McDavid will play his 500th game when the Oilers visit the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on Monday (8 p.m. ET; SN, TVAS, NBCSWA, ESPN+, SN NOW).
"It goes quick," McDavid said. "You get the chance to live out my dream and play in the NHL. To have done it for 500 games now, it means a lot to me. I know there's not a lot of guys that get to that number, so it's special to me."
Much was expected of McDavid when Edmonton selected him with the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, and he's somehow managed to exceed those expectations and handle the pressures that come with them.
The moment he steps on the ice Monday, McDavid will become the leader among active players in points (722) and assists (471) through their first 500 games, surpassing Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins (706 points, 453 assists).
Among players in NHL history, McDavid is likely to rank sixth in points behind Wayne Gretzky (1,186), Mario Lemieux (971), Peter Stastny (759), Mike Bossy (757) and Jari Kurri (730). The 25-year-old needs one assist to tie Bobby Orr (472) for fourth in League history in assists through 500 games, behind Gretzky (738), Lemieux (578) and Stastny (493).
McDavid has done it with remarkable consistency. He won the Art Ross Trophy for leading the NHL in regular-season points for the fourth time last season (also 2016-17, 2017-18, 2020-21), when he had an NHL career-high 123 points (44 goals, 79 assists) in 80 games.
McDavid has also won the Hart Trophy as the most valuable player in the NHL twice (2016-17, 2020-21), and is a three-time winner of the Ted Lindsay Award, given annually to the most outstanding player in the NHL as voted by members of the NHL Players' Association (2016-17, 2017-18, 2020-21).
"What he's done and been able to accomplish in such a short time is amazing," Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft said. "He's a generational player. He's someone that I don't think gets enough credit on the leadership side of things. For Connor, it's not just about setting an example, it's also holding the team to a certain standard and holding people accountable to that standard. That's a lot of stuff that people don't get to see from behind the scenes, but I do.
"I've seen a young man mature over those 500 games. I've seen a player evolve and mature, and he's a treat to be around and a treat to watch operate on a day in and day out basis."