There is a chance that Ovi is going to labor through and score more goals than Gretzky.., but it won’t make Ovi greater than Mario, or Bobby Orr… Its not about the number of goals. It is about the impact on the game and about impacting People’s life. Hammering goals from the point only impacts statistics.
Points aren't everthing, especially given rule changes and his many Hall of Fame teammates, like Messier and Coffey. Don't judge within only your own lifetime.
Gretzky padded his Stats against the worst goal tending in the history of the NHL.Ran up scores on weak teams. Again with the worst goal tending. In todays game with the best goal tending and parity in the league. Gretzky wouldnt get have the points. If you are looking for the all around player , Orrs your man. He can do everything as good as Gretzky, and is much better at checking, blocking shots, and with plus minus Orr is almost 30% better. Lets remind you Orr won 2 scoring races, and came 2nd 4 times.as a d- man.
Most insane Gretzky stat: 4 times he had the most points with his assists alone. And 3 of those times, he SIMULTANEOUSLY had the most goals, too. Insane. Never been done before or since, yet Gretzky did it multiple times.
@@glenw-xm5zf - and one time broke his own record with a ridiculous 136 assists and then went out the next season and OBLITERATED that record too by 27 more assists with an even more ridiculous 163 assists lol. And still somehow scored 52 goals simultaneously. Insane.
@@glenw-xm5zf - actually the 215 point season (1985/86), Gretzky had 163 assists and 2nd place was Lemieux with 141 points. Gretzky destroyed 2nd place (Lemieux) in points by 22 points just with his assists alone…and still somehow scored 52 goals on top of that. Pure insanity. And the players voted Lemieux for the Pearson as players choice MVP after losing the scoring title by 74 points. Talk about highway robbery 😂
This is the kind of content I'm looking for is a new fan of the NHL. I'm surprised there isn't more videos like this because I can find a bunch on the NBA. Great content
Besides his amazing gameplaying, he was the consummate gentleman. We knew he could pass and would pass just to help his friends. Sportsmanship through and through. He made the game beautiful.
99 so thoroughly dominated the league, that the NHL made rule changes to slow him down. The biggest one was offsetting penalties stopped being 4v4 for 2 mins, and went to 5v5 for almost all of Gretzky's career, and went back to 4v4 shortly after he retired. Gretzky's numbers would have been a LOT bigger if offsetting penalties affected manpower on the ice during his career.
Orr changed the way the entire game was played. Like I’ve said before- Orr could’ve been a purely offensive superstar, but Gretzky on D? Orr was simply the best player- not just scorer. When Ovi passes 99 is he the best of all time? And he’s had to shoot against much tougher goaltending (butterfly a huge difference) league wide.
@@dactah5177 bud Gretzky faced that style of goaltending when he played later in his career. He was still a beast. He also played majority of his career with less knowledge on things like nutrition/training. Inferior equipment as well. Skates now vs when 99 started isn’t even a comparison.
Gretzky learned how to play like he did out of necessity. From 6 years old onward he was always playing with kids 5 years older than him, so he had to go where he wouldn’t be constantly checked (mainly, behind the net) It’s also why he was so agile on the ice… to avoid getting hit.
There's even more to the story than this. There are a few players who had some of these same skills you talked about. But none of them had Gretzky's work ethic or influence. That was what truly put him over the top.
I grew up watching absolutely phenomenal European players - Russians, Czechs, Slovaks . But I must admit that when I saw Gretzky the very first time, it was immediately clear that I am looking at something exceptional, even though I rooted against Canadian team at that time. Yes, the game has changed, but looking throughout the history I must admit that even among the greatest players such as magnificent Mario, Great Kharlamov, Jagr, Bure, Hlinka, Howe, Orr…, there is only one GOAT that stands apart, and it is one and only Wayne Gretzky. It doesn’t matter whether Ovi is going to catch up with him in terms of goals scored. Its not about the number of goals. It is about the impact on the game. Its about dominating the game and about being the greatest ambassador for the game.., and doing it with such a grace and artistry.
kharmalov maybe the best Euro Fwd I ever saw. i watched Cup '72 when we came back and BEAT the commies, despite the most corrupt refereeing in Hockey history
That spin move as he crossed the blue line confused everybody. normally players continue to the net. Wayne would spin causing everyone to stop. He'd then pass it off to someone in motion. Amazing to watch.
Great assessment! I think Gretzky is the single most dominating team sport athlete of all time. His points record will never be beaten. If Ovi overtakes his career goal record, just compare the shots on goal and scoring percentage. No comparison. Brilliant video!
Ovi played against the best goalies in NHL history, Gretzky played against the worst.How can you even compare that. Ovi missed a season because of lock out, and half a season from covid. Theres 100 goals min.He would leave Gretzky in the dust. McDavid back in Gretzkys era would have easily got 200 pts a season
@@russellrosebrugh5830 compare Ovi’s shooting percentage to other players who played in his era (crosby, etc.) Ovi simply shoots more than everyone else. He’s not that great.
so many people who talk about what made Gretzky so great focus on this one phrase "don't go to where the puck is, go to where it is going to be". I'm glad you didn't do that. Your first point was bang on. Hi edge work was far superior to anyone else at the time. He created so much space with his edge work and quickness. And like you said, his vision was off the chart. I firmly believe that's what made him the all-time points leader with only his assists. nice video
everyone thinks they have it figured out...but.....not the goat...close, but...5-6 played with beauty he could only dream of...to his credit, while all these people who never played the game bow and scrape before his presence, he knows and publicly admits, he is NOT the greatest!
50 goals in 39 games.(Only 6 players have scored 50 in a season, no one will ever score 50 under 40 games again.) 56 game scoring streak. 3 consecutive 200 point seasons. 2,800 career points.(Only person with 2k+ points) This guy holds so many stats that will probably neverrrrr be broken.
He won 3 Canada Cups out of 4, and led all 4 Canada Cups in scoring. Not to mention he led the 1982 World Championships in scoring. He also led every NHL playoffs in scoring in which he went to the Cup finals (6 times). Plus 10 regular season scoring titles. That’s 21 scoring titles in his first 15 years. Not too shabby!
@@mikenethery9418 Old enough to know empty net goals and OT 3v3 goals were not as common back then either. This cross era comparison shit is dumb, talent is talent. 378 goals in 78 games against kids that are 2 years older, that's not something you can teach.
I was gad to hear and see examples of his techniques and not simply his stat totals. I had been wanting to know HOW he did what he did, not just that he'd done them.
This didn’t even cover everything. Gretzky also was the perfect passer. Not only did he always know where every player was and where he should pass the puck, he could pass with perfect accuracy and speed so the teammate could instantly shoot. They would talk about Gretzky feathering a pass, and it would go through multiple defenders. No wonder he has like 9 of the 10 best passing seasons ever. His other secret was insane endurance. He could play 40 minute games every day, and on fitness tests this ability to keep going was off the charts.
I remember when getting into hockey a few years back, I decided to look at some of Wayne Gretzky's stats compared to other players in the league, and not only was he practically the best by a landslide, his stats were literally incomprehensible to me. He has more career assists than any other player has career points (goals and assists), the only player to score 200+ points in a season (he done it four times), has 19 100+ point seasons including his 200+ point seasons, (2nd is Mario Lemieux with 10 100+ point seasons). 13 of those seasons where he scored 100+ points were consecutive, meaning Gretzky has more consecutive 100+ point seasons than the next guy has 100+ seasons, consecutive or not. Gretzky could've gotten a 100+ point season off assists alone on 11 occasions (Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr were the only other people to even accomplish this feat once), etc. The most shocking fact out of everything I mentioned: Gretzky was undrafted, and he is the reason why I don't take sports drafts seriously anymore. He is the most dominant player of not only his sport, but to really any GOAT of any sport. 😅
Mario is arguably the only comparable player next to Wayne. I don’t think he would have beat his records, but it would have been much closer, if not for injuries. That’s another thing that set the goat apart, and it was his ability to not get injured.
Is that not numbers? As he stated, he played in the right era. Whenver a video surfaces about the GOAT, I ask what are the criteria? His fame is based on his scoring achievements. They are in the record books. No denying the stats. Personally, I was a fan of his smarts. This set him apart. Comparing players from different eras is a futile exercise. And how do you fairly compare a D-Man with a forward. I put value on a player being a complete player. They play and excel in all aspects of the game (excluding goalie) and in all scenrios. So the one player that checks these boxes is Orr. When he was on the ice, he was the D-Man and the best forward. He is the reason we have the rushing D-Men today. As much as I acknowledge Gretzky's scoring achievements and smarts, I would put him in the running for best forward to have ever played. There are others in the mix like Mario and Howe.
