Draisaitl marvels at McDavid's 'mind-blowing' chase for 1,000 points
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid entered Tuesday's action only five points away from hitting 1,000 on his career, much to the amazement of teammate Leon Draisaitl.
"I don't think there's been a player like him before," he said. "I don't think there's a player that can create (something) out of nothing like him ever in hockey. Getting to a thousand points at his age, and how few games he's played, it's a little, like, mind-blowing at times to see him break all these records."
Tuesday's clash against the New York Islanders will be McDavid's 658th career NHL game. Though he may not reach the milestone by the time the final buzzer sounds, he's more or less guaranteed to become the fourth-fastest player in NHL history to record 1,000 points:
| Current Rank | Player | Game No. | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wayne Gretzky | 424 | 1984 |
| 2 | Mario Lemieux | 513 | 1992 |
| 3 | Mike Bossy | 656 | 1986 |
| 4 | Peter Stastny | 682 | 1989 |
| 5 | Jari Kurri | 716 | 1990 |
Sidney Crosby's the fastest skater to hit 1,000 points among active players, reaching the mark in his 757th game back in 2017.
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch thinks it's particularly "remarkable" McDavid's been able to produce like this in the modern era.
"Obviously, goal-scoring (in the past) was much higher, defensive details were not as tight, and goaltending wasn't as sharp," he said. "For him to almost reach that milestone now, I'm sure I can't find the words to really describe what's going on."
McDavid, 27, has won five Art Ross Trophies, four Ted Lindsay Awards, three Hart Trophies, and one Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy through his first nine seasons.
Last campaign was especially outstanding as McDavid became the fourth player to ever record 100 assists in a single season. He then established a record for the most assists (34) in one postseason before becoming the second skater and sixth player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as a member of the losing side in the Stanley Cup Final.
Draisaitl said the Oilers are "very fortunate to be able to learn" from McDavid.
"He's not a guy that likes the show about it all," he explained. "He likes the end product of it and he puts his work into it every single day. I'd be lying if I said he doesn't want to achieve (1,000 points) as soon as possible - that's human nature. But he's not for the show and he's never been for the show.
"That's probably the thing that I respect about him the most. He goes about his things so quietly and, in a way, almost doesn't want the attention to all these things, even though he will get it and he should get it."
McDavid has four goals and 13 points in 12 games heading into Tuesday.