McDavid vs Nilsson
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McDavid wins: Dominance, Peak, Honours, Statistics
Nilsson wins: Longevity
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Showing full careers. Pick a window to recalculate the selected period.
Category radar
Verdict
McDavid leads in 4 of 5 weighted categories. Three Hart Trophies, five scoring titles and a 153-point season.
Category breakdown
Season form · Points per season
Career timeline · Points per season
Cumulative output season by season — the shape of each career against the other.
GOAT pace tracker
Career stage · GOAT pace
Through season 5 · Points per season| Ghost race · career day | 30 | 100 | 365 | 1000 | 1825 | 3650 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇦 McDavid | 0 | 0 | 48 | 148 | 469 | 982 |
| 🇸🇪 Nilsson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 410 |
Careers are aligned at debut, so a rookie's first 5 seasons are measured against the same window in a legend's career — Yamal against Messi at the same age-stage, a tour rookie against Tiger Woods in 1996.
| Metric | McDavidActive | NilssonRetired |
|---|---|---|
| Hart Trophies | 3 | — |
| Art Ross Trophies | 5 | — |
| Conn Smythe Trophies | 1 | — |
| 100-point seasons | 7 | — |
| NHL points | 1,100 | — |
| All-Star selections | 8 | — |
| Stanley Cups | — | 1 |
| Best NHL season points | — | 131 |
| NHL career points | — | 686 |
| World Championship medals | — | 3 |
| NHL games played | — | 553 |
| Dominance w25% | 90 | 80 |
| Peak w20% | 94 | 90 |
| Longevity w20% | 72 | 82 |
| Honours w20% | 84 | 82 |
| Statistics w15% | 93 | 88 |
Fan vote — data vs the people
What do you think?
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