Will 97 Catch 99 This Season? Wayne Gretzky on Connor McDavid's Chase of History

TORONTO - Connor McDavid is up to 44 points through 17 games after a four-point performance in the Oilers' game against the Ducks on Thursday night.

He has more assists (34) than any other player has points, and he's currently on pace for 217 points over an 84-game schedule, which would set a new NHL single-season record.

That would break the single-season points record that none other than Wayne Gretzky set. His 215 points in 80 games in 1985-86 with the Oilers still stand as the single-season record.

Records are meant to be broken, and we never thought we'd see anyone get close to Gretzky's all-time goals-scored record of 894 before Alex Ovechkin broke it in 2025. But if anyone is going to achieve the mark, it would be McDavid.

But what's more impressive to Gretzky than the points being put up by McDavid this season is the way he's leading the Oilers this season after being bounced last postseason by the Ducks.

"More importantly [than his record-setting pace, McDavid is] a wonderful young man, and what he's doing for his hockey team, for the game, for the city of Edmonton — it's unmatched right now," Gretzky said to the media at an event commemorating a legacy partnership with trading card company Upper Deck.

In collaboration with the Hockey Hall of Fame, Upper Deck and Gretzky also revealed the 'Walter Gretzky Upper Deck Hockey Resource Centre,' an archival tribute to Gretzky's late father and his influence on his career.

The Oilers have gotten off to a red-hot 11-3-3 start, leading the Pacific Division and McDavid would be a first-ballot Hall of Famer if his career ended today.

But like McDavid, though, Gretzky's primary concern was less about individual accolades and more about winning. While Gretzky led the Oilers to four Cups and McDavid is still seeking his first, Gretzky spoke with high praise and confidence for McDavid in this respect on Friday.

"He's on a mission to win a Stanley Cup; he wants it desperately, and that's what you need out of your best player and your captain," Gretzky said. "You need that leadership that you want to get to that next level, and he has that in him."

Let's remind you, dear reader, that this isn't just anyone saying this about McDavid. This is hockey's GOAT, the Great One himself.

Gretzky just sees this as the natural evolution of sports, where players can seemingly do things that seemed impossible in the past.

"It's incredible," Gretzky said. "[McDavid] is a tremendous young man; he's obviously a great hockey player, and what he's doing is truly remarkable. "Today, the athletes, and I say this with a great deal of respect, as time goes on, the equipment gets better, the athletes get bigger and better, the game gets better, and it's all positive. And what he's doing now is remarkable."