Two of the National Hockey League’s biggest stars are set to face off Thursday night when the Edmonton Oilers and Pittsburgh Penguins meet at PPG Paints Arena.
Ever since Wayne Gretzky, aptly known as “The Great One,” retired from the NHL over two decades ago, fans of the game have patiently awaited another talent who would so clearly dominate the league in comparison to his peers, and in such a way that no one could contest the name of the next greatest player in the world.
Although the league has seen countless other phenoms pass through over the years who’ve muddled the debate over time, Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid were two young Canadian teenagers who excited the hockey community early in their respective careers, even earning themselves the moniker, “The Next One,” before their professional days.
Crosby ultimately ended up as the first-overall pick at the 2005 NHL Draft and McDavid the same, 10 years later.
Fast forward several years from their individual adolescent achievements and at present, we have a 35-year-old Crosby and 26-year-old McDavid who are arguably considered the generational talents — of their respective generations.
Crosby, perhaps best known to this day for his “Golden Goal” at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, is a two-time Olympic gold-medalist, three-time Stanley Cup champion, two-time Stanley Cup MVP and five-time NHL All-Star. He’s won the Hart Trophy twice, the Art Ross Trophy twice, the Conn Smythe Trophy twice, the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy twice and the Ted Lindsay Award three times.
McDavid, like Crosby, has been extremely successful to this point in his career — when it comes to personal success. He’s a six-time NHL All-Star and has also won the Hart Trophy twice and the Ted Lindsay Award three times, but has double the Art Ross Trophy wins that Crosby does.
When it comes to team-level success, however, McDavid has yet to experience some of the most prestigious achievements available to a hockey player. As we haven’t seen NHL players participate in the Olympics since 2014, McDavid has not yet had the opportunity to represent Canada on the world’s biggest stage, and on the NHL side of things, the Oilers haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1990 (years before McDavid was even born).
Looking at personal records, Crosby met three massive career milestones last season, etching his name in the NHL history books. He joined Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin as the only active NHL players to score 500 goals, became the 22nd player in league history to record 1,400 points (the seventh-fastest to do so), and earned his 200th post-season point (only the sixth player to reach the milestone).
McDavid, on the other hand, met a milestone of his own on Tuesday, becoming the fifth-fastest and fifth-youngest player in NHL history to record 800 career points (besting Crosby’s record by 26 games). In November, McDavid played his 500th game, and his 724 points at the time were the second-most through 500 games among players selected No. 1 in the NHL Draft, behind only Mario Lemieux. He’s the sixth player to reach both the 700- and 800-point milestones within the same season.
While the pair of captains each boast countless other awards, records and personal accomplishments that we could spend far too long listing off and comparing to determine which player has an edge, the point here is this: We’re witnessing two franchise players play some darn good hockey.
Heading into Thursday’s game, McDavid leads the league with 105 points in 58 games. When asked on Wednesday about the feat, Crosby had nothing but shining things to say about his peer.
“I think 120 (points) seemed like a crazy number at one point. Now, it looks like he’s going to cruise to that,” said Crosby. “He’s finding a way every year to get better when you don’t think it’s possible. That’s not a knock on him. He’s just setting the bar really high. He continues to push it.”
When asked which area of McDavid’s game he finds particularly effective, Crosby clarified there was “more than one.”
“I’d say his speed, but there are a lot of guys that have speed,” Crosby said. “It’s the way he uses it. It’s his hockey sense, his ability to make plays, shoot the puck. I mean, he’s scoring a ton of goals this year, so you can tell that he’s focused on shooting the puck as well. He’s dangerous in a lot of different ways.”
In 10 career matchups, McDavid has 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) while Crosby has six (three goals, three assists). The Oilers are 4-3-3 in those 10 meetings, with wins in the last four.
You can catch McDavid and Crosby going head-to-head on Sportsnet and SN NOW at 7 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. MT.