@@resabape How do you fairly compare players that only played in their prime to players that played full careers? Shouldn't one of the boxes be longevity which Orr does not check?
I remember seeing a video of Gretzky where he said one of his coaches (can't remember which one) told him to go home and watch Bobby Clarke. Bobby was known for playing down low and in the corners. Gretzky took some of what he learned watching Clarke and combined it with his own style and perfected it.
There is lots of things about him and his game that you could use to breakdown and describe what made his greatness. But like all great individuals, he is more than the sum of his parts...
His slapshots look hyperbolic: he has a huge windup, but not that-strong a shot. For a goalie who was unfamiliar, such a big windup often locks things up for the goaltender. The fact that it's a huge windup actually slows down the shooting, but his release and accuracy are at the top of anyone else's: it's a slow buildup with a lightning, precision finish.
We saw Gretsky in Detroit one night. The Joe was wild....madness. Wayne - 4 goals 3 assits. He seriously...put on a show! Gordie was there....said he had never seen anything like it.
Just a tip... when you break down a play and you slice it up, and show it in snippets, that's good, do that, but also show the full clip start to finish uninterrupted after each one.
great clips, countless houdrs on the backyard rink, his father walter was a wonderful man, everything wayne has and is today today he can attribute to walter and phylis
It's the one sport where we definitively know who the GOAT is. All other sports, people argue about it but looking at the record books in the NHL, Gretzky is far and away the most talented in hockey.
I rarely follow the NHL these days, so I don't have much of a clue about the players there now. But I never thought that anyone would even come close to Wayne Gretzky in the number of goals scored. Ovetchkin must be insanely good as he approaches the record despite the fact that the players and all the goalkeepers are generally much better these days. If Ovechkin can just stay healthy and play, he will overtake #99's record. Absolutely incredible and perhaps good for hockey as a sport that someone new is coming in. Hopefully there will be more players in the future who can break new records.
That'a probably the best thing about Gretzky, he's always been of the belief that his record being broken was good for the game. Great ambassador for hockey!
After Ovi 802 goal it''s 100% he will break that record, NHL will do everything to make it happen, its history rewriting and lots of money.. Imagine those games when Ovi is one goal away from Gretzky, arenas will be full and whole world will be watching, this will be amazing, can't wait..
cant really compare how good a player is versus another one. Statistics depends about how good the team is, also about the period the player used to play. At that time each fight was causing a 4 against 4, Oilers were so good at it and Gretzky use to get a lot of point this way. It depends also about how lucky the player is to stay far from injuries, Mario Lemieux got a shorter career. Some people would say McDavid is better and they could be right but it is impossible to get a real comparison.
@@pascaljutras178 It's true. There are many different factors that influence, of course. I personally thought for a while that Lemieux would be able to get up to Gretzky's numbers but then came the disease as you write.
@trentkestin9849 And yet, with all the great players in the game, Gretzky was the only one to make them look this foolish. He was a master of the game.
Wayne better than anyone would use the threat of a pass or a shot to manipulate the defender out of position. He played chess when everybody else was playing checkers.
@@mpm1958 Those players all had protection in the forms of different players. Francis had Samuelson, McKenzie for example. Hawerchuk had Jim Kyte. Perreault had Playfair. Savard had Secord. Stastny and Goulet had Dale Hunter and Paul Gillis and more. These are just a few quick examples. They had others through their years. The thing they didn't have, Gretzky's ability. That's why they didn't get 200 points. Semenko just became known because Gretzky. It could have been any of the big enforcers of the day but Semenko ended up on the oilers by good luck. If Semenko played for Hartford, Francis wouldn't have gotten 200 because Semenko specifically played there. If Tim Hunter played for Edmonton instead of Semenko, Gretzky still gets 200×4. Individual players didn't really have bodyguards. The enforcer protected the team. The term Gretzky's Bodyguard was more a shot at Wayne himself because people called him a baby and needed a bodyguard to protect him.
@@mpm1958 Hartford sucked. Edmonton was loaded. Not taking anything away from Wayne, but he was like Joe Montana in San Fran: a great player surrounded by other great players. Hartford just sucked.
Wayne has often related that he could feel the league getting better as the years went by. In Gretzky's mid-30s, he was no slower than before, his shot was the same and his playmaking abilities were still amazing. His stats suffered because the players and goalies were all getting better. So to say that is FAR better than anyone in any era is ridiculous. McDavid is better at pretty much everything and dominates an era that is MUCH better than the one Wayne played in
@@mpm1958 Gretzky didn't have competition in his prime. Macdavid has many players close to him. Gretzky point totals say it all. Macdavid is in his prime and his point totals are not astronomical compared to his peers
One huge factor about the great one was his pride and excellence towards Team Canada. We will never forget blades of summer Canada cup 1987 and 2002 salt lake olympics Thank you Wayne Gretzky
I don't know much about hockey, but as a long time basketball fan the comp I have in mind is Larry Bird. Exceptional smarts, vision, accuracy, reflexes, etc.
Now imagine if Larry Bird held 61 NBA records. Physically, it is a solid comparison. Gretzky was a shrimp by hockey standards. 6ft, 170lbs, and benched 140lbs. The man outplayed everyone.
If Wayne was more selfish of a player, and not focused on play making and getting assists, think how many more goals he might have had. But his play making skills is exactly what makes him the GOAT of hockey!!
I'm late to the party but here's a response to people saying ''it was so easy to score back then''. Before l show statistics you need to remember that goalies we're ''bad'' because they had poor equipment, training, nutrition etc... the skaters also had equally as poor equipment, training, nutrition etc... Let's compare Gretzky's season in 1984 to McDavid's season in 2023. Let's compare the entire NHL scoring and their scoring. In 2023, there were 13 players with 100+ points including those who 100% would have had 100+ points if they played a full season. In 1987 this number is 14, also accounting for players who 100% would have had 100+ points. In 2023 there were 2 players with 120+ points and only 1 (McDavid) with 130+. In 1987 there were 3 players with 120+ points and only 1 (Gretzky) with 130+ points. In 2023 there were 5 players with 109-119 points, and 6 players with 100-108 points. In 1987 there were 5 players with 109-119 points, and 6 players with 100-108 points. McDavid finished with 64 goals, 153 points in 82 games. Gretzky finished with 87 goals, 205 points in 74 games. Gretzky's stats adjusted if he played 82 games that season - 96 goals, 227 points in 82 games. This is how much better Gretzky is than anyone who has played since he and Lemieux retired. The only comparable players are Lemieux and Orr.
I think you should also look at goals per game. It was much higher in the 80s. Around 8 goals per game. Now it’s around 6. The 80s was wide open offensively.
For sure! I grew up a Canucks fan so one of my favourite players growing up was Jannik Hansen. Already looking into doing a top 5 from different countries but I'll definitely add Denmark to my radar!
Not until Connor can win a scoring title with his assists alone (like Gretzky did 4 times). Mario couldn’t even do that. Gretzky even did it 3 times while simultaneously winning the goal scoring title. Insane.
@@michaelgriffiths8068 Gretzky was further ahead of his peers, but McDavid does everything better than Gretzky. The difference is that he plays in a much tougher era. Wayne would not be blasting slapshots from the faceoff circle past modern goalies.
@@mpm1958 - Gretzky had one thing that McDavid doesn’t have (nor anyone else in history): Hid otherworldly, alien like hockey sense and vision. This is the key ingredient that transcends stick handling and speed. Otherwise a prime Bure would have beaten a 33 year old Gretzky in scoring (he didn’t). Gretzky won the Art Ross well past his peak at age 33, beating super fast prime Bure and Federov. On a side note, it would be interesting to see McDavid use Gretzky’s heavy skates and heavy wooden Titan stick, with two line passes and no obstruction penalties.
His hockey IQ wasn't even mentioned, but I think his ability to use his lanky body and skillful hands to exploit what his mind could see and react to is what made him so great. Tage Thompson is looking similar, but I don't know if he has the same hockey IQ.
Definitely, Gretzky had an uncanny ability to predict where his teammates were going to be. Elias Pettersson plays a similar game to Gretzky as well, off the charts hockey IQ and similar skating.
Gretzky defines hockey IQ. It wasn't his size or physicality that made him a superstar during the days of bullying, grappling, and obstruction (now called interference). Wayne Gretzky famously said, “I skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.” That quote is a staple in every locker room and part of every coach's speech since Gretzky first said it. Needing to say Gretzky had high hockey iq is like requiring people to specify, oxygen, when telling them to breath. But, yeah, 100% on the Tage comment. The timing of his passes is unworldly.
