As I have tears in my eyes, I seen him live three times in the middle 70s. He skated backwards towards me on a time out during one game. Damn that was my BB gun movement.
Gretzky is the man of the 19th century, McDavid that of the 20th. Skill wise at least. I know a lot of people would argue for Crosby because of his hardware. I think if McDavid gets a cup he will be on top.
He played over 30 minutes a game during his 88/89 season... Impossible repeating thst today. You got to take away 1/3 of his points total adjusting for ice time.
I considered him better than Gretzky From a skill level. I remember watching him in the Olympics and he was injured, old and slow, but the opposing teams still respected and feared him and it showed.
As great as Gretzky and Lemieux were, what Orr did from the defenseman position is incredible. If those knees weren’t so bad who knows how many records he would have.
I was not a fan of Mario, I was a fan of Gretzky's. However I'd be lying if I said I wasn't impressed by him when he went on that 46 game scoring streak. Also battling cancer and managing to come back from that and still play like he never left, I can't help but admire him.
The two GOTs of the 1980s, Wayne & Mario played together in the 1987 Canada Cup. Canada 5, USSR 5 near the end of the 3rd period and it was Gretzky to Lemieux for the winning goal. Beauty. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Frtft0LUMiE.html
I'm looking at this from the perspective of a Capitals fan. Mario was amazing. I remember one game in the mid-late 80s at the Capital Center where he had something like 5 goals against the Caps. The Penguins were not a good team at that point and he was basically all they had. The Caps had been a pretty good defensive team but they couldn't stop him that night.
I love #66, and he was an amazing playmaker, but to say his IQ and vision was 2nd to none is a bit of a stretch. There is no possible universe Mario ever gets 163 assists in one season. He never even once hit Gretzky’s first 10 year average (120). His best assist season ever (114) is tied with Gretzky’s 8th best. He never even eclipsed 100 assists more than that one time. Gretz eclipsed 100 assists ELEVEN consecutive times and owns the top 7 assist marks. It’s not even close.
A team first push for the playoffs may leave him short of the goal record but satisfied with a look at a second Stanley Cup. Winning first is the game he grew up on, and I expect him to finnish that way. 🥅
"By the age of seven he was _already_ on the ice...." That's actually a very late age to lace up for the first time for a future NHL player let alone a super star.
I spent 15 minutes to know that he did 100+ goals in his first years, 3 stanley cups and olympic, world and stanley gold ? goodluck finding more than a sentence who's not about his greatness, and not what he actually did. what a waste of time.
Let's not forget about the formidable contribution of the Captain in the winning of the three Stanley cups. The dynamic duo of Toews/Kane was lost after 2015. While Kane continued to perform he didn't have the leadership ability and the defense ability of Toews and Toews ability to lead by example was sapped by his health problems after 2015. To win another Cup after 2015 would have required both men to be at the top of their game. The Tazer/Kaner duo won those Cups.
Saw his famous 4 goal game against Tampa in person. In terms of what I've seen live? I've never seen anyone be able to take over a game on his own the way he used to. You have to remember how bad those early DC teams were. Pittsburgh drafted Flower, Malkin and Crosby with their 1st pics in a span of 3 years. So when people point to the Penguins early success I point to their front office for being brilliant in that period. Washington had a carousel in net until Holtby came along. In person I've never seen a player like him.
The man can't catch a break, can he. He put up playoff numbers we haven't seen since the 80's and early 90s by Gretzky and Lemieux. Mounts the biggest comeback in the finals since 1945(79 years), breaks the assists record. Only to lose 2-1 in game 7. Don't give me that regular season hero bullshit either. He has a higher points per game in the playoffs. Lemieux has 1.61 points per game in his career playoffs, McDavid has 1.58. He is not that far off. He is not Gretzky, because Gretzky was out of this world talent that may never be seen again.
REMEMBER, he only played a year or so with two good knees. This man could absolutely fly on skates . I wish he could have played 15 years on good knees. My Good God he was amazing ! NEVER mention Gretzky, Lemiux, or anyone else in the same ranking as him . He was and is the GREATEST HOCKEY PLAYER EVER!
There are few players who know and understand the game of hockey as well as Wayne Greztky. Wayne played with a great team during the 1980s in Edmonton. The team was amazing and they proved it when they won the cup without him in 1990.
Sober Up dude - Just for starters # 99 Gretzky had 92 GOALS / 120 Assists and was a +80 in 1981 .. Over the next 4 years he had 283 GOALS and 541 Assists.. 3 CUPS and 4 League MVP's
Some people think Wayne Gretzky was the best hockey player all around but Gordie Howe did not have a bodyguard Mr Hockey when you got the puck he delivered the mail
