By the Numbers: McDavid racing Bossy for third fastest to 1,000 points

Connor McDavid will have a chance to join the exclusive 1,000-point club in the NHL this season.

The Edmonton Oilers superstar, who currently sits at 850 career points, has a chance to become the third-fastest player to ever hit 1,000 points if he can repeat his success from last season.

Wayne Gretzky is the fastest to ever hit the mark, doing so in just 424 games, while Mario Lemieux is second at 513 games. Those records are safe with McDavid sitting at 569 games played, but Mike Bossy's spot as the third-fastest player to do so is in jeopardy.

Bossy reached 1,000 points in his 656th career game, giving McDavid 86 games to get ahead of the New York Islanders legend, and 87 games to tie him. McDavid's career average of 1.49 points per game, would leave him 20 points shy of even tying Bossy, but the Edmonton centre has been improving that average over each of the past four seasons. 

The 26-year-old is coming off the best season of his already-decorated career. McDavid won his first Rocket Richard Trophy last season with 64 goals – the most scored by any player in a season since Alex Ovechkin hit 65 in 2008. The Oilers captain also ran away with his fifth Art Ross Trophy, finishing with 153 points.

The 150-point mark had not been eclipsed since 1996, with McDavid joining an exclusive club of just six players to reach the plateau. He joined Lemieux (1988, 1989, 1993, 1996), Gretzky (1981-1987, 1989, 1991), Steve Yzerman (1988-89), Phil Esposito (1970-71), and Bernie Nicholls (1988-89) in that group. 

Hitting the 150-point in the modern game seemed like an impossibility prior to last year – McDavid's previous career-high was 123 points in 80 games during the 2021-22 season – but Pittsburgh Penguins centre Sidney Crosby, isn't ruling out the possibility of McDavid reaching 170 points.

“I mean, I didn’t think 150 was going to be in the cards for him but he found a way to get there," Crosby told NHL.com this week. “So, I don’t think anything is out of the question for him as far as numbers are concerned.

“He just finds a way to find another level time and time again, so I would never bet against him.”

Behind Bossy, Peter Stastny is fourth on the fastest-to-1,000-points list, having done so in his 682nd game, giving McDavid 112 games to slot in ahead of him. 
 

While McDavid is the only active player challenging for a spot on the fastest-to-the-milestone list, several veterans have a chance to join the 1,000-point club this season.

Phil Kessel (1,286 career games played), who remains unsigned as a free agent, is eight points away from 1,000 in his career. Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares (1,029 GP) is 25 points away and New York Rangers forward Blake Wheeler (1,118 GP) is 78 points from 1,000. 

Gretzky, the league's all-time leader at 2,857, is the only player to ever top the 2,000-point mark. If McDavid can hit the halfway point in year nine this season, his chances of joining The Great One in that club can't be ruled out.