Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid may have just recorded the fastest lap in NHL history.
Take this notion with a grain of salt but at the Oilers’ own skills competition Sunday, McDavid careened around the rink and finished a lap in 13.382 seconds, according to NHL.com.
From Oiler Eric Gryba on Instagram:
You may remember that Dylan Larkin beat Mike Gartner’s decades-long record (13.386) at the 2016 all-star game with a time of 13.172. But what was seemingly overlooked was that Larkin, and last year’s crop of contestants, got an advantage no other skaters before had: they began from the far blue-line, only to have the clock start once they hit the red line. Gartner, and every other skater at the competition over the years, started from the red line.
So Larkin’s record, I’m suggesting, should have an asterisk attached. Gartner’s record has apparently been broken by McDavid.
Now, this is all fun and games so don’t “at” me, but McDavid clocking this time at the Oilers’ skills competition is a bit like setting a track record but not a world record. The real landmark time will or will not come at the 2017 NHL all-star game. Still, the conversation around McDavid’s speed has begun in earnest.
Is he the fastest in the game now? Is he the fastest ever?
Among current NHLers, the one other player who comes to mind that could rival McDavid’s speed — other than Larkin* — is Detroit Red Wings forward Andreas Athanasiou.
Watch what he did to the defending Stanley Cup champions last night:
With the breakaway skills contest removed from the all-star festivities this year, look for the fastest skater competition to be the main skills event.
The crown is there for McDavid to grab.