When people say that Wayne was only successful because back then, players and goalies were smaller, equipment was smaller, etc. etc., the reply is simply, "Then where were all other players scoring 50 goals in 39 games?". This is to me, the defining record that hasn't been beaten by anyone, and likely will not. Ovechkin is close to reaching the total goal record, but look how long it's taking him.
It's hard to comprehend how good Gretzky was. It's been 24 years since he retired, and of his 61 records, he still holds 57. And that's just official records. Some of his stats are just brain-scrambling. Not only does he hold the record for most records held, he also holds the record for most Gretzky records broken. Literally, the only player comparable to Gretzky was Gretzky. He'd do things no one had ever done before, and then he'd do them even better the next season. And on top of this genuinely mythical status, the most staggering thing is how team-focused he was. He has more assists than any other player in hockey has points. How many sports legends (any sport) are that selfless?
His numbers are so high and yet his play isn't as flamboyant or noticeable as some (cough-McDavid-cough), this was an interesting take on some of the reasons.
Yes, as the other guy said, Marty. But also the edgework described in the video, hard to get the momentum to run someone behind a steel cage without them having time to get out
If the D-man goes behind the net before Gretzky gets there, he won't go behind the net and it will be 5-4 in front of the net. Often, they would try to chase him out from behind the net, but then he'd pop out the other side to pass to a teammate or take a shot himself. He was very, very good at avoiding checks, and finding open teammates.
Watching the way the goalies played really makes me appreciate the skill that Ovechkin has. Two different eras and now is definitely harder. Been playing hockey for 25 years and while I appreciate both I am very thankful to witness Ovechkin
Bout twice a year Iget stoned and think, who was the best major sports pro athlete in American history and always end up watching this video Barry Bonds was insane but Gretzky’s resume is next level
Complete player who could do it all. Wayne was the most gifted offensive talent ever. He was a minus for his career after leaving the Oil- but we're not supposed to talk about that.
Those changes of direction!..... It's like..... In the NBA they call it Ankle Breaker, in soccer is Dribble! I cannot put a word on his style! It's unique! So effortless and impossible to read! How can you defend that?! I bet the opposite team coach had nightmares days before the game!
He wasn’t the biggest, the fastest, and didn’t have the hardest shot. But he was by far the smartest, most clever player ever to hit the ice, and used the talents of his teammates (which, on those great Oiler teams, were considerable) like no one else ever has. He saw the game on a whole different level. It was almost as if he had learned to play on another planet
Not certain if you mentioned the mental aspect of this problem, which is significant. We can analyze raw potential and stats, but what is Ovy experiencing in his psyche? Is the pressure too great mentally to sustain such an achievement? This, too, is a factor, for certain. But, man, when he's on, he's on!
I like gretzky, and I love the way he reps hockey but I'm going to make my case that Bobby Orr is slightly better. Now I may be a little biased but the great thing about hockey stats is they keep track of +-. Bobby orrs +- is beyond waynes
I’m fortunate that I grew up watching 99. The thing I wholeheartedly disagree with is the notion that he wouldn’t be as good without the enforcers out there. Well; there were virtually no obstruction, hooking or holding penalties back then. Gretzky could score when there were opposing players literally hanging off of him. For that reason I believe he could still dominate if he was playing in the current era.
A few quotes when people were asked why they weren't hitting him... "You couldn't hit him with a handful of confetti." "Trying to hit him is like trying to catch a feather in mid-flight." "He was like an apparition. He came out of nowhere, passed to nowhere and disappeared into nowhere."
I love this Moose but you're missing an aspect of Gretzky's play that is always missed: his ability to avoid hits. I an era of high violence Wayne managed to avoid hits or move his body so that the hit had less or no impact and even work to his advantage. I want to see a highlight reel which shows how he handle the goons of Broad Street Bullies era.
#99 Wayne Gretzky is in my opinion the best NHL player to ever play the game hands down. The newer generation of hockey 🏒 fans don’t know that Wayne Gretzky played in a much tougher NHL era back then when clutching,hooking & grabbing was the norm where Gretzky had to really work & be on his game to make openings happen where as today’s NHL Players have a lot more leniency where the referees call all that clutching,grabbing & hooking.
"The newer generation of hockey 🏒 fans don’t know that Wayne Gretzky played in a much tougher NHL era" You're wrong. Even The Great One himself disagrees with you: th-cam.com/video/9-K_3cnwhkY/w-d-xo.html
You have to put it into perspective though. For example, if you put todays McDavid put into 1984 team/goaltenders, he'd easily be scoring 10+ goals per game. We all know equipment and technique has evolved incredibly in the past 20+ years. Todays NHL is far harder to score a goal than it was back then. Prime Gretzky was far ahead of his time, but also playing against a much less evolved league. Looking back at goals, 3/4 of them wouldn't have gone in with even second or 3rd string goaltenders of today. They weren't "weak" goals for the time however in today's NHL many of them definitely would be. Put the pros of the 80s against current NHL teams and I don't think they'd be scoring half as much. What impresses me the most are players like Ovi who somehow manage to score goal after goal in todays NHL difficulty, making it look easy. Your first statement may definitely be true however I strongly disagree with the second one. Gretzky was without a doubt leaps and bounds better than the entire league he played in at the time. Completely different era though, and far easier to score. Arguably far more difficult not to get knocked out cold though :)
Wayne Gretzky OUTWORKED the entire NHL for 2 decades and that's why he's #1. As "better" as he was at certain skills his determination and stamina are often overlooked.
😂😂😂😂😂 Scored 60 ONCE in his last 14 seasons bud. ONCE... Thats not 2 decades of dominance. Piled up all his easy rat points on 1980s oilers and was no where near the dominance of Mario
Fantastic, in-depth analysis. Great response to all the nonsensical "he was great only because he didn't face butterfly goaltenders" idiots. As if everyone else who play before the butterfly style scored nearly 3,000 points during their career lol
I watched him from 1979 through to the end of his career in 1999, if Gretzky would have wanted to, he could have easily scored 150 more goals. His number one priority was to pass to the open man when he was close to the net
There's a debate in every sport who's the goat ... Except hockey. Wasn't the biggest, strongest, toughest or fastest ... It was his anticipation and ability to see the play develop that made him so great.
I have watched hockey for many years. If l was building a hockey dream team Bobby Orr would be my first pick to build my team around. And Gretzky would not be my second pick. That would be Mario.
Cool, you take Mario and I’ll take the guy with 20 scoring titles (10 regular season, 6 playoffs, and 4 out of 4 Canada Cup scoring titles)….and more assists than anyone (including Mario) has points.
I don't know much about hockey I'm more of a football and basketball guy. But I do have a question? I thought a goal meant you scored a point right? So can some Hockey fan explain to me how Gretzky can have 894 Goals but 2857 points? A goal is 1 point so how in the F**K ? Even if you take away the 894 Goals he still would have 1963 points. Where do these points come from?
Gretzky used to 'Rocker' his blades and had the tightest turning radius in NHL history imo ... Don't get me wrong Gretzky couldn't 'glide past guys' as if they were stuck in concrete like Paul Coffey... Wayne couldn't skate (moving laterally in either direction and leave defenders going the wrong way and clutching at air, with a subtle shake of the hips) a la Bobby Orr (FYI I'm a great-grandfather who saw Orr play live, even as a Junior for Oshawa Generals) ... BUT BUT BUT... Alongside his peerless play-making abilities, Hockey IQ, patience with the puck, uncanny anticipatory skills... so much on display via that famous behind the net feed to Luc Robitaille... Gretzky' s comparatively tiny turning radius helped set him apart! PEACE OUT
He made his teams better. Lots of guys win cups just by being on the right team ( Ray Bourque ). When the discussions about the greatest player comes up, you will never hear the name Mark Messier..the guy that won 6 cups..so 99 doesn't really need more than 4 cups to lock in his place as the greatest ever. The next closest guy could arguably be Mario Lemieux but he's only got 2 cups. The cups tally doesn't mean as much as you might be trying to suggest.
@@blackened4me all I'm saying is the Oilers were more important to him winning cups than he was to them winning. Not to mention that Oilers team has been somewhat dismantled apart from Gretzky and still won
@@XaviRonaldo0 They also lost with 99 and would you say that he was the reason for losing to Calgary? If you look specifically at Wayne's playoff numbers, there is no denying what he brought to the game when it mattered: 208 games 122 goals 260 assists 382 points ( +/-) 91! Messier ( #2 all time ) 236 games 109 goals 186 assists 295 points (+/-) 52 and just for some context, Mario ( yes injured and cancer ) 107 games 76 goals 96 assists (+/-) 20. I don't see how it's even a debate.
