By the Numbers: McDavid at 999 career points
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After a four-point performance Tuesday night in a 5-4 overtime over the New York Islanders, Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid brought his career point total to 999, one point away from the vaunted 1,000 mark.
When McDavid gets his 1,000th point, he will become the 99th player in NHL history to achieve the feat. He is set to become the fourth-fastest player to 1,000 points, behind only Wayne Gretzky (424), Mario Lemieux (513) and Mike Bossy (656).
And at age 27, he will also be the fourth-youngest player ever to do it.
He recently missed three games due to a lower-body injury he suffered 37 seconds into the Oilers’ game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 28. After going scoreless in his first game back on Nov. 6 in a 4-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, McDavid has seven points in his past two games.
Prior to the injury in Columbus, he had 10 points in his first nine games.
“Nights like that, I don’t want to come off the ice,” the Oilers captain said postgame. “I felt good, I thought (head coach Kris Knoblauch) did a great job of giving me lots of opportunities tonight. I felt good and lucky to contribute to a good win.”
Last season, McDavid also got off to a near identical start. In his first 10 games in 2023-24, he had 10 points in nine games and was sidelined by injury for two games. He would then end the regular season with 32 goals and a career-high 100 assists before going on an historic run in the playoffs, notching 42 points in 25 games to earn to the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP despite losing in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
McDavid has the opportunity to net his 1,000th point on Thursday night against the last place Nashville Predators. In 23 career games against Nashville, McDavid has 12 goals and 41 points. He scored one goal in their last meeting on Oct. 17.
“Nothing’s happened yet. I guess maybe I’ll save that for when it happens,” McDavid said. “But it’s not lost on me the speed to get there with the names that are there above me, two of the very best. But nothing has happened. I have to get ready for another one on Thursday.”
Where will McDavid finish all-time?
As McDavid passes the 1,000 mark, it's hard to not to wonder what his point total will be at the end of his career. Gretzky's all-time record of 2,857 points seems unlikely to ever be touched, but Jaromir Jagr's place at second all-time on the points list could be surpassed.
Jagr recorded 1,921 points over his 24 seasons in the NHL, with McDavid already just over halfway there through nine seasons and 13 games. With a current career pace of nearly 1.52 points per game, McDavid could pass with eight more seasons in the league, taking him over the age of 35.
Mark Messier (1,887 points) and Gordie Howe (1,850) have also long been considered unreachable behind Jagr and Gretzky, but could one day be bumped down by McDavid.
Among active players, Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby has 1,612 points to sit 10th all-time, while his longtime rival Washington Capitals sniper Alex Ovechkin is currently 13th at 1,568 points.
To put it simply, McDavid's output is unmatched in his era and his steady climb up the NHL record books is set to move into hyperdrive once he joins the 1,000-point club.