With a goal in a 3-2 overtime win against the Nashville Predators on Thursday night, generational talent Connor McDavid became the fourth-fastest player in NHL history to reach 1,000 points, doing so in just his 659th game. The only players to do it faster: Hall of Famers Wayne Gretzky (424 games), Mario Lemieux (513 games), and Mike Bossy (656 games). Some elite company for McDavid.
McDavid entered the game with 999 points and scored off a 2-on-1 with Leon Draisaitl, his long-time Edmonton Oilers running mate, early in the second period. Draisaitl made no mistake of sliding the puck over to McDavid for the goal, emptying the Oilers bench to celebrate this significant milestone. McDavid even notched an assist on the overtime-winner by Darnell Nurse to start on his next 1,000 points.
Along with McDavid, here are the 10 most recent NHL players to reach the 1,000-point milestone.
10. Patrick Kane – January 19, 2020
One of the best NHL players over the past two decades, Patrick Kane reached 1,000 points with the Chicago Blackhawks, where he played for 15 full seasons and won three Stanley Cup championships. Kane reached the milestone against the Winnipeg Jets on a secondary assist from behind the net, resulting in a Brandon Saad goal. In his 16th season with the club, he was dealt to the New York Rangers at the trade deadline to try and win his fourth Stanley Cup title. After a bitter first-round exit, he signed with the Detroit Red Wings where he is now in his second season.
9. Anze Kopitar – May 5, 2021
Anze Kopitar has been a member of the Los Angeles Kings for the entirety of his career. Now in his 19th season, he still continues to score at an impressive rate for the Kings. Kopitar reached the 1,000-point mark in 2021 against the Arizona Coyotes, winning a defensive zone face-off back to defenseman Sean Walker, who fired it the length of the ice into an empty net. Kopitar won the Stanley Cup twice, in 2012 and 2014.
8. Ryan Getzlaf – November 16, 2021
Ryan Getzlaf was a member of the Anaheim Ducks for all 17 of his seasons in the NHL. The longtime Ducks captain reached 1,000 points at the start of the 2021-22 season, his last in the League, against the Washington Capitals. Getzlaf fired a cross-ice neutral zone pass to defenseman Cam Fowler, who cashed in the goal. Getzlaf scored 34 points in 56 games for the Ducks that season, ending his impressive career with 1,019 points, and one Stanley Cup championship.
7. Nicklas Backstrom – March 9, 2022
Nicklas Backstrom is another player who’s played for just one team in his career. Backstrom is now in his 17th season with the Washington Capitals, which included a Stanley Cup championship in 2018, but continues to be sidelined by a hip injury. He hasn’t played more than 61 games in a season since 2018-19, when he appeared in 80. Backstrom earned his 1,000th point in March of 2022 against the Philadelphia Flyers with an assist on a T.J. Oshie goal.
6. Patrice Bergeron – November 21, 2022
Patrice Bergeron played his entire career with the Boston Bruins, and retired at the end of the 2022-23 season. He won the Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 2011, and served as their captain for several years after Zdeno Chara left the organization. Bergeron notched his 1,000th point at the start of his final season in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, assisting on a Brad Marchand goal. He finished his NHL career with a total of 1,040 points.
5. Steven Stamkos – December 1, 2022
Steven Stamkos spent 16 seasons as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Following the 2023-24 season, Tampa Bay let him go in free agency, and he signed with the Nashville Predators. Stamkos won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships with the Lightning, and reached the 1,000-point mark in December of 2022 against the Philadelphia Flyers. Stamkos slid the puck over to forward Nick Paul, who banked it in from behind the goal line, emptying the Tampa Bay bench in celebration for their captain.
4. Claude Giroux – April 10, 2023
Claude Giroux has spent the majority of his 19-year career with the Philadelphia Flyers. He was traded to the Florida Panthers ahead of the deadline during the 2021-22 season, and then signed with the Ottawa Senators, where he is now in his third season. Giroux earned his 1,000th point in April of 2023 against the Carolina Hurricanes, feeding a pass to Ottawa forward Tim Stutzle, who fired it home. He is one of just four players on this list who, like Connor McDavid, have not won the Stanley Cup.
3. Joe Pavelski – April 10, 2023
Joe Pavelski is another great player who did not win the Stanley Cup, though he came close several times in his career. Pavelski was a longtime San Jose Sharks forward, spending 13 of his 18 seasons with the franchise. He then signed with the Dallas Stars, where he played for five seasons, reaching the 1,000-point milestone in April of 2023. He defelcted home a shot from the point, which is very fitting considering he is one of the best players of all-time when it comes to redirection goals. Pavelski ended with 1,068 career points, and while he has not officially retired, he has not played a game yet this season.
2. John Tavares – December 11, 2023
John Tavares spent nine of his 16 NHL seasons as a member and captain of the New York Islanders before electing to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2018. Tavares set out to win a Stanley Cup with his childhood team, but it hasn’t exactly panned out that way. Despite that, he’s still had an incredible career, and is the most recent player prior to McDavid to reach 1,000 points. He did so in December of 2023 against, who else, the Islanders in New York. He set up a William Nylander goal, and celebrated his milestone amid a rain of boos from his former team’s fanbase.
1. Connor McDavid – November 14, 2024
What more can be said about Connor McDavid? He reached the 1,000-point mark in just his 10th NHL season, becoming the fourth-fastest player to ever reach the milestone. McDavid continues to be the best player in the League year after year, and at just 27 years old, is not slowing down anytime soon. The Oilers crowd erupted at the sight of their franchise player securing such a significant milestone on home ice, and with McDavid constantly scoring well over 100 points, we could even see him become just the second player in NHL history to reach 2,000 points. But, that’s a story for many years from now.