McDavid becomes the 4th fastest player to reach 1000 points.

[Soundwave]

Did you see Bobby Orr skate in that crappy equipment with all the injuries he had? What McDavid is doing today should take nothing away from him, we have no idea how dominant either would be if they switched eras and training techniques, etc. Bobby Orr before his knee injuries didn’t actually give up a lot of actual speed to McDavid even before correcting for advances in modern technology to begin with, he really was just that good even though the league was watered down, no one alive at the time was on his level and Bobby Hull before and Guy Lafleur after were the only two players in close proximity who came close, and they also looked like they could jump straight out of a Time Machine and be placed in the NHL today and not look out of place.

They would not look out of place but they wouldn't score nearly as much.

NHL goaltending pre-1992 honestly is a bit of a joke so is the defensive coverage, McDavid would have to go play in the ECHL to get a comparable and that probably still wouldn't simulate it fully.

The sport has evolved a lot, especially the goaltending positions and defensive strategy.

 

[Hanji]

I never really like this line of logic because that can just mean you played in a much shittier era honestly.

Like Wilt Chamberlain scored 50 ppg in 1960s basketball too (this would be like a hockey player scoring like 250 points in a season), but then again he was like only one of two 7 footers in the entire NBA at that time. Today many teams have two sometimes on just one roster.

There are ECHL goalies today who are better than NHL goalies from the 60s or even 80s. The position has gotten radically better since the mid-90s and revolutionized the sport.

Your argument is akin to saying today’s elite physicists are all smarter than Einstein because humanity’s knowledge of physics wasn't as developed in his time.

The game has gotten radically better because of players like Orr. He was so ahead of his peers he revolutionized and transcended the game because of it.

For as good as mcDavid is, he’s not that.

 

[Soundwave]

Your argument is akin to saying today’s elite physicists are all smarter than Einstein because they have more knowledge to work with.

The game has gotten radically better because of players like Orr. He completely changed the way the game was played. He was so ahead of his time it’s not funny. Revolutionary.

For as good as mcDavid is, he’s not that.

Yes, but revolutionary doesn't necessarily mean better. The closest comparable you might get is putting McDavid in the ECHL but to simulate worse goaltending and defence but forcing him to play with a wooden stick and old skates.

I still think he would put up a ton of points.

He is the most skilled, athletic player ever to step on a sheet of ice IMO. He is the ultimate evolution of the sport to date.

 

[authentic]

They would not look out of place but they wouldn't score nearly as much.

NHL goaltending pre-1992 honestly is a bit of a joke so is the defensive coverage, McDavid would have to go play in the ECHL to get a comparable and that probably still wouldn't simulate it fully.

The sport has evolved a lot, especially the goaltending positions and defensive strategy.

I don’t disagree with you I just don’t see the relevance of it really, everyone is well aware of this already. Every current best player is the most skilled of all-time, McDavid isn’t unique in that sense.

 

[Hanji]

Yes, but revolutionary doesn't necessarily mean better. The closest comparable you might get is putting McDavid in the ECHL but to simulate worse goaltending and defence but forcing him to play with a wooden stick and old skates.

I still think he would put up a ton of points.

He is the most skilled, athletic player ever to step on a sheet of ice IMO. He is the ultimate evolution of the sport to date.

He’s the best ‘as is’ finished product the game has ever seen, but that’s precisely because of all the modern advantages he enjoys over past greats. This is typical in all sports.

However this doesn't make him most innately skilled player to play the game. Certainly not on Orr’s level.

 

[Soundwave]

He might be the best finished product the game has ever seen, but that’s precisely because of all the modern advantages he enjoys.

However he’s not the most innately skilled player the game has seen.

I'd say he's the most explosive athlete the game has ever seen. I've never seen anyone move on an ice surface like he does when he is going full tilt. It's like watching a video game version of NHL where you could spam the turbo button.

 

[Hanji]

I'd say he's the most explosive athlete the game has ever seen. I've never seen anyone move on an ice surface like he does when he is going full tilt. It's like watching a video game character.

Right, but that gets us back to linear crossovers.
Mcdavid would not be nearly as fast, nor explosive in 1970’s skates.

Actually, I dont think he would dominate the current ECHL if he wore 70’s equipment. I dont think you understand just how bad that stuff was.


Here’s OEL in 1980s gear.

 

[ItWasJustified]

In his four games before the injury he had 4 points. In his four games after the injury he has 9. He was also suppose to be out 2-3 weeks but came back in 9 days. The Oilers are obviously giving him something. If it steroids, stem cells or something else, who knows, but it is something.

 

[Albatros]

I'd say he's the most explosive athlete the game has ever seen. I've never seen anyone move on an ice surface like he does when he is going full tilt. It's like watching a video game version of NHL where you could spam the turbo button.

Pavel Bure was far more explosive. McDavid has the better edge work, among the very best, but his acceleration isn't up there with the best when skating straight. It's all linear crossovers that grant exceptional agility and puck control but at a certain cost.

 

[Mulletman]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1857265328989860285

With the Oilers having 65 games left McDavid should clear the 1100 point mark as well this season. In fact with the steady pace he's had with scoring his last 300 points McDavid should end this season with 1113 career points. That leaves only 887 points to 2000. With McDavid having at least 12 years of hockey left after this it would mean he needs to average 74 points per year in order to hit 2000 career points. At this point we can easlily say that if McDavid doesn't hit 2000 career points it would be a huge disappointment...

 

[Soundwave]

Pavel Bure was far more explosive. McDavid has the better edge work, among the very best, but his acceleration isn't up there with the best when skating straight. It's all linear crossovers that grant exceptional agility and puck control but at a certain cost.

