"It just kind of happened naturally" - Connor McDavid opens up about etching his name in NHL history with a historic 100-assist season

By ARJUN B

Modified Apr 16, 2024 08:09 GMT

Connor McDavid etched his name in NHL history on Monday night when he recorded his 100th season assist in the Edmonton Oilers' decisive 9-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks.

With the assist on Zach Hyman's second-period goal, McDavid became just the fourth player in league history to reach 100 assists in a season, joining the elite company with Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr.

"It means a lot," McDavid said. "Those three (Orr, Gretzky and Lemieux) are three of the greatest players to ever play, and to share a little something with them means a lot to me. I'm just thankful for my teammates, the staff here in Edmonton, the coaches and everything."

For the young Oilers captain, he said reaching 100 assists was never a specific goal at the start of the year.

"It just kind of happened naturally."

"I had that weird stretch where I didn't score any goals, but I had a bunch of assists. That's when I was made aware of it. It's just a product of playing with some really good players and on a good team and putting in a lot of hard work."

On Wednesday, the Edmonton Oilers will be going up against the Arizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena, followed by a game against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday at Ball Arena.

Connor McDavid’s Oilers' 9-2 win against the San Jose Sharks

The Edmonton Oilers put on a strong offensive in a 9-2 rout off the San Jose Sharks on Monday night.

Oilers captain Connor McDavid wasted no time, scoring 53 seconds into the game to give Edmonton an early 1-0 lead. His pass to Zach Hyman on the rush deflected in off Marc-Édouard Vlasic's skate for the goal.

Adam Henrique doubled the Oilers' lead to 2-0 at 4:01, scoring from the front of the net after Brett Kulak's initial shot was blocked. Warren Foegele made it 3-0 at 10:40, electing to shoot on a 2-on-1 break and beating Sharks goalie Devin Cooley five-hole.

Dylan Holloway stretched the lead to 4-0 just before the first intermission, redirecting a Henrique-centering pass five-hole.

The Sharks got on the board early in the second when Danil Gushchin's soft backhander deflected in off Stuart Skinner's pad to cut the deficit to 4-1.

But the Oilers refused to let up, with Foegele scoring his second of the game at 4:41 to make it 5-1. Corey Perry and Cody Ceci scored goals later in the same period to give Edmonton a commanding 7-1 lead after two.

In the third, Evan Bouchard and Zach Hyman traded quick goals just 15 seconds apart, pushing the score to 9-1. San Jose's Fabian Zetterlund added a late goal, but it was far too late in the 9-2 Oilers blowout victory.