"He would skate circles around Wayne": Fans in awe as Connor McDavid breaks Wayne Gretzky's 36-year-old record

Connor McDavid made history on Saturday night, breaking Wayne Gretzky's 36-year-old playoff record for assists in a single postseason. McDavid recorded three assists in the Edmonton Oilers' 8-1 rout of the Florida Panthers in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, giving him 32 helpers this playoff run.

The previous record of 31 was set by Gretzky in 1988, which was coincidentally the last time Gretzky won the Stanley Cup.

McDavid's historic moment came 14:11 into the third period when he set up rookie winger Dylan Holloway for an easy tap-in goal. That marked assist number 32, surpassing The Great One's mark that had stood for over three decades.

In addition to the assists record, McDavid also scored a goal of his own in Game 4. He now has 38 points this postseason, ranking sixth all-time in NHL playoff scoring behind Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.

Fans have taken to social media to react to McDavid's latest accomplishment.

One fan compared McDavid to the legend, saying:

"He would skate circles around Wayne. CIRCLES."

Another fan commented:

"MCJESUS IS THE GOAT" on X.

Here are some fan reactions:

"A big deal anytime a Gretzky record gets broken." one fan wrote on X.

"Truly the most exciting player to watch in hockey today." another fan wrote.

"That’s genuinely wild, any Gretzky record being broken is insane. Kudos 99" a user wrote.

"Can you imagine the two of them playing together." another user wrote.

Matthew Tkachuk and Bennett maul Connor McDavid with punches

Early in the second period, Zach Hyman was hit from behind by Bennett, leading to a scrum. As McDavid came to defend his teammate, Tkachuk landed several punches to the head of the Oilers' captain before putting him in a headlock and continuing to throw punches. The referees had to intervene to break it up.

Just seconds later, Bennett hit Connor McDavid with a few jabs to the jaw, which McDavid appeared to laugh off. Both Tkachuk and Bennett were handed roughing penalties, giving Edmonton a 5-on-3 power play advantage.

Oiler got goals from Mattias Janmark, Adam Henrique, Dylan Holloway, Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Darnell Nurse and Ryan McLeod. Vladimir Tarasenko had the lone goal for Florida.