@@blackened4me so you're saying it was a fluke in '90. I don't care what the numbers say the proof is in the pudding. A largely dismantled team won 2 years after he left and he never won without them. Not hard to understand what was more important about their run. It was the stacked team.
They won the cup in 1990 because Ranford played the best statistical stretch of his career in those playoffs as he won the Conn Smythe. Not any of the hall of fame oilers, Ranford. None of those Oilers other than Wayne proved they could put a team on their back and win. Wayne knocked the Oilers out in the first round in 1989 with an incredibly inferior Kings team.
He said Gretzky wasn’t the fastest skater which is true but if you watch him he would fake a slap shot puck handle between 2 defenseman and beat the the goalie with a backhand while never slowing down. Wayne made all his movements at full speed.
What did he carry the Bruins to exactly? A couple of finals that they lost. Whoopie. Had to get traded to an almost guaranteed cup winning team to get one.
I think you meant Orr who did everything and carried the Bruins on his back.. Bourque didn't even win a cup once in Boston, he never even got a single 100 point season either. Orr did that while winning cups being a way better faster and dominating defenceman. Not saying Bourque wasn't good, because he was but he wasn't good enough to be held on a pedestal.
It's crazy looking back and seeing just how bad goalies and defensemen were at the sport. Bunch of pylons out there looking like they're lollygagging on ice.
There was a story where he was lined up to get clobbered when he surprised the defenseman by passing the puck to him, and then stealing it back and go around him.
He also played on that Oilers team that had 6 Hall of Fame players. That made it easy to score and get crazy assists. His numbers fell off once he went to LA
Mario played with 8 other hall of famers on his team. I guess that made it even easier for him? You have to love a player whose dropoff brings him down to 160+ points.
Good question. And the answer is he played at the perfect moment. He was ahead of others, goalies were generally horrible, equipment was what it was, but skill greater than others meant he could do so much more compared to others. He would never do same things in current NHL. Comparing him to today's players isn't really fair.
@@bbbbbzzzzzzzzzz5431 why aren't everyone getting McDavid numbers now? Obviously someone is always best atm, and getting more points than others. Did you ever think that?
@@TheGeishakuula yes thanks, that's why he is known as McJesus, if he keeps it up for 6 or 7 years or so, he will approach the DOMINATION level of Gretzky, i guess you got the main point that these few types of guys somehow have "skill greater than others" 🏅 Someone has to be the best yes, these guys are not just the best, they are the best by a BIG BIG margin Difference is The best by how much 🎶
Not the GOAT imo. Edmonton was so stacked that he left the team and they still won the Stanley cup. He had such a supporting cast. He was great tho. I would never take that away. Commentators at the time would call it the Gretzky assist. He would pass the puck to Coffey, Coffey would skate the whole length of ice and score and Gretzky would get an assist. He would pass it to Kurri and the same would happen. Padded numbers from a stacked team. Other greats didn't always have this luxury. I'm 52. I look back in all the years I watched. Lemieux was the GOAT for me. He started on a shambles of a penguin franchise. The whole team was on his shoulders. It wasn't until later that he had a supporting cast and he was still able to score 100 points his first season. To this day, he was the most unstoppable on breakaways. Connor McDavid is probably the most rounded player though. Transversely, his point totals suffer because of his franchise.
This sounds like another video by a young hockey fan who never actually watched Wayne Gretzky play. By the way, I've never heard anyone nor have I seen any other NHL who consistently intentionally played behind the net in order to set up a play. Obviously players went behind the net, but nobody intentionally parked out there in the way that Gretzky did.
And the skates and sticks and training were way worse. You can’t compare the two generations like that. What you can say is that the separation between his peers would have been the same in any generation.
@@ryana3679 you know I played hockey for a few years and honestly using sticks as an excuse is lame. I played with many types of sticks and my go to one was a 40 dollar wooden stick I got at a local sports shop. Like everything else, you get use to using that. I used a composite stick a few times in my later time playing and I didn't like the feel as much as the wooden. As for skates, maybe more comfortable now. Definitely, but it's not that much to say that was a good enough reason(cough Bobby Orr, Gartner etc). Yes goaltending was worse. Ever wonder why? Ever use those heavy ass pads from the 80s. Look at the size of goalies now. Many are 6ft 2-4 inches now. The average back then was considerably less average was 5 ft 9 inches. Players have had time since Gretzky to come up with better ways to defend, score, stop pucks etc. Gretzky would have been brought up in the same rules, strategies, etc as everyone else if he was born in say McDavid's era. Times do change, but people often forget that people do adapt.
He mentioned in interviews how a family might only have one time to see him play. That's why he never wanted to disappoint, the man represented hockey perfectly.
@@moosethegoosey thats actually very similar to Gordie Howe's motivation to always work as hard as possible. Howe's mindset was that there might be someone that came there to see him play and might never be able to watch one of his games in person again, so he always worked his hardest. Wayne really liked that mindset and used it aswell.
It’s crazy that even if you take away his goals, he’ll still have more points than any player in history. Definitely the GOAT.
Gayest of all time?
There is a chance that Ovi is going to labor through and score more goals than Gretzky.., but it won’t make Ovi greater than Mario, or Bobby Orr…
Its not about the number of goals. It is about the impact on the game and about impacting People’s life.
Hammering goals from the point only impacts statistics.
@Jason.Takes.Manhattangoteem 😂
Points aren't everthing, especially given rule changes and his many Hall of Fame teammates, like Messier and Coffey. Don't judge within only your own lifetime.
Gretzky padded his Stats against the worst goal tending in the history of the NHL.Ran up scores on weak teams. Again with the worst goal tending. In todays game with the best goal tending and parity in the league. Gretzky wouldnt get have the points. If you are looking for the all around player , Orrs your man. He can do everything as good as Gretzky, and is much better at checking, blocking shots, and with plus minus Orr is almost 30% better. Lets remind you Orr won 2 scoring races, and came 2nd 4 times.as a d- man.
Most insane Gretzky stat: 4 times he had the most points with his assists alone. And 3 of those times, he SIMULTANEOUSLY had the most goals, too. Insane. Never been done before or since, yet Gretzky did it multiple times.
Mario had ONe 100 assist season. Orr had One. Wayne had umm eleven. GOaT
@@glenw-xm5zf - and one time broke his own record with a ridiculous 136 assists and then went out the next season and OBLITERATED that record too by 27 more assists with an even more ridiculous 163 assists lol. And still somehow scored 52 goals simultaneously. Insane.
@@glenw-xm5zf - actually the 215 point season (1985/86), Gretzky had 163 assists and 2nd place was Lemieux with 141 points. Gretzky destroyed 2nd place (Lemieux) in points by 22 points just with his assists alone…and still somehow scored 52 goals on top of that. Pure insanity. And the players voted Lemieux for the Pearson as players choice MVP after losing the scoring title by 74 points. Talk about highway robbery 😂
@@michaelgriffiths8068 You are right. i don't know how i got yzerman in there. his 65 + 90 season was 3 years later
@@glenw-xm5zf - it’s a long time ago, all good! I’m just obsessed with Gretzky’s stats and history lol
This is the kind of content I'm looking for is a new fan of the NHL. I'm surprised there isn't more videos like this because I can find a bunch on the NBA. Great content
Besides his amazing gameplaying, he was the consummate gentleman. We knew he could pass and would pass just to help his friends. Sportsmanship through and through. He made the game beautiful.
Excellent analysis.
99 so thoroughly dominated the league, that the NHL made rule changes to slow him down. The biggest one was offsetting penalties stopped being 4v4 for 2 mins, and went to 5v5 for almost all of Gretzky's career, and went back to 4v4 shortly after he retired. Gretzky's numbers would have been a LOT bigger if offsetting penalties affected manpower on the ice during his career.
Orr changed the way the entire game was played. Like I’ve said before- Orr could’ve been a purely offensive superstar, but Gretzky on D? Orr was simply the best player- not just scorer. When Ovi passes 99 is he the best of all time? And he’s had to shoot against much tougher goaltending (butterfly a huge difference) league wide.
Lol that's because he and Kurri would destroy everybody 4x4.
bs
You Orr nuts are nuts! It's a sport! Just ask Bobby!
@@dactah5177 bud Gretzky faced that style of goaltending when he played later in his career. He was still a beast. He also played majority of his career with less knowledge on things like nutrition/training. Inferior equipment as well. Skates now vs when 99 started isn’t even a comparison.
Gretzky learned how to play like he did out of necessity. From 6 years old onward he was always playing with kids 5 years older than him, so he had to go where he wouldn’t be constantly checked (mainly, behind the net) It’s also why he was so agile on the ice… to avoid getting hit.
