Ovechkin praises McDavid: 'He's from a different planet'

Longtime Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin knows a thing or two about being an otherworldly NHL talent, and he sees it in Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid.

"He's from a different planet," Ovechkin told Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun from All-Star Weekend in Florida. "How he plays the game. How he controls the puck. He controls his speed. He's very fun to watch.

"It's not one player and one year. He's consistently doing it. Every year. It's cool to see. It's great for us. It's great for fans. It's great for the kids."

McDavid is on track to win his fifth Art Ross and likely his third MVP with 92 points in 50 games so far. The Oilers phenom is the only player since 2000 to crack 90-plus points in 50 games, according to Hockey Reference. He's accomplished the feat twice.

McDavid is averaging 1.84 points per game this season, which puts him on pace for the NHL's first 150-point campaign since Mario Lemieux had 161 in 1995-96. Edmonton's captain also paces the NHL with 41 goals, just three shy of matching his career best with 32 games to go.

Although McDavid's point totals are the envy of his peers, the 26-year-old's sole focus is on capturing a Stanley Cup after reaching the Western Conference Final last spring.

"That's the ultimate goal," McDavid said. "That's what we're building towards. I haven't really put much thought into (records and numbers). Winning, that's the focus."

Edmonton entered the break holding the top wild-card spot in the Western Conference with 60 points.

Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.