Steve Starr
- Oilers phenom Connor McDavid recorded four points in a 4-3 victory over the Canucks on Saturday night
- The 24-year-old became the ninth player in NHL history to reach the century-point mark in 53 games or less
- With 32 goals and 68 assists, Edmonton’s captain is set to win his third league scoring title in the past six seasons
Connor McDavid became the first player in a quarter of a century to get to 100 points in 53 games or fewer, recording four points in Edmonton’s win against the Canucks on Saturday night.
Before we head into the Stanley Cup playoffs, let’s take a statistical look at the superstar’s record-breaking season for the Edmonton Oilers. You should also check out our NHL betting tips page for advice on how to wager on hockey.
Connor’s Remarkable Year
McDavid must have been motivated to become the first player since Mario Lemieux (38 games) and teammate Jaromir Jagr (52) in 1995-96 to get to 100 points in 53 games or fewer. The 24-year-old has simply been on fire down the stretch, putting up 31 points in the last 11 games and three or more points in eight of his last 10 games.
Now sitting 21 points clear of teammate Leon Draisaitl in the NHL scoring race, the Oilers captain is poised to win his third Art Ross Trophy — and his first since going back-to-back in 2016-17 and ’17-18. With this he will become just the ninth skater ever to win the league’s scoring crown three times and just the third after Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky to win three Art Ross Trophies by the age of 25.
Connor McDavid is in some incredible company. 👏💯 pic.twitter.com/5dHGsOhqnX
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 9, 2021
McDavid is also a lock for his second Hart Trophy, which would make him just the 19th player in league history to win two NHL MVPs, and only the fourth ever to win multiple Harts before turning 25, joining Bobby Orr, Gretzky and Alex Ovechkin. If he captures every vote from hockey writers, he’ll also join Steph Curry, Tom Brady and Gretzky as the only unanimously voted MVPs in big-four sports history.
The list of guys with at least two Hart and three Art Ross trophies is even shorter: Gretzky (9 Harts, 10 Art Rosses), Gordie Howe (6 and 6), Lemieux (3 and 6), Phil Esposito (2 and 5), Stan Mikita (2 and 4), Bobby Hull (2 and 3) and Guy Lafleur (2 and 3).
More Incredible McDavid Stats
Connor’s fourth 100-point season of his career made him just the third active player with at least four before age 25, alongside Crosby and Ovechkin. Gretzky of course holds the record with seven 100-point seasons while under the age of 25. With 68 assists in 53 contests so far, the Richmond, Ontario native also has a staggering 1.28 helpers per game, which has only been topped by Sid the Kid (1.32 in 2011/12) in the last 25 years.
McDavid’s scoring rate of 1.88 points per game this season would generate 154 points in a traditional 82-game schedule. With only three games left to play, he’ll become the first player since Lemieux 20 years ago to produce at that high a rate while playing at least 40 contests. Additionally, only 12 players in the last half-century have done it: Gretzky (11 times), Lemieux (8), Mike Bossy (2), Esposito (2), Jari Kurri (2), Orr (1), Jagr (1), Steve Yzerman (1), Bryan Trottier (1), Pat Lafontaine (1), Adam Oates (1) and Bernie Nicholls (1).
We’re not paying nearly enough attention to how special Connor McDavid is.https://t.co/qns76CSFjJ
— For The Win (@ForTheWin) May 9, 2021
In the last five years, McDavid will have finished first, second, second, first and first in league scoring – a scary thought considering he seems to only be getting better in his sixth NHL season. After taking 82 games to reach the century mark in 2016-17 and 77 games to hit the 100-point mark in 2017-18, McDavid did it in just 53 games this year.
While his incredible campaign could be partially explained by playing in the North Division with six defensively-challenged Canadian clubs, the Oilers center also wasn’t shooting on stand-up goaltenders in road hockey equipment, like the hockey stars of the 1980s.
Connor’s season is simply one for the ages.