There's even more to the story than this. There are a few players who had some of these same skills you talked about. But none of them had Gretzky's work ethic or influence. That was what truly put him over the top.
I grew up watching absolutely phenomenal European players - Russians, Czechs, Slovaks . But I must admit that when I saw Gretzky the very first time, it was immediately clear that I am looking at something exceptional, even though I rooted against Canadian team at that time.
Yes, the game has changed, but looking throughout the history I must admit that even among the greatest players such as magnificent Mario, Great Kharlamov, Jagr, Bure, Hlinka, Howe, Orr…, there is only one GOAT that stands apart, and it is one and only Wayne Gretzky.
It doesn’t matter whether Ovi is going to catch up with him in terms of goals scored. Its not about the number of goals. It is about the impact on the game. Its about dominating the game and about being the greatest ambassador for the game.., and doing it with such a grace and artistry.
MARIO66 THE G.O.A.T
kharmalov maybe the best Euro Fwd I ever saw. i watched Cup '72 when we came back and BEAT the commies, despite the most corrupt refereeing in Hockey history
Came to TH-cam hoping I’d find exactly this type of video. Technical and to the point. Thanks!
That spin move as he crossed the blue line confused everybody. normally players continue to the net. Wayne would spin causing everyone to stop. He'd then pass it off to someone in motion. Amazing to watch.
Check him, and you're in the box. The guys a seagull
Great assessment! I think Gretzky is the single most dominating team sport athlete of all time. His points record will never be beaten. If Ovi overtakes his career goal record, just compare the shots on goal and scoring percentage. No comparison. Brilliant video!
Ovi played against the best goalies in NHL history, Gretzky played against the worst.How can you even compare that. Ovi missed a season because of lock out, and half a season from covid. Theres 100 goals min.He would leave Gretzky in the dust. McDavid back in Gretzkys era would have easily got 200 pts a season
@@russellrosebrugh5830 compare Ovi’s shooting percentage to other players who played in his era (crosby, etc.) Ovi simply shoots more than everyone else. He’s not that great.
Ol' Waynos - Incomparable and quite frankly an example sheet today for how to be a great hockey player. Kudos forever..
so many people who talk about what made Gretzky so great focus on this one phrase "don't go to where the puck is, go to where it is going to be". I'm glad you didn't do that.
Your first point was bang on. Hi edge work was far superior to anyone else at the time. He created so much space with his edge work and quickness. And like you said, his vision was off the chart. I firmly believe that's what made him the all-time points leader with only his assists.
nice video
everyone thinks they have it figured out...but.....not the goat...close, but...5-6 played with beauty he could only dream of...to his credit, while all these people who never played the game bow and scrape before his presence, he knows and publicly admits, he is NOT the greatest!
@@mikenethery9418 I have no idea what you are trying to say.
50 goals in 39 games.(Only 6 players have scored 50 in a season, no one will ever score 50 under 40 games again.)
56 game scoring streak.
3 consecutive 200 point seasons.
2,800 career points.(Only person with 2k+ points)
This guy holds so many stats that will probably neverrrrr be broken.
i was at that game 50 in 39. awesome
He won 3 Canada Cups out of 4, and led all 4 Canada Cups in scoring. Not to mention he led the 1982 World Championships in scoring. He also led every NHL playoffs in scoring in which he went to the Cup finals (6 times). Plus 10 regular season scoring titles. That’s 21 scoring titles in his first 15 years. Not too shabby!
Met him and his wife very very briefly. They were both very chill and friendly.
Imagine if he played without the two-line pass rule. His numbers would be even higher.
yeah ,.but he "used" that too LOL
Ovechkin wouldn't even be close to him. Heck, without the deadlock Era Ovi wouldn't be close either.
how old are u?
@@mikenethery9418 Old enough to know empty net goals and OT 3v3 goals were not as common back then either. This cross era comparison shit is dumb, talent is talent. 378 goals in 78 games against kids that are 2 years older, that's not something you can teach.
Not really, much more goals were scored back than compared to now. I mean the goalie was a 3rd defenseman 😂
I was gad to hear and see examples of his techniques and not simply his stat totals. I had been wanting to know HOW he did what he did, not just that he'd done them.
This didn’t even cover everything. Gretzky also was the perfect passer. Not only did he always know where every player was and where he should pass the puck, he could pass with perfect accuracy and speed so the teammate could instantly shoot. They would talk about Gretzky feathering a pass, and it would go through multiple defenders. No wonder he has like 9 of the 10 best passing seasons ever.
His other secret was insane endurance. He could play 40 minute games every day, and on fitness tests this ability to keep going was off the charts.
I remember when getting into hockey a few years back, I decided to look at some of Wayne Gretzky's stats compared to other players in the league, and not only was he practically the best by a landslide, his stats were literally incomprehensible to me. He has more career assists than any other player has career points (goals and assists), the only player to score 200+ points in a season (he done it four times), has 19 100+ point seasons including his 200+ point seasons, (2nd is Mario Lemieux with 10 100+ point seasons). 13 of those seasons where he scored 100+ points were consecutive, meaning Gretzky has more consecutive 100+ point seasons than the next guy has 100+ seasons, consecutive or not. Gretzky could've gotten a 100+ point season off assists alone on 11 occasions (Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr were the only other people to even accomplish this feat once), etc.
The most shocking fact out of everything I mentioned: Gretzky was undrafted, and he is the reason why I don't take sports drafts seriously anymore. He is the most dominant player of not only his sport, but to really any GOAT of any sport. 😅
He did not have 19 100+ point seasons. He had 15.
Mario is arguably the only comparable player next to Wayne. I don’t think he would have beat his records, but it would have been much closer, if not for injuries. That’s another thing that set the goat apart, and it was his ability to not get injured.
@@RIUUI007 He had 19 if you include his four 200+ point seasons.
@@bb-double-yuh 😄 I guess that's true
He was in a rival league that merged with the NHL, it wasn't exactly like he was unknown and ill-considered to offer a pro contract to.
For all you doubters, it's not about 99s raw numbers. It's about being 25-30% higher than your peers! THAT'S beyond comparison!!!
Is that not numbers? As he stated, he played in the right era. Whenver a video surfaces about the GOAT, I ask what are the criteria? His fame is based on his scoring achievements. They are in the record books. No denying the stats. Personally, I was a fan of his smarts. This set him apart.
Comparing players from different eras is a futile exercise. And how do you fairly compare a D-Man with a forward. I put value on a player being a complete player. They play and excel in all aspects of the game (excluding goalie) and in all scenrios. So the one player that checks these boxes is Orr. When he was on the ice, he was the D-Man and the best forward. He is the reason we have the rushing D-Men today. As much as I acknowledge Gretzky's scoring achievements and smarts, I would put him in the running for best forward to have ever played. There are others in the mix like Mario and Howe.
@@resabape How do you fairly compare players that only played in their prime to players that played full careers? Shouldn't one of the boxes be longevity which Orr does not check?
I remember seeing a video of Gretzky where he said one of his coaches (can't remember which one) told him to go home and watch Bobby Clarke. Bobby was known for playing down low and in the corners. Gretzky took some of what he learned watching Clarke and combined it with his own style and perfected it.
There is lots of things about him and his game that you could use to breakdown and describe what made his greatness. But like all great individuals, he is more than the sum of his parts...
He had the most unique slapshot ever. It wasn't super powerful, but it was super accurate. It was almost like a powerful wrist shot
His slapshots look hyperbolic: he has a huge windup, but not that-strong a shot. For a goalie who was unfamiliar, such a big windup often locks things up for the goaltender. The fact that it's a huge windup actually slows down the shooting, but his release and accuracy are at the top of anyone else's: it's a slow buildup with a lightning, precision finish.
It was often his deceptive hesitation after the wind up that beat them...froze the goalie.
Slapping the puck past standup goalies is one thing... but he wouldn't be scoring on modern goalies that way.
We saw Gretsky in Detroit one night. The Joe was wild....madness. Wayne - 4 goals 3 assits. He seriously...put on a show! Gordie was there....said he had never seen anything like it.
Just a tip... when you break down a play and you slice it up, and show it in snippets, that's good, do that, but also show the full clip start to finish uninterrupted after each one.
great clips, countless houdrs on the backyard rink, his father walter was a wonderful man, everything wayne has and is today today he can attribute to walter and phylis
So why didn't his brothers achieve anything in hockey?
I don't think you know much about Gretzky, hockey, or hockey history, but you got one thing right. He was the GOAT.
It's the one sport where we definitively know who the GOAT is. All other sports, people argue about it but looking at the record books in the NHL, Gretzky is far and away the most talented in hockey.
Heard of Great 8?
