There have been 995 reasons to keep a close eye on Connor McDavid this week.
And not just for hockey fans either. Both teammates and opponents alike have also been waiting for the Edmonton Oilers’ 27-year-old captain to close the five-point gap and become the fourth-fastest player in NHL history to crest the 1,000-point mark on his career.
Depending on what bench they’re sitting on, it could be a good thing or not so good, depending on the scoreboard. But full respect — not to mention a little bit of awe — are being offered up either way.
“Obviously it’s insane,” said New York Islanders centre Bo Horvat, who was in Edmonton for a game Tuesday. “You knew, obviously, he was special playing against him in junior, but you never know how it’s going to translate to the NHL. And it just seems like he took his game to another level.”
One that has him in the same company as Wayne Gretzky (424 games), Mario Lemieux (513 games) and Mike Bossy (656 games), who are the only three players to reach the millennium mark faster. Tuesday’s Islanders tilt marks McDavid’s 658th regular-season game.
And Islanders head coach Patrick Roy knows a thing or two about those historic offensive powerhouses, having faced each of them during his Hall-of-Fame goaltending career.
“I’m not going to compare him with the other guys, it’s not fair. Different era,” Roy said. “But one thing I will say is he’s a really good player. He skates well and sees the ice well. Attacks the net. Capable of defending well.
“So, for these reasons, he is where he is now.”
And that’s right on the precipice of becoming the 99th player in NHL history to hit the 1,000-point milestone. How quickly he’s doing it is what puts him in the 97th percentile of greatness, if you will.
“In my eyes, there’s never been a player like him, especially in the modern era,” said friend and teammate Leon Draisaitl. “No player has created chances the way he does, at the speed and at the consistency that he does over 10 years now. Very, very impressive.
“I think the most impressive thing about it is that everybody knows it’s coming and you still can’t stop it. That’s like any great player in any sport, the whole game plan is to let Ovi (Alexander Ovechkin) not get looks around the net and not let him shoot it from the left circle and every single single night you go on the NHL app and it says, ‘Ovi pots two.’ It’s just impressive and it’s the same thing with Connor.”
With 339 goals and 656 assists heading into Tuesday’s game, it’s easy to focus on McDavid’s high-octane offence. But according to teammate Darnell Nurse, you’d be missing the other half of the game. And that, in his mind, is what puts McDavid on another level.
“You look at the offensive stats and those are the things that kind of jump off the paper, but I think that it’s his all-around game and his commitment to defence,” Nurse said. “When we’re working on our D-zone and our coverages, he’s the first person asking questions and wants to perfect that side of the game first.
“So, obviously the offensive side of it and all the numbers are very eye-opening and jump off the page. But you just think as committed as he is to the defensive side, he doesn’t get enough credit for that.”
Kris Knoblauch’s big first year
A big turnaround season that ended with a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals has Kris Knoblauch so entrenched as the Edmonton Oilers head coach it’s hard to believe he has only just shed his rookie title.
The 46-year-old bench boss celebrated his one-year anniversary at the helm of the team Tuesday, since taking over for his predecessor, Jay Woodcroft.
Knoblauch went on to post a record of 53-25-6 over the past year for a win percentage of .667, which stands as an Oilers club record.
“I would definitely say there’s a sense of calm in our group, in our room,” Nurse said. “There’s definitely enjoyment and he’s been a huge advocate of that and a huge reason why we’ve been able to weather some of the highs and lows and just continue to stay the course and the way that we want to play.
“That comes from the leader of your group, and for us it’s the head coach.”
E-mail: [email protected]
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge
Bookmark our website and support our journalism:Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.
You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.