Connor McDavid May Already Be the Best Player in NHL History – The Hockey Writers – Edmonton Oilers

There are fans who have watched Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid for the last 11 seasons and believe that he is the best hockey player they have ever seen. That includes fans like me who also saw Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier in their prime on numerous occasions.

Bob Stauffer, host of Oilers Now on 880 CHED, calls McDavid the most advanced player in the history of the game, and Oil Country’s Alan Mitchell, host of the Lowdown with Lowetide on Sports 1440, believes that McDavid is reaching a historic accomplishment as he closes in on 1300 career points.

McDavid Ranks Top Three All Time in Points Per Game Percentage

On his Aug. 18 show, Mitchell mentioned that Gretzky leads the NHL in all-time points-per-game percentage at 1.921. Mario Lemieux ranks second at 1.883. However, McDavid is currently in third place with a points-per-game average of 1.537. Mitchell argued that this accomplishment has been undervalued given that Gretzky and Lemieux played in a very different era than the hockey of today.

He went on to say that McDavid has also been overshadowed by the career numbers put up by Washington Capitals superstar Alexander Ovechkin, who is closing in on 950 goals and Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who could soon be in the top five in career assists (and points).

McDavid Racing Up the All-Time Points Standings

McDavid ranks 47th all-time in NHL scoring with 1,220 points; he needs just 80 to tie Calgary Flames forward Jarome Iginla for 39th and could catch him as soon as January. That alone would be a massive feat considering how dominant Iginla was in his career. It should also be noted that McDavid has more career points than all-time greats such as Maurice Richard (966), Bobby Hull (1170) and Jean Beliveau (1219).

Does McDavid Need a Stanley Cup to be Considered the Best Ever?

That’s the great debate. Many pundits and hockey fans, even McDavid himself, believe you need to have won a Stanley Cup to be in the conversation for the best player of all time. Gretzky won four with the Oilers, Lemieux won two with the Penguins, and even Crosby has three Stanley Cup rings.

But when you examine who has the best overall skill set, you can’t deny that McDavid is the most complete player to have ever played in the NHL. He’s slightly ahead of Lemieux, who was out of this world when he led Pittsburgh to Stanley Cups in the 1990s and Team Canada to a gold medal in the 2002 Winter Olympics. Skill-wise, McDavid can skate and stickhandle faster than Gretzky but doesn’t quite match The Great One for creativity.

Who Will Decide the NHL’s Best-Ever Player?

The debate over a sport’s greatest player is never-ending. Hockey fans who remember Maurice “The Rocket” Richard believe he is the greatest. Others believe it’s Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr, Guy Lafleur, or even Howie Morenz, who won three Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens before his brilliant career was cut short due to injury in the 1930s.

If and when McDavid wins a Stanley Cup with the Oilers (or another team as Ray Bourque did with the Colorado Avalanche), he should be considered the greatest of all time. That’s who would get my vote. But that’s debatable, right?

Who do you think is the best hockey player of all time? Let us know in the comments section – please be polite and respectful; the world could use more of it these days.