Connor McDavid races toward 1,000th point in NHL career
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is on the heels of yet another career milestone and he's among the fastest to do so.
McDavid is currently sitting at 995 points, and considering the talent, it's a matter of when rather than if he'll become a 1,000-point player.
Tom Gazzola, the host of Edmonton Sports Talk, spoke with CTV Edmonton News on Tuesday about McDavid's chance to earn a new accolade.
"Never count him out," said Gazzola, when asked if he'll achieve his 1,000th point against the New York Islanders on Tuesday. "When it comes to McDavid (and his) magical moments, he kind of has that same panache Wayne Gretzky did, where he could just pull it off like a rabbit out of a hat."
McDavid would be the fourth-fastest NHL player to see 1,000 career points, beaten to the punch only by hockey legends including Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Mike Bossy, who have done it in 424, 513 and 656 games, respectively.
"As soon as you're mentioned with Gretzky and Lemieux in that same breath … you're cementing your legacy," Gazzola said.
If Captain Connor scores five points against the Islanders on Tuesday, he would mark his 1,000th point in 657 games and become the 99th player to reach four-digit scoring numbers ever.
Gazzola said the numbers themselves hint at what could be the start of something good for the Oilers.
"Maybe that's a good omen for Oilers fans and Oilers fans abroad … maybe it (will) help lead him to (a) Stanley Cup at some point," Gazzola said.
"Maybe this is the turning point of the season … the 99th guy to become a 1,000 point player. Maybe it's sealed in fate, and somewhere in the stars it all aligns."
Connor McDavid will lead the Edmonton Oilers against the New York Islanders at Rogers Place at 7 p.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Donald Trump picks former U.S. congressman Pete Hoekstra as ambassador to Canada
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has nominated former diplomat and U.S. congressman Pete Hoekstra to be the American ambassador to Canada.
Genetic evidence backs up COVID-19 origin theory that pandemic started in seafood market
A group of researchers say they have more evidence to suggest the COVID-19 pandemic started in a Chinese seafood market where it spread from infected animals to humans. The evidence is laid out in a recent study published in Cell, a scientific journal, nearly five years after the first known COVID-19 outbreak.
This is how much money you need to make to buy a house in Canada's largest cities
The average salary needed to buy a home keeps inching down in cities across Canada, according to the latest data.
'My two daughters were sleeping': London Ont. family in shock after their home riddled with gunfire
A London father and son they’re shocked and confused after their home was riddled with bullets while young children were sleeping inside.
Smuggler arrested with 300 tarantulas strapped to his body
Police in Peru have arrested a man caught trying to leave the country with 320 tarantulas, 110 centipedes and nine bullet ants strapped to his body.
Boissonnault out of cabinet to 'focus on clearing the allegations,' Trudeau announces
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced embattled minister Randy Boissonnault is out of cabinet.
Baby dies after being reported missing in midtown Toronto: police
A four-month-old baby is dead after what Toronto police are calling a “suspicious incident” at a Toronto Community Housing building in the city’s midtown area on Wednesday afternoon.
Sask. woman who refused to provide breath sample did not break the law, court finds
A Saskatchewan woman who refused to provide a breath sample after being stopped by police in Regina did not break the law – as the officer's request was deemed not lawful given the circumstances.
Parole board reverses decision and will allow families of Paul Bernardo's victims to attend upcoming parole hearing in person
The families of the victims of Paul Bernardo will be allowed to attend the serial killer’s upcoming parole hearing in person, the Parole Board of Canada (PBC) says.