@@funkerrrr Of course I have heard of Ovechkin! Great player, one of the best goal scorers ever. Still put him below Gretzky.
I rarely follow the NHL these days, so I don't have much of a clue about the players there now. But I never thought that anyone would even come close to Wayne Gretzky in the number of goals scored. Ovetchkin must be insanely good as he approaches the record despite the fact that the players and all the goalkeepers are generally much better these days. If Ovechkin can just stay healthy and play, he will overtake #99's record. Absolutely incredible and perhaps good for hockey as a sport that someone new is coming in. Hopefully there will be more players in the future who can break new records.
That'a probably the best thing about Gretzky, he's always been of the belief that his record being broken was good for the game. Great ambassador for hockey!
After Ovi 802 goal it''s 100% he will break that record, NHL will do everything to make it happen, its history rewriting and lots of money.. Imagine those games when Ovi is one goal away from Gretzky, arenas will be full and whole world will be watching, this will be amazing, can't wait..
cant really compare how good a player is versus another one. Statistics depends about how good the team is, also about the period the player used to play. At that time each fight was causing a 4 against 4, Oilers were so good at it and Gretzky use to get a lot of point this way. It depends also about how lucky the player is to stay far from injuries, Mario Lemieux got a shorter career. Some people would say McDavid is better and they could be right but it is impossible to get a real comparison.
Gretzky started taking just as much pride in setting up goals as in scoring them, which left a "few" in storage!!!!!!!
@@pascaljutras178 It's true. There are many different factors that influence, of course. I personally thought for a while that Lemieux would be able to get up to Gretzky's numbers but then came the disease as you write.
Amazing Video. Great work 👍🏻
Gretzky played before my time so I appreciate all the comments from everyone here explaining why he was so great. Wish I had been there.
Man that goal @0:55 the goalie flinched
Top tier goaltending lmao
@trentkestin9849
And yet, with all the great players in the game, Gretzky was the only one to make them look this foolish. He was a master of the game.
Great break down!
Wayne better than anyone would use the threat of a pass or a shot to manipulate the defender out of position. He played chess when everybody else was playing checkers.
well done. solid breakdown.
Let's not forget what Gretzky himself stated that having Semenko and then McSorely watching his back allowed him free range to do his thing.
So why didn't Hartford get a bodyguard for Ron Francis and have him score 200 points? Or Perrault, Hawerchuk or Denis Savard?
@@mpm1958 Those players all had protection in the forms of different players. Francis had Samuelson, McKenzie for example. Hawerchuk had Jim Kyte. Perreault had Playfair. Savard had Secord. Stastny and Goulet had Dale Hunter and Paul Gillis and more. These are just a few quick examples. They had others through their years. The thing they didn't have, Gretzky's ability. That's why they didn't get 200 points. Semenko just became known because Gretzky. It could have been any of the big enforcers of the day but Semenko ended up on the oilers by good luck. If Semenko played for Hartford, Francis wouldn't have gotten 200 because Semenko specifically played there. If Tim Hunter played for Edmonton instead of Semenko, Gretzky still gets 200×4. Individual players didn't really have bodyguards. The enforcer protected the team. The term Gretzky's Bodyguard was more a shot at Wayne himself because people called him a baby and needed a bodyguard to protect him.
@@mpm1958 Hartford sucked. Edmonton was loaded. Not taking anything away from Wayne, but he was like Joe Montana in San Fran: a great player surrounded by other great players. Hartford just sucked.
@@dannycarlow8204 You might add that Gretzky was consistently the scoring leader in the Canada Cups he played in... where there were no goons
@@mpm1958 Well, Mario was actually
Definitely the G.O.A.T of all sports all time. He's far better than anyone in his era or any era .
😂😂😂😂😂
@@That90sShow how am l wrong kid?
@@That90sShow What can't be disputed: He is the most statistically dominant professional athlete of all time.
Wayne has often related that he could feel the league getting better as the years went by. In Gretzky's mid-30s, he was no slower than before, his shot was the same and his playmaking abilities were still amazing. His stats suffered because the players and goalies were all getting better. So to say that is FAR better than anyone in any era is ridiculous. McDavid is better at pretty much everything and dominates an era that is MUCH better than the one Wayne played in
@@mpm1958 Gretzky didn't have competition in his prime. Macdavid has many players close to him. Gretzky point totals say it all. Macdavid is in his prime and his point totals are not astronomical compared to his peers
One huge factor about the great one was his pride and excellence towards Team Canada. We will never forget blades of summer Canada cup 1987 and 2002 salt lake olympics Thank you Wayne Gretzky
I don't know much about hockey, but as a long time basketball fan the comp I have in mind is Larry Bird. Exceptional smarts, vision, accuracy, reflexes, etc.
Now imagine if Larry Bird held 61 NBA records. Physically, it is a solid comparison. Gretzky was a shrimp by hockey standards. 6ft, 170lbs, and benched 140lbs. The man outplayed everyone.
If Wayne was more selfish of a player, and not focused on play making and getting assists, think how many more goals he might have had. But his play making skills is exactly what makes him the GOAT of hockey!!
If he'd been selfish for 3-4 more games, he'd have 900 goals, easily.
I'm late to the party but here's a response to people saying ''it was so easy to score back then''. Before l show statistics you need to remember that goalies we're ''bad'' because they had poor equipment, training, nutrition etc... the skaters also had equally as poor equipment, training, nutrition etc...
Let's compare Gretzky's season in 1984 to McDavid's season in 2023. Let's compare the entire NHL scoring and their scoring.
In 2023, there were 13 players with 100+ points including those who 100% would have had 100+ points if they played a full season. In 1987 this number is 14, also accounting for players who 100% would have had 100+ points.
In 2023 there were 2 players with 120+ points and only 1 (McDavid) with 130+.
In 1987 there were 3 players with 120+ points and only 1 (Gretzky) with 130+ points.
In 2023 there were 5 players with 109-119 points, and 6 players with 100-108 points.
In 1987 there were 5 players with 109-119 points, and 6 players with 100-108 points.
McDavid finished with 64 goals, 153 points in 82 games.
Gretzky finished with 87 goals, 205 points in 74 games.
Gretzky's stats adjusted if he played 82 games that season - 96 goals, 227 points in 82 games.
This is how much better Gretzky is than anyone who has played since he and Lemieux retired. The only comparable players are Lemieux and Orr.
I think you should also look at goals per game. It was much higher in the 80s. Around 8 goals per game. Now it’s around 6. The 80s was wide open offensively.
As a dane i would love too see Either the OG Frans Nielsen, or Lars Eller as he just hit 1k NHL games. But might be for a pretty niche audience :)
For sure! I grew up a Canucks fan so one of my favourite players growing up was Jannik Hansen. Already looking into doing a top 5 from different countries but I'll definitely add Denmark to my radar!
Gretzky was literally on a different level... I've never seen someone make split second decisions so good consistently like him
Mario Lemieux was on Gretzky's level.
And today, Connor McDavid can say the same thing. Connor McDavid is the next Wayne Gretzky.
Not until Connor can win a scoring title with his assists alone (like Gretzky did 4 times). Mario couldn’t even do that. Gretzky even did it 3 times while simultaneously winning the goal scoring title. Insane.
@@taekwondotime McDavid couldn't carry Gretzky's jock.. and that's no knock on McDavid.
@@michaelgriffiths8068 Gretzky was further ahead of his peers, but McDavid does everything better than Gretzky. The difference is that he plays in a much tougher era. Wayne would not be blasting slapshots from the faceoff circle past modern goalies.
@@mpm1958 - Gretzky had one thing that McDavid doesn’t have (nor anyone else in history): Hid otherworldly, alien like hockey sense and vision. This is the key ingredient that transcends stick handling and speed. Otherwise a prime Bure would have beaten a 33 year old Gretzky in scoring (he didn’t). Gretzky won the Art Ross well past his peak at age 33, beating super fast prime Bure and Federov.
On a side note, it would be interesting to see McDavid use Gretzky’s heavy skates and heavy wooden Titan stick, with two line passes and no obstruction penalties.
The Secret to Wayne's career was he was Coached Extremely Well by an Excellent and Knowledgeable Man ...
Walter Gretzky
Why didn't Walter pass these same things onto Wayne's brothers Brent or Keith?
His hockey IQ wasn't even mentioned, but I think his ability to use his lanky body and skillful hands to exploit what his mind could see and react to is what made him so great. Tage Thompson is looking similar, but I don't know if he has the same hockey IQ.
Definitely, Gretzky had an uncanny ability to predict where his teammates were going to be. Elias Pettersson plays a similar game to Gretzky as well, off the charts hockey IQ and similar skating.
Gretzky defines hockey IQ. It wasn't his size or physicality that made him a superstar during the days of bullying, grappling, and obstruction (now called interference). Wayne Gretzky famously said, “I skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.” That quote is a staple in every locker room and part of every coach's speech since Gretzky first said it. Needing to say Gretzky had high hockey iq is like requiring people to specify, oxygen, when telling them to breath. But, yeah, 100% on the Tage comment. The timing of his passes is unworldly.
When people say that Wayne was only successful because back then, players and goalies were smaller, equipment was smaller, etc. etc., the reply is simply, "Then where were all other players scoring 50 goals in 39 games?". This is to me, the defining record that hasn't been beaten by anyone, and likely will not. Ovechkin is close to reaching the total goal record, but look how long it's taking him.
Best forward probably yes, but best overall is Bobby Orr to me. The only defenseman winning Art Ross Trophy (two times) and revolutionizing the game.
It's hard to comprehend how good Gretzky was. It's been 24 years since he retired, and of his 61 records, he still holds 57. And that's just official records. Some of his stats are just brain-scrambling.
Not only does he hold the record for most records held, he also holds the record for most Gretzky records broken. Literally, the only player comparable to Gretzky was Gretzky. He'd do things no one had ever done before, and then he'd do them even better the next season.
And on top of this genuinely mythical status, the most staggering thing is how team-focused he was. He has more assists than any other player in hockey has points. How many sports legends (any sport) are that selfless?
His numbers are so high and yet his play isn't as flamboyant or noticeable as some (cough-McDavid-cough), this was an interesting take on some of the reasons.
I don't understand why the defensemen, didn't go check Gretzky behind the net, before he installs himself there.
One word; "Marty" ( lol )
Gretzky probably was too smart.
Yes, as the other guy said, Marty. But also the edgework described in the video, hard to get the momentum to run someone behind a steel cage without them having time to get out
If the D-man goes behind the net before Gretzky gets there, he won't go behind the net and it will be 5-4 in front of the net. Often, they would try to chase him out from behind the net, but then he'd pop out the other side to pass to a teammate or take a shot himself. He was very, very good at avoiding checks, and finding open teammates.
You think every player and every coach didn't have the same idea? He was smarter than everyone.
Watching the way the goalies played really makes me appreciate the skill that Ovechkin has. Two different eras and now is definitely harder. Been playing hockey for 25 years and while I appreciate both I am very thankful to witness Ovechkin
Bout twice a year Iget stoned and think, who was the best major sports pro athlete in American history and always end up watching this video
Barry Bonds was insane but Gretzky’s resume is next level
Gordie Howe was the GOAT as far as I'm concerned. It is very difficult to compare players in different era.
they both played in NHL at same time you know. In season 1979-1980.
Complete player who could do it all. Wayne was the most gifted offensive talent ever. He was a minus for his career after leaving the Oil- but we're not supposed to talk about that.
i wouldn't even put howe in the top 3
@@flyingiguana409 You obviously don't know much about Howe.
@@jimjohnson9808 orr, gretzky and lemiuex? howe was great, but not on the same level.
Those changes of direction!..... It's like..... In the NBA they call it Ankle Breaker, in soccer is Dribble! I cannot put a word on his style! It's unique! So effortless and impossible to read! How can you defend that?! I bet the opposite team coach had nightmares days before the game!
He wasn’t the biggest, the fastest, and didn’t have the hardest shot. But he was by far the smartest, most clever player ever to hit the ice, and used the talents of his teammates (which, on those great Oiler teams, were considerable) like no one else ever has. He saw the game on a whole different level. It was almost as if he had learned to play on another planet
Hockey underrated such a cool sport
Hope it stays underrated. The rest of the sports arehave all gone full transvestite.
Not certain if you mentioned the mental aspect of this problem, which is significant. We can analyze raw potential and stats, but what is Ovy experiencing in his psyche? Is the pressure too great mentally to sustain such an achievement? This, too, is a factor, for certain. But, man, when he's on, he's on!
I like gretzky, and I love the way he reps hockey but I'm going to make my case that Bobby Orr is slightly better. Now I may be a little biased but the great thing about hockey stats is they keep track of +-. Bobby orrs +- is beyond waynes
orr played on a very def oriented team. So + - yes
Gretzky scored a total of 894 goals in the NHL regular seasons, I built about 2,000 power grid facilities. Which of us is greater?
I’m fortunate that I grew up watching 99. The thing I wholeheartedly disagree with is the notion that he wouldn’t be as good without the enforcers out there. Well; there were virtually no obstruction, hooking or holding penalties back then. Gretzky could score when there were opposing players literally hanging off of him. For that reason I believe he could still dominate if he was playing in the current era.
A few quotes when people were asked why they weren't hitting him...
"You couldn't hit him with a handful of confetti."
"Trying to hit him is like trying to catch a feather in mid-flight."
"He was like an apparition. He came out of nowhere, passed to nowhere and disappeared into nowhere."
I love this Moose but you're missing an aspect of Gretzky's play that is always missed: his ability to avoid hits. I an era of high violence Wayne managed to avoid hits or move his body so that the hit had less or no impact and even work to his advantage. I want to see a highlight reel which shows how he handle the goons of Broad Street Bullies era.
#99 Wayne Gretzky is in my opinion the best NHL player to ever play the game hands down. The newer generation of hockey 🏒 fans don’t know that Wayne Gretzky played in a much tougher NHL era back then when clutching,hooking & grabbing was the norm where Gretzky had to really work & be on his game to make openings happen where as today’s NHL Players have a lot more leniency where the referees call all that clutching,grabbing & hooking.
"The newer generation of hockey 🏒 fans don’t know that Wayne Gretzky played in a much tougher NHL era"
You're wrong. Even The Great One himself disagrees with you: th-cam.com/video/9-K_3cnwhkY/w-d-xo.html
You have to put it into perspective though. For example, if you put todays McDavid put into 1984 team/goaltenders, he'd easily be scoring 10+ goals per game. We all know equipment and technique has evolved incredibly in the past 20+ years. Todays NHL is far harder to score a goal than it was back then.
Prime Gretzky was far ahead of his time, but also playing against a much less evolved league. Looking back at goals, 3/4 of them wouldn't have gone in with even second or 3rd string goaltenders of today. They weren't "weak" goals for the time however in today's NHL many of them definitely would be.
Put the pros of the 80s against current NHL teams and I don't think they'd be scoring half as much. What impresses me the most are players like Ovi who somehow manage to score goal after goal in todays NHL difficulty, making it look easy.
Your first statement may definitely be true however I strongly disagree with the second one. Gretzky was without a doubt leaps and bounds better than the entire league he played in at the time. Completely different era though, and far easier to score. Arguably far more difficult not to get knocked out cold though :)
than theres bobby orr
66 was better, by a mile.
Orr
Wayne Gretzky OUTWORKED the entire NHL for 2 decades and that's why he's #1. As "better" as he was at certain skills his determination and stamina are often overlooked.
😂😂😂😂😂 Scored 60 ONCE in his last 14 seasons bud. ONCE... Thats not 2 decades of dominance. Piled up all his easy rat points on 1980s oilers and was no where near the dominance of Mario
Gretzky wasn’t very good in the 90s. He was a negative player, because he was so bad defensively.
Fantastic, in-depth analysis. Great response to all the nonsensical "he was great only because he didn't face butterfly goaltenders" idiots. As if everyone else who play before the butterfly style scored nearly 3,000 points during their career lol
the gap between gretzky(1) and jagr(2) in points is about the same as the gap between jagr(2) and kariya(100)
I watched him from 1979 through to the end of his career in 1999, if Gretzky would have wanted to, he could have easily scored 150 more goals. His number one priority was to pass to the open man when he was close to the net
He went around people like they were statues.
Can you do a video on Mario Lemieux?
It wouldn't be about why he's the goat though, because he isn't.
I believe that Gretzky is one of if not the only player in sports history who was truly impossible to beat.
There's a debate in every sport who's the goat ... Except hockey. Wasn't the biggest, strongest, toughest or fastest ... It was his anticipation and ability to see the play develop that made him so great.
Agreed. And he has the scoring records. Does that make him the GOAT? I think there is more to consider before you jump to that conclusion
I have watched hockey for many years. If l was building a hockey dream team Bobby Orr would be my first pick to build my team around. And Gretzky would not be my second pick. That would be Mario.
Cool, you take Mario and I’ll take the guy with 20 scoring titles (10 regular season, 6 playoffs, and 4 out of 4 Canada Cup scoring titles)….and more assists than anyone (including Mario) has points.
