, which is below his nightly production average of the past eight seasons. He had a goal and two assists in a 7-3 win at the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, which was his highest one-game output of the season in his second game back from an ankle injury sustained at the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 28 that caused him to miss three games.

McDavid got off to a slow start by his standards last season as well, but finished with 132 points (32 goals, 100 assists) in 76 games.

“When you’re talking McDavid, I think this is another level,” Trottier said. “Mike Bossy said he was the fastest hockey player he’s ever seen, and that’s a big compliment. A lot of us feel that way and if you look at some of the players that got to 1,000 and how fast they got to it, like Gretzky, Lemieux, Bossy, that’s another level of offense.”

Roughly 8,000 players have played in the NHL since its inception in 1917, making the 1,000-point club exclusive. McDavid would become the 99th member of the club, which would be ironic considering his numerous comparisons to Gretzky.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares was the last person to reach the milestone, getting there on Dec. 11, 2023, in his 1,109th game.

“It’s an amazing accomplishment for anyone, but it reflects really well on your teammates and coaches,” Trottier said. “You have to be put in the right places in order to excel offensively, you have to have players that complement you. The greatest players lift everyone around them, but when great players play with other great players, it’s a [heck] of a lot easier.”

McDavid was selected by Edmonton No. 1 in the 2015 NHL Draft. He has been instrumental in turning the franchise around, going from the bottom of the standings where it missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for 10 consecutive seasons, to championship contenders. The Oilers made it to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last season, losing to the Florida Panthers, and are still considered to be in their championship window.

“It’s pretty amazing, his consistency, his ability to keep raising his play,” Crosby said. “You have to evolve, the game changes and I think teams are good at scouting and finding your strengths and he’s found ways to improve and to get better.

“I think you look at last year and how good the team played and the level he was able to find, especially in the Final when they were down (3-0), he elevated his game again. That’s a compliment to him and says a lot about him as a player and how much he cares and works.”

Regardless of when a player gets there, 1,000 points is a memorable moment according to Savard. It is likely to be one for McDavid as well, particularly if he is able to get there in front of family and friends in his hometown of Toronto on Saturday.

“My 1,000th point was against St. Louis at home,” Savard said. “I remember, I was behind the net and Al Secord was standing in the high slot and I kind of found him and he scored, and I got the assist on the goal for my 1,000. You don’t take it for granted, I don’t think any guys take it for granted. To get 1,000 points, it’s not easy to do. The longevity is something as well.”

The 1,000-point club features players from different eras. Gordie Howe was the original member, reaching the milestone on Nov. 27, 1960, in his 938th game. Jean Beliveau was the second, getting there on March 3, 1968, in his 911th game.

When Esposito joined on Feb. 15, 1974, as a member of the Boston Bruins in his 745th game, he took over the record for fastest player to reach the milestone. Dionne (740) and Lafleur (720) then surpassed it before Gretzky posted a number that will likely never be reached (424).

“I don’t think you think about how quickly you get there,” Crosby said. “It’s a nice number and it’s something that you talk about and you join a certain company. That’s just a product of hard work, playing with great players and being part of good teams too.”

On the way to 1,000 points, McDavid has won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer five times (2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023), the Ted Lindsay Award as most outstanding player as voted by his peers four times (2017, 2018, 2021, 2023), the Hart Trophy as most valuable player three times (2017, 2021, 2023), the Rocket Richard Trophy as leading goal-scorer (2023) and Conn Smythe Trophy as Stanley Cup Playoff MVP (2024).

“Of course, I follow him and it’s easy to follow him on the news,” said Kurri, Gretzky’s wingman in Edmonton. “He’s an amazing player, fun to watch and it’s not surprising that he’s getting 1,000 points.”

McDavid’s ability to pile up the points at such an impressive rate in today’s game is remarkable. He has 100 or more points in seven seasons and in 2022-23 finished with 153 points (64 goals, 89 assists) in 82 games, the highest total since Lemieux had 161 points with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1995-96.

“I was talking to a couple of buddies of mine about my first goal, I scored it against the Montreal Canadiens and Larry Robinson was chasing me,” Savard said. “Denis Herron in goal and I came inside the blue line, went left-to-right and I shot it and it went in on his glove side. I said, ‘Today, the goalie would catch it with his bare hand, that’s how the game has changed,’ and we started laughing.

“There were some great goalies in our day, no doubt, but today it’s incredible how good they are. It’s even amazing how teams score six or seven goals in a game, because the goalies are so good, but the shooters are better too.”

Technology and rule changes have helped offensive players in the past decade, but it’s McDavid’s speed, skill and hockey intelligence that makes him so prolific.

“In today’s hockey there aren’t any bad defensemen out there, there are no bad goalies. Even the backups are really good, and it looks good on them that these guys are putting up these kinds of numbers. It’s just very, very impressive,” Trottier said. “When you’re looking how fast he plays and the pace of his play, there are not a lot of players in the League that can go up against him. Everything he does he does it at full speed and you wonder how he does that, how does he see that?”

Those closest to McDavid may be the most appreciative of his talents. Oilers forward Connor Brown was a teammate of McDavid in junior and is not surprised of his friend’s success now reunited in Edmonton.

“It’s incredible, to be the fourth fastest ever, especially in this type of era,” Brown said. “He’s fun to watch day in and day out, it’s a pleasure and it will be an amazing milestone to hit.”