NHL: Edmonton Oilers at Toronto Maple Leafs - Source: Imagn — Elliotte Friedman reveals Connor McDavid's mindset after hitting 1,000 point NHL milestone (Credits: IMAGN)

"Just a number to me": Elliotte Friedman reveals Connor McDavid's mindset after hitting 1,000 point NHL milestone

Modified Nov 18, 2024 17:11 GMT

Connor McDavid hit the 1,000-point milestone in his NHL career. He did it faster than all but three other players, putting him on pace to finish with a historic amount.

It was a massive moment for the Edmonton Oilers (9-7-2) star, but hockey insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that McDavid wasn’t interested in the milestone.

On Monday, Friedman said on his 32 Thoughts podcast. (From 20:00 mark)

"I had a chance to speak to McDavid just briefly on Saturday morning, and I was asking him about how happy he was when he got us 1000 point in that game against the Predators. And, you know, I said, like, I'm not used to you being excited in that moment about when it's about you. And he said it wasn't the 1000 points. He says, that's just a number to me."

Connor McDavid did say he got caught up in the emotion of it all. The fans in the building, the talk around the sport, and his teammates’ reaction meant something. Friedman said he loved getting past the milestone, but it was also a quality game and a tight win for the Oilers.

McDavid was assisted by Leon Draisaitl, one of his longest-running teammates, on a goal that tied the score at one goal apiece. The Oilers went on to take the game from the Nashville Predators 3-2.

Connor McDavid reflects on turnaround after historic win

The Edmonton Oilers couldn’t keep things going after the big 3-2 overtime win over the Nashville Predators. In Connor McDavid’s homecoming to Toronto, the Oilers fell to a 3-4 Toronto Maple Leafs defeat.

Connor McDavid scored in the Oilers’s latest loss. (Credits: IMAGN)

The star player said via NHL:

“It was a quick turnaround on the plane (after reaching the milestone) just trying to get to Toronto early to beat all the Taylor Swift traffic. So, that’s been a quick turnaround.”

Fortunately, they “managed” to avoid traffic, but McDavid said it was “cool to see the city so excited.” The Leafs earned a 4-3 overtime win, though McDavid had a goal and an assist in the contest. He had four shots on goal throughout the game.