Oilers' McDavid is chasing a Gretzky record that seems impossible to break
Connor McDavid is off to a historic start to the 2026-27 NHL season, but he’ll need to keep up his incredible production for quite some time if he hopes to catch one of Wayne Gretzky’s most remarkable records.
The Edmonton Oilers superstar recorded another point on Wednesday night, picking up an assist in his team’s 3-2 overtime victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. With that, McDavid extended his season-opening point streak to 20 games, becoming just the fourth player in NHL history to record at least one point in each of his team’s first 20 games.
McDavid has been virtually unstoppable to begin the campaign, leading the NHL with 49 points (11 goals, 38 assists) through 20 games. However, despite his incredible production, he still has a long way to go before he can even think about catching Gretzky’s record.
Perry Nelson/Imagn Images
During the 1983-84 season, Gretzky recorded a point in an incredible 51 consecutive games to open the campaign. The record remains untouched more than four decades later, and it’s difficult to imagine anyone coming particularly close to it.
Even more impressive was Gretzky’s production during that stretch. The Oilers legend recorded an astonishing 153 points, including 61 goals and 92 assists, across those 51 games. That’s an average of exactly three points per game.
For comparison, McDavid currently sits at 2.45 points per game, which is an incredible pace in its own right.
The 29-year-old still needs another 31 consecutive games with at least one point just to match Gretzky’s record. That would take him well into the new year, assuming he can keep his streak alive.
Considering McDavid has already established himself as one of the greatest offensive players the NHL has ever seen, it’s certainly fun to wonder whether he could eventually threaten that particular record. Still, there’s a reason Gretzky’s 51-game streak has stood for so long.
McDavid has been spectacular, but he’s still got a whole lot more work to do.
- You might also like:
- Brand new ‘Hockey Night in Canada’ broadcast team has been revealed