What made him so good /sp/? How can his accomplishments and records

He was protected by the league his whole career

Watched one of his early NHL games recently. Every time he had the puck he scored a goal. At one point I thought it was a glitch in the video, cuz he made the same play twice in a few minutes

>>75965082
he's the great one unironically. But his records are also protected by different eras
No one will ever score as many points/goals because of the huge decrease in scoring the NHL, mostly related to goalies getting more and more elite and getting big pads

>>75965118
its funny how pistol Pete's scoring records are also untouchable, even though they played less games in the 60s and there was no 3 point lol

And then some of the pitching records from the dead ball era (either in mlb or in negro league) are also untouchable, and this was way before relief pitchers. In the negro league a pitcher would even have to pitch both games if there was a doubleheader

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bamp for actual sports convo as to fat sluts, niggers, soccer.

>>75965179
>mad
>at /ourgirl/ mckayla
Baka senpai

>>75965082
Kurri babby

>>75965361
very bad shit post

>>75965082
he played with anticipation. He followed the anticipated path of the puck rather than the puck.

>>75965082
>What made him so good /sp/?

Jari Kurri

>>75965093
This, if guys like Crosby had 2 or 3 guys on the team whos only job is to beat the fuck out of anybody who so much as breathes in his direction.

>>75966184
Crosby is already better than Gretzky despite playing with Manlet kids his entire career. He plays in an era where goal scoring much lower yet still averages well above a point per game. Gretzky was a kurribabby who couldnt even win in LA

Playing in a salary cap era alone makes him better than Gretzky

>>75966283
>Kurribabby
Enough.

But my point was, if Crosby had protection like Wayne did, he'd be just as good.

>>75966288
>Gretzky wins cups with Kurri
>Kurri wins cups with Gretzky
>Kurri wins cup without Gretzky
>Gretzky doesnt win cup without Kurri

Its likened to Backstrom/Ovechkin

Backstrom is good. Ovechkin is overrated. Ovechkin needs backstrom. Backstrom doesnt need ovechkin

>>75966165
>delet this

Finnish blood

>>75967480
DELETE DELETE DELETE

Goalies had not learