Connor McDavid surpasses Mario Lemieux in the NHL record books

The Edmonton Oilers captain is now ahead of Mario Lemieux in the NHL stat book.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 2 years ago
Connor McDavid surpasses Mario Lemieux in the NHL record books
Golf Digest

From the moment that he was drafted with the 1st overall selection by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2015 NHL Draft, folks everywhere knew that Connor McDavid had the potential to hit the ground running and soon become one of the top players in the world. 

Actually, we all knew that he was a special player even before his debut in the world's greatest hockey league. But the things that he's accomplished on the ice in such a short time often requires one to sit back and fully examine their sheer magnitude in order to fully appreciate it. 

Already having enjoyed some of the greatest players in NHL history, fans of the Edmonton Oilers are now being treated to the privilege of watching the top player in today's game - bar none. And while that's not meant as a slight to any of the other tremendously talented players in hockey today, there's simply no comparison. Connor McDavid is playing in outer space right now. 

Despite the 56-game shortened NHL Season (owing to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic), McDavid ran away with the NHL scoring title at a pace that has to be seen to be believed. He recorded an astonishing 33 goals and 69 assists for a grand total of 102 points - in 54 games played. 

Had this been a full NHL Season, McDavid was on pace for 50 goals and 105 assists for 155 points. 

While there are no shortage of superlatives to describe the season that McDavid has enjoyed, there's yet another stat that confirms his reservation in the upper echelon of all-time greats. 

Thanks to his having eclipsed the century mark in points in just 54 games played, McDavid now has the best points per game average in the current century with 1.89, passing the legendary Mario Lemieux's average of 1.77 points per game since his courageous return to the NHL in December of 2000. 

He also passed two marks from future Hall of Fame forward, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby. Crosby enjoyed a 1.68 points per game average in 2012, which beat his own previous mark of 1.61 points per game in 2011. 

Additionally, McDavid bested Tampa Bay Lightning sniper Nikita Kucherov's mark of 1.56 points per game in the 2018-19 season. 

Having already earned the Art Ross Trophy twice (soon to be three), the Ted Lindsay Award twice, and the Hart Memorial Trophy once (soon to be twice), the only thing missing from McDavid's resume is the Stanley Cup. 

Source: Lapresse