Heavily disagree with this, there's no one far more explosive than McDavid, his ability to go from a casual glide to high speed at the snap of a finger is unmatched.

 

[Albatros]

With McDavid having at least 12 years of hockey left after this

"At least". There are 0 forwards over 40 in the league at the moment, the last ten years pretty much just Jágr, Thornton, and Cullen have played close to a full season. Only in Jágr there was some production left.

 

[olli]

Kinda sucks he had a slow start by his standards or he would’ve been the 3rd fastest but it doesn’t really matter at the end of the day.

 

[Mulletman]

"At least". There are 0 forwards over 40 in the league at the moment, the last ten years pretty much just Jágr, Thornton, and Cullen have played close to a full season. Only in Jágr there was some production left.

The very best players tend to hold up until 40. Ovechkin will be 40 next year. Crosby will play at 40 if he wants to. Jagr as you said was still productive after 40. Selanne was 8th in league scoring at 40 and put up 197 points after turning 40. Howe played well into his 40s. McDavid will play into his 40s too, especially if he wants that cup bad enough.

 

[alko]

I feel sorry to all great players, that have to play in the dead puck era.

 

[Albatros]

The very best players tend to hold up until 40. Ovechkin will be 40 next year. Crosby will play at 40 if he wants to. Jagr as you said was still productive after 40. Selanne was 8th in league scoring at 40 and put up 197 points after turning 40. Howe played well into his 40s. McDavid will play into his 40s too, especially if he wants that cup bad enough.

Gretzky was on his last legs and retired at 38, Lemieux tried to pull it off but couldn't and retired mid-season. Yzerman rested over the lockout to return for one more year, playing 12 minutes a night while taking games off behind a 35-year-old Robert Lang in the depth chart. Sakic didn't recover from early season injuries at 39 etc. Only a small handful of players have mastered playing past 40 and not many current players will join that club.

 

[Spawn]

Gretzky was on his last legs and retired at 38, Lemieux tried to pull it off but couldn't and retired mid-season. Yzerman rested over the lockout to return for one more year, playing 12 minutes a night while taking games off behind a 35-year-old Robert Lang in the depth chart. Sakic didn't recover from early season injuries at 39 etc. Only a small handful of players have mastered playing past 40 and not many current players will join that club.

Whether McDavid plays until 40 or not probably wont make a big difference on if he hits 2000 or not. Whether he stays healthy over the next ~10 years or so will be the bigger factor.

If he does stay healthy, it would be hard to imagine he won't hit that number. But injuries of course are impossible to predict.

 

[torniojaws]

He might go down as the 3rd best player the game has seen.

Truly one of the players of all time

 

[Deas]

I don’t disagree with you I just don’t see the relevance of it really, everyone is well aware of this already. Every current best player is the most skilled of all-time, McDavid isn’t unique in that sense.

Exactly this. Have claimed this in different contexts and discussions again and again over the years.

If the 150th best player today was time machined to 1985 and scored 200 points - debateable of course - that’s still not very relevant. Comparison against peers is the best we can do.

OT: McDavid is magic and it’s so cool to witness this.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

I'm starting to think this guy might be pretty good.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

It sucks knowing Sid maybe reaches it a little faster than he ended up doing it in if he didn't have that neck/concussion issue for 2yrs.

 

[FrozenJagrt]

His dominance is established, now people will take pleasure in asterisking him because he doesn't have a cup at 27 when Sid had one at 21 or whatever it was.

Hopefully he gets one, skill-wise he's on track to be a Top 5 Player all time and a cup clinches it assuming he plays out a normal career from this point (at least 10 more years.)

I'm comfortable putting him at 5 right now, even without the cup. What he did in the playoffs last season was incredible, there really wasn't much more he could have done and one can't blame his lack of a championship on him.

 

[orby]

Dude is the real deal. Hope to see him cement the legacy with a cup.

 

[The Panther]

In his four games before the injury he had 4 points. In his four games after the injury he has 9. He was also suppose to be out 2-3 weeks but came back in 9 days. The Oilers are obviously giving him something. If it steroids, stem cells or something else, who knows, but it is something.

This is the most exciting thing for me, as a lifelong Oil fan. The past two games (NY Isles, Nashville), McDavid has looked 100% for the first time in a LONG TIME. Honestly, the entire 2023-24 season, he did not look like himself and -- so I think -- was fighting a nagging injury. He certainly wasn't shooting the puck much, or with much authority. He was mishandling the puck a lot, too, which he wasn't doing in 2021 or in 2022-23 (his two best seasons).

That Isles game was vintage McDavid. He was just flying around. I believe he contributed to 19 Grade-A scoring chances, which is utterly ridiculous. Not quite as dominant vs. Nashville, but he was just flying around the ice at full speed all game.

And he also looks like he is enjoying the game again, too.

Congrats on 1000 (and 1) points!

By the way, Connor is now only 33 points behind Mark Messier for third on the Oilers' all-time list. And he's only 42 points behind Jari Kurri for 2nd.

 

[Fourier]

Pavel Bure was far more explosive. McDavid has the better edge work, among the very best, but his acceleration isn't up there with the best when skating straight. It's all linear crossovers that grant exceptional agility and puck control but at a certain cost.

Having watched both live I don't buy the claim that Bure was far more explosive but it's not like there is a way to actually prove or disprove the assertion so we can leave it at that. I will say this, I don't know if you have ever seen McDavid live but if you haven't you are missing out on something special. TV just does not do him justice.