Oilers star Connor McDavid reaches 500 career points with assist in 369th game

EDMONTON — Oilers captain Connor McDavid joined an elite club Wednesday night, recording his 500th NHL point.

Edmonton’s star centre was quick to minimize the feat, however.

“It’s a little milestone, I guess. A little thing along the way here, which is nice,” McDavid said after the Oilers topped the Winnipeg Jets 3-2. “And onward.”

Fans didn’t have to wait long to see the achievement play out on Wednesday.

McDavid slid a quick pass to Jesse Puljujarvi 3:45 into the first period and the Finnish winger snapped a wrist shot past Connor Hellebuyck to open the scoring.

He added another helper on Leon Draisaitl’s power play marker midway through the second frame.

“It’s incredible. He’s done it all his career, he’s going to continue doing it,” Draisaitl said of McDavid’s latest milestone.

The German forward added that he’s even more impressed by how his teammate handles himself off the ice.

“He’s just someone you can learn a lot from. So we’re very lucky, very fortunate to have a guy like that as our leader,” Draisaitl said.

McDavid now has 171 goals, 330 assists in 369 career games. He leads the NHL in points this season with nine goals and 22 assists in 18 appearances.

The 24-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., is the 21st player in NHL history to accomplish the feat before his 25th birthday.

Reaching the 500-goal mark at such a young age is “pretty remarkable,” said Oilers coach Dave Tippett.

“It just shows what a talent he is,” Tippet said.

“I know he doesn’t look at milestones like that very much. But I think, probably, later on in life, he’ll look back and be very proud of some of those milestones he’s put forth. I know he still wants the team milestone ahead of the individual milestone, so that’s what he’s striving for.”

Picked first overall by the Oilers in 2015, McDavid’s career-best season came in 2018-19 when he amassed 116 points (41 goals, 75 assists) in 78 games.

He was awarded the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s top scorer in 2016-17 and 2017-18, and was also picked by his fellow players as the NHL’s most outstanding player in both seasons. He also took home the Hart Trophy, awarded to annually to the league’s most valuable player, in 2016-17.

McDavid signed an eight-year, $100-million extension with the Oilers in July 2017.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 17, 2021.

The Canadian Press