Your team would lose 😄
I never hear mention of today's sticks! Oh, if Wayne had had the opportunity to play with one of these...whew!!!
I don't know much about hockey I'm more of a football and basketball guy. But I do have a question? I thought a goal meant you scored a point right? So can some Hockey fan explain to me how Gretzky can have 894 Goals but 2857 points? A goal is 1 point so how in the F**K ? Even if you take away the 894 Goals he still would have 1963 points. Where do these points come from?
Goals + passes = points . Wayne Gretzky: 894 goals + 1,963 passes = 2,857 points
Gretzky used to 'Rocker' his blades and had the tightest turning radius in NHL history imo ...
Don't get me wrong Gretzky couldn't 'glide past guys' as if they were stuck in concrete like Paul Coffey...
Wayne couldn't skate (moving laterally in either direction and leave defenders going the wrong way and clutching at air, with a subtle shake of the hips) a la Bobby Orr (FYI I'm a great-grandfather who saw Orr play live, even as a Junior for Oshawa Generals) ...
BUT BUT BUT...
Alongside his peerless play-making abilities, Hockey IQ, patience with the puck, uncanny anticipatory skills... so much on display via that famous behind the net feed to Luc Robitaille...
Gretzky' s comparatively tiny turning radius helped set him apart!
PEACE OUT
Also helped that he played on stacked teams. It's funny how the Oilers won a cup just 2 years after he left and he never won one without them.
He made his teams better. Lots of guys win cups just by being on the right team ( Ray Bourque ). When the discussions about the greatest player comes up, you will never hear the name Mark Messier..the guy that won 6 cups..so 99 doesn't really need more than 4 cups to lock in his place as the greatest ever. The next closest guy could arguably be Mario Lemieux but he's only got 2 cups. The cups tally doesn't mean as much as you might be trying to suggest.
@@blackened4me all I'm saying is the Oilers were more important to him winning cups than he was to them winning. Not to mention that Oilers team has been somewhat dismantled apart from Gretzky and still won
@@XaviRonaldo0 They also lost with 99 and would you say that he was the reason for losing to Calgary? If you look specifically at Wayne's playoff numbers, there is no denying what he brought to the game when it mattered: 208 games 122 goals 260 assists 382 points ( +/-) 91! Messier ( #2 all time ) 236 games 109 goals 186 assists 295 points (+/-) 52 and just for some context, Mario ( yes injured and cancer ) 107 games 76 goals 96 assists (+/-) 20. I don't see how it's even a debate.
@@blackened4me so you're saying it was a fluke in '90. I don't care what the numbers say the proof is in the pudding. A largely dismantled team won 2 years after he left and he never won without them. Not hard to understand what was more important about their run. It was the stacked team.
They won the cup in 1990 because Ranford played the best statistical stretch of his career in those playoffs as he won the Conn Smythe. Not any of the hall of fame oilers, Ranford. None of those Oilers other than Wayne proved they could put a team on their back and win. Wayne knocked the Oilers out in the first round in 1989 with an incredibly inferior Kings team.
That he was always supported by a cast of teammates, that could have gotten my grandmother, into the hall of fame, didn’t hurt none….
Alexi Kovalev next please.
He said Gretzky wasn’t the fastest skater which is true but if you watch him he would fake a slap shot puck handle between 2 defenseman and beat the the goalie with a backhand while never slowing down. Wayne made all his movements at full speed.
Next how about Ray Bourque who did everything, and carried the Bruins on his back?
What did he carry the Bruins to exactly? A couple of finals that they lost. Whoopie. Had to get traded to an almost guaranteed cup winning team to get one.
I think you meant Orr who did everything and carried the Bruins on his back.. Bourque didn't even win a cup once in Boston, he never even got a single 100 point season either. Orr did that while winning cups being a way better faster and dominating defenceman. Not saying Bourque wasn't good, because he was but he wasn't good enough to be held on a pedestal.
It makes me so MAD when ppl say Gretzky is overrated. THEY JUST DONT KNOW OR WANT TO KNOW
Goalies back then :D
It's crazy looking back and seeing just how bad goalies and defensemen were at the sport. Bunch of pylons out there looking like they're lollygagging on ice.
There was a story where he was lined up to get clobbered when he surprised the defenseman by passing the puck to him, and then stealing it back and go around him.
It's sad how Super Mario gets brushed to side so often. He was arguably on the same level if not better than Gretzky.
You mean the character from the video game?
How do you say he was better? What did he do that was better?
Please analyse Connor McDavid!
A lot of what Gretzky did was out clever the opposition. He made it look easy, so people think they can do it, but only Gretzky was able to.
1/2/23
1981...50 goals in 39 games
That will never happen again.
87 points: Jamie Benn won a scoring title with. 79 points: Gretzky won a scoring title BY.
He also played on that Oilers team that had 6 Hall of Fame players. That made it easy to score and get crazy assists. His numbers fell off once he went to LA
Mario played with 8 other hall of famers on his team. I guess that made it even easier for him? You have to love a player whose dropoff brings him down to 160+ points.
What made Linda Lovelace great? No gag reflex....
Good question. And the answer is he played at the perfect moment. He was ahead of others, goalies were generally horrible, equipment was what it was, but skill greater than others meant he could do so much more compared to others. He would never do same things in current NHL. Comparing him to today's players isn't really fair.
If the goalies were so, where was the other players getting Gretzky like numbers, 🎶 ong
@@bbbbbzzzzzzzzzz5431 why aren't everyone getting McDavid numbers now? Obviously someone is always best atm, and getting more points than others. Did you ever think that?
@@TheGeishakuula yes thanks, that's why he is known as McJesus, if he keeps it up for 6 or 7 years or so, he will approach the DOMINATION level of Gretzky,
i guess you got the main point that these few types of guys somehow have "skill greater than others" 🏅
Someone has to be the best yes, these guys are not just the best, they are the best by a BIG BIG margin
Difference is
The best by how much 🎶
Lmfao wow look at those circles he’s fucking amazing 😂💀
His vision.
Not the GOAT imo. Edmonton was so stacked that he left the team and they still won the Stanley cup. He had such a supporting cast. He was great tho. I would never take that away. Commentators at the time would call it the Gretzky assist. He would pass the puck to Coffey, Coffey would skate the whole length of ice and score and Gretzky would get an assist. He would pass it to Kurri and the same would happen. Padded numbers from a stacked team. Other greats didn't always have this luxury. I'm 52. I look back in all the years I watched. Lemieux was the GOAT for me. He started on a shambles of a penguin franchise. The whole team was on his shoulders. It wasn't until later that he had a supporting cast and he was still able to score 100 points his first season. To this day, he was the most unstoppable on breakaways. Connor McDavid is probably the most rounded player though. Transversely, his point totals suffer because of his franchise.
How quickly we forget.
Forget what?
Watch his whole story or hear one and you'll know what made him great. It's no secret unless you're new or not Canadian. His dad was a beauty.
This sounds like another video by a young hockey fan who never actually watched Wayne Gretzky play.
By the way, I've never heard anyone nor have I seen any other NHL who consistently intentionally played behind the net in order to set up a play. Obviously players went behind the net, but nobody intentionally parked out there in the way that Gretzky did.
Back then goalies did nothing compared to nowadays goaltending, they just standing and rolling
thats what im trying to say and plus players are way better aswell
And the skates and sticks and training were way worse.
You can’t compare the two generations like that. What you can say is that the separation between his peers would have been the same in any generation.
@@ryana3679 you know I played hockey for a few years and honestly using sticks as an excuse is lame. I played with many types of sticks and my go to one was a 40 dollar wooden stick I got at a local sports shop. Like everything else, you get use to using that. I used a composite stick a few times in my later time playing and I didn't like the feel as much as the wooden. As for skates, maybe more comfortable now. Definitely, but it's not that much to say that was a good enough reason(cough Bobby Orr, Gartner etc). Yes goaltending was worse. Ever wonder why? Ever use those heavy ass pads from the 80s. Look at the size of goalies now. Many are 6ft 2-4 inches now. The average back then was considerably less average was 5 ft 9 inches. Players have had time since Gretzky to come up with better ways to defend, score, stop pucks etc. Gretzky would have been brought up in the same rules, strategies, etc as everyone else if he was born in say McDavid's era. Times do change, but people often forget that people do adapt.
three words...no shifts off.
He mentioned in interviews how a family might only have one time to see him play. That's why he never wanted to disappoint, the man represented hockey perfectly.
@@moosethegoosey thats actually very similar to Gordie Howe's motivation to always work as hard as possible. Howe's mindset was that there might be someone that came there to see him play and might never be able to watch one of his games in person again, so he always worked his hardest. Wayne really liked that mindset and used it aswell.