Gretzky rooting for MacKinnon to break playoff points record
It's not often that one of Wayne Gretzky's records can be broken, but he hopes Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon gets a crack at setting a new benchmark for playoff points in a single season.
The Great One holds the record with a whopping 47 points in 18 games en route to winning the Stanley Cup in 1985. MacKinnon has a long way to go - he's currently at 25 points through 14 contests - but could challenge the all-time mark if Colorado goes on a run to the final.
"I would be the first to shake his hand if he were to break it. He is a terrific kid," Gretzky told TSN's Frank Seravalli on Thursday.
Gretzky added, "He's got more than a good chance. He has been dominant in every game. It's almost like he's picked up 20 guys on his shoulders and said, 'We're not going to lose.'"
He went on to praise MacKinnon as a blend of some of the best players to ever suit up.
"He is a cross between (Mario) Lemieux's hands, (Mark) Messier's power, Connor (McDavid's) speed. He is the full package," Gretzky said. "He is a force."
If MacKinnon breaks Gretzky's record, some may question its legitimacy, as this year's 24-team playoff featured an extra round. Gretzky doesn't buy into that notion.
"Absolutely not," he said. "Look, there is an evolution to the game. Things change, the playoffs change. Jean Beliveau and Gordie Howe only got two rounds. Then Bobby Orr came along and he got three rounds. No one said that my records shouldn't count because I played four (rounds), more games than Gordie or Beliveau or The Rocket (Maurice Richard). Their records all would have been a lot higher had they played more games."
Gretzky averaged a remarkable 2.61 points per game on his record-setting run, and MacKinnon is currently at 1.78. The Avalanche center has his work cut out for him, but MacKinnon's terrific postseason thus far already places him in Gretzky's company: He's the first player to amass 25 points in his club's first 14 playoff games since Gretzky did so with the Los Angeles Kings in 1993.
Gretzky had three 40-point postseasons in his career. The only other player to reach that threshold was Lemieux, who registered 44 points in the 1991 playoffs.