Is Connor McDavid the best athlete in the world right now?[ 23 vote(s) ]
1.	Yes	20 / 87%
2.	No	3 / 13%

At game 68, Connor McDavid has a cap era record with 129 points. He has 14 games to get to a coveted 150 points and 60 goals. He is well on pace to break both.

McDavid is 1st in goals at 56. 10 goals ahead of the ahead of Pastrnak in 2nd.

McDavid is 1st in points with 129. 29 points ahead of Draisaitl in 2nd. He is 33 points ahead of the next guy not on his team (Kucherov at 96).

McDavid is 1st in assists with 73. He is 4 assists ahead of Kucherov at 69. Karlsson is at 64. This is his tightest race.

If he leads the league in both goals and assist by the end, it would be a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since Lemieux in 1995-96. Only 4 players have accomplished it (Gretzky * 5, Howe * 2, Lemieux * 2, Esposito * 1). Notably, Lemieux tied his teammate Ron Francis in assists that year. The last to lead in both categories outright was Gretzky in 86-87.

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He is 1st in 5v5 goals with 29 (Hughes 26).

He trails Karlsson for 5v5 points (McDavid 51 to Karlsson 53).

He is 1st in PP points with 59. Draisaitl (50), Nuge (44), and Kucherov (41) are next.

He is even 5th in shorthanded points with 5. Pettersson leads with 9.


Is it fair to say that McDavid is the best athlete in the world right now? In the major sports, nobody dominates as consistently as he does. What about other sports? Serious question, who competes with his dominance right now?

His last Hart trophy in 2021, he was the unanimous MVP. It was the second time it has been done (Gretzky in 92). It’s a very rare feat in the big 4 sports as a whole. He may do it again…but you never know with sports writers.

He is poised to get his 5th Art Ross in 8 years, and 3rd in a row. That will tie him for 4th most times winning the trophy. He trails Howe (6), Lemieux (6), and Gretzky (10). Incredibly Crosby has only won the trophy twice.

The most stunning thing about all of this to me is how little world recognition he gets. Even in Canada, he is not a household name. I have had a lot of conversations with people who have no idea who he is. Then when I ask “Have you heard of Sidney Crosby”, they say yes and I say that he is like that. Maybe that is a symptom of not going to the Olympics.

Nonetheless, I think McDavid is the best athlete in the world right now, and has been for some time. It’s been tremendous to watch him.

[Updated on: Wed, 15 March 2023 01:45]

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