NHL: New York Islanders at Edmonton Oilers - Source: Imagn — NHL analyst weighs in on ‘emotional’ Connor McDavid as Oilers star reaches 1,000 point NHL milestone (Image Credit: Imagn)

NHL analyst weighs in on ‘emotional’ Connor McDavid as Oilers star reaches 1,000 point NHL milestone

Modified Nov 15, 2024 15:49 GMT

Connor McDavid hit a major milestone in a 3-2 win on Thursday night, recording his 1,000th point. He was the fourth-fastest to ever do it. After the game, McDavid, who is usually as stoic and calm as they come, admitted to getting a little emotional after the milestone. One NHL insider said it proves that he is and always has been as "human" as anyone else.

Kyle Bukauskas, the co-host of 32 Thoughts podcast alongside Elliotte Friedman, said (39:11):

"Don't know if you saw his interview on the ice post-game, interacting with the crowd, saying, 'Hey, you're making me emotional here.'... Like, contrary to some people's beliefs, McDavid has always been human.

"He is very much human, and it was just neat to see him recognize a moment like that and talking about it afterwards, about how cool it was for him to see how his teammates reacted to it all."

The Oilers star scored in a win over the San Jose Sharks. Teammate Leon Draisaitl helped assist on that and said after the game that there was no way he was going to take the shot there, instead trying to set up McDavid to get the goal and 1,000 points.

Leon Draisaitl praised Connor McDavid ahead of 1,000th point

It is fitting that longtime teammate Leon Draisaitl was the one who assisted Connor McDavid's 1,000th point. They have scored and assisted each other plenty throughout the years, and Draisaitl was effusive in his praise of McDavid even before he reached 1,000 points.

Leon Draisaitl praised Connor McDavid (Imagn)

He said on Thursday, via the New York Post:

“I don’t think there’s been a player like him before. I don’t think there’s [been] a player that can create out of nothing, ever in hockey. You get into 1,000 at his age and how few games he’s played, it’s mind-blowing at times to see him break all of these records."

Draisaitl said there's "a lot of work that goes into it for him (McDavid)." The star player said he and his teammates are "fortunate" to have such an up-close view of how one of the best hockey players does it every day.