When Wayne Gretzky picked up his 31st assist of the 1988 playoffs, Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins — a shot that current CBC analyst Craig Simpson tipped in from his usual position in front of the net — we all figured that was another, ho-hum No. 99 record nobody would break.
But now we’ve got the newest Oiler hero, Connor McDavid, with 32 assists in a single playoff season. No. 97 surpassed No. 99 on Saturday by sliding the puck over to young Dylan Holloway, who beat Florida backup goaltender Anthony Stolarz late in the third period of Edmonton’s 8-1 victory in Game 4.
It’s not clear what’s harder to believe, that anybody could break a Gretzky playoff record, or that the wheels had already been set in motion by former Oilers owner Peter Pocklington on that 1988 night to sell Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings.
Gretzky’s final assist that night, in what turned out to be his final game as an Oiler, gave him 43 total playoff points that year as Edmonton won its fourth Cup in five seasons.
McDavid has 38 points now, with up to three more games to play. That ranks fifth highest after Gretzky’s 47 points in 1985, Mario Lemieux’s 44 in 1991, Gretzky’s 43 in 1988 and Gretzky’s 40 points in 1993 with Los Angeles.
(McDavid has 19 points after a loss this post-season, which is the highest in NHL history).
In the victorious Oilers dressing room Saturday, Zach Hyman tried to put McDavid’s 32 assists into the right context.
“I mean, Gretzky’s The Great One,” he said. “And Connor’s putting together one of the best post-seasons. He’s the guy who sets everybody up.”
That is exactly what was said about Gretzky back in the day. Gretzky to Kurri, Gretzky to Coffey, Gretzky to Messier and Anderson.
There was no argument from Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch, who first coached McDavid in his junior days with the Erie Otters.
“Where does this rank? Very high, just because of what was at stake. You’re in an elimination game, you’re in the final,” he said.
