Connor McDavid, a player for the Edmonton Oilers, accomplished a goal many dream about when they set their sights on a career in the National Hockey League. He collected his 1,000th point on Nov. 14, becoming the fourth fastest player to achieve this incredible feat in NHL history.
McDavid acquired this point on a perfect-play, burying a one-time from a pass off the stick of his teammate Leon Draisaitl in the second period of their matchup against the Nashville Predators.
The 27-year-old became the 99th player in NHL history to have ever passed the 1,000-point marker in their career, establishing himself as one of the greats. The Oilers captain is the first player since Toronto Maple Leafs’ John Tavares passed the marker last season.
“Just seeing how the players reacted. That means the world to me, that means everything to me,” McDavid told reporters. “To see my teammates happy and hear the fans, that stuff means more to me than any of the numbers or anything like that. It was a really special moment honestly; these milestones are a great moment to reflect and look back. It’s been a great 10 years and hopefully will be 10 more good ones.”
McDavid is the fourth fastest player to reach this goal, doing so in his 659th career game. The only players to do so in quicker fashion are New York Islanders legend Mike Bossy in 656 games, Pittsburgh Penguins legend Mario Lemieux in 513 games and the greatest-of-all-time Wayne Gretzky, who did so in 424 games.
Draisaitl, who has been McDavid’s sidekick for both of their tenures in Edmonton, contributed to 445 of McDavid’s points and positioned them as one of the most impressive duos in NHL history.
“He deserves that, it just shows you how much we love him and how much we appreciate him, everything he does for our organization. It’s a great night,” Draisaitl told reporters following the historic game.
“It’s a special moment, this is legendary stuff, to witness that part of it. To have seen him grow up from when he was 18 when we met him, it’s pretty amazing to be a part of.”
McDavid also spoke on how Draisaitl was able to be the one to contribute to this milestone.
“I remember my 100th point during the Covid year, he assisted on that one as well,” he said. “It’s kind of funny how it works out that way sometimes. It’s pretty special that it comes from Leon.”
McDavid stands at 19 points through 14 games at this early point in the season. He can potentially become the second player in NHL history to amass the 2,000-point marker.
