
Wayne Gretzky says Connor McDavid is the best 19-year-old he’s ever seen
TORONTO — When watching Connor McDavid play for the Edmonton Oilers, Wayne Gretzky gets the urge to don his No. 99 again.
“I could get 60 goals playing with that guy,” the Great One said. “I’m truly amazed at how good he is.”
Admiration runs deep from the NHL’s all-time leading scorer when it comes to McDavid. Gretzky believes his fellow prodigy has all the tools for a truly special career, mentioning his name in the same breath as Mario Lemieux, Gordie Howe, Guy Lafleur, and of course, Sidney Crosby, who he said remains the best in the game today.
“But I don’t think there’s any question that Connor’s the best 19-year-old hockey player I’ve ever seen and I saw (Mark) Messier, I saw Lemieux, I saw Lafleur,” Gretzky said Monday in an interview to promote his new book, “99: Stories of the Game.”