© Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
Connor McDavid Becomes Fourth Player in NHL History to Record 100 Assists in Single Season
Edmonton Oilers superstar and Hart Trophy candidate Connor McDavid joined some elite company in NHL history on Monday night when he notched his 100th assist of the campaign during the second period against the San Jose Sharks.
It's a feat that's not been accomplished since Wayne Gretzky in 1990–91, when The Great One recorded 122 assists with the Los Angeles Kings.
McDavid is just the fourth player in league history with a 100-assist season, joining the likes of Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr among those to achieve the statistical feat. Gretzky has 11 such seasons, while Lemieux and Orr each have one.
The Oilers star was on a two-on-one break with Zach Hyman and managed to shed his defender with a stick move before finding Hyman in front of the net for a clean look at the goal. It's a combination fans in Edmonton have grown accustomed to seeing throughout the season, so it's only fitting that the McDavid-Hyman connection put the 27-year-old in the history books.
McDavid's may not be the lone 100-assist season we see in the NHL this year, either. With one game left, Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov sits at 99 assists after logging one in the team's loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Monday.