When it’s all said and done, Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid’s name might be in the conversation for the greatest to ever play hockey.
He’s only 27 years old and has only played 664 NHL games, but he already has 346 goals and 1,010 points. Earlier this month, he became the fourth-fastest player in NHL history to hit the 1,000-point mark.
You may have heard of the three players ahead of him on that list: Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Mike Bossy.
McDavid is rarely one to show emotion and he famously doesn’t care about individual accomplishments. But a smile crept onto his face as his teammates flooded the ice to congratulate him on point No. 1,000.
“Just seeing the way the players reacted that means everything to me,” McDavid said after the game. “Obviously, my teammates were happy and to 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 time to reflect and a great time to look back. It’s been a great 10 years, and hopefully there are 10 more good ones.”
Connor McDavid’s career accomplishments
McDavid and the Oilers fell one win short of the Stanley Cup last year, and he’s dead set on changing his fate this season. But aside from the Stanley Cup, he has won almost every award available to him.
Here are his NHL accomplishments:
- Art Ross Trophy (top point scorer) five times
- Rocket Richard Trophy (top goal scorer) once
- Hart Trophy (MVP) three times
- Ted Lindsay Award (MVP, as voted by players) four times
- Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP) once
- First-team NHL all-star five times
- Second-team NHL all-star twice
He has also won three gold medals with Team Canada at various international tournaments and received numerous CHL and OHL awards during his time with the Erie Otters.
It’s worth noting that McDavid is one of just six players to have won the Conn Smythe Trophy without also winning the Stanley Cup — and he’s the second non-goalie to do it.
What makes Connor McDavid so good?
There’s hardly a thing McDavid does worse than anyone else in the NHL. He’s arguably the fastest skater, the best stickhandler, the most gifted playmaker and he thinks the game at the highest level.
If you were going to nitpick, you could probably find a handful of players that shoot better than he does, but he’s still in the top 1% of the league in that category.
Don’t forget about Leon Draisaitl
What’s better than having the best player in the world? Having another top-five player at his side.
Leon Draisaitl is poised to become the NHL’s highest-paid player next season when his eight-year, $112 million contract comes into effect. It will pay him $14 million annually — $1.5 million more than McDavid makes.
He has his own collection of NHL awards, which includes the Hart Trophy, the Art Ross Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award.
“He’s the best player in the world a lot of nights,” McDavid said of Draisaitl during the 2023 playoffs.
McDavid and Draisaitl are one of the most potent duos the NHL has ever seen. Since the day McDavid played his first game, the Oilers have the best power play percentage in the NHL. McDavid has more points than anyone else in that stretch, followed by Draisaitl.
Edmonton Oilers vs. Utah Hockey Club
The Oilers make their first visit Salt Lake City on Friday, where Utah Hockey Club fans will get the chance to see McDavid and Draisaitl in person.
As exciting as it is for fans to see some of the best players in the world, this game has big implications on the playoff hunt too. Neither team has a firm grasp on a playoff spot yet, meaning they’re in contention for the two wildcard spots that are available to both teams.
The game starts at 7 p.m. MST. Ticketmaster has tickets starting at $71 at the time of writing.
