This Week in the NHL: Can Connor McDavid reach his greatest milestone yet?
With 32 teams, games every night and countless narratives emerging, the NHL season can make one’s head spin, and it’s easy to miss out on the weekly storylines. Not to worry; every Monday from October to April, I’ll map out the major events, games, plotlines and milestones on tap for the next seven days.
So what’s happening the week of Nov. 2-8?
Nov. 7-9: Hall of Fame Weekend
The Hockey Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026; Patrice Bergeron, Cindy Curley, Carey Price, Pekka Rinne and Keith Tkachuk in the player category and Brian Burke in the builder category. They’ll be celebrated this weekend in Toronto, including at the annual Hall of Fame game. This year, the Toronto Maple Leafs will host the New Jersey Devils in a Sunday-night tilt. The induction ceremony takes place Monday, Nov. 9.
Sidney Crosby to crack top six scorers of all time?
Every time Crosby, 39, achieves another career accolade, we should thank our lucky stars that he got through the scary concussion problems that threatened his career 15 years go. He has left them behind to become one of the sport’s longest-tenured superstars. Fourteen games into season 22 of his legendary career, Sid sits at 1,771 points. He’s one point away from passing Marcel Dionne for sixth on the NHL’s all-time scoring leaderboard, and the Pittsburgh Penguins play four times this week. Later this season, health permitting, Crosby will catch Ron Francis for fifth. Crosby is a near lock to crack the top three and maybe even the top two by the time he retires.
Connor McDavid’s 50th point…already?
To even discuss the concept of McDavid reaching 50 points this week is utterly astounding. He’s played just 15 games! But he has compiled a staggering 39 points over that span. His 2.6 points per game have him tracking to get point No. 50 in game No. 20. The fastest player ever to reach 50 points was, naturally, Wayne Gretzky, who needed just 18 games to get there in 1983-84. The Oilers play three times this week, and if McDavid continues scoring at his current pace, he’ll sit at 47 after Game No. 18. He’s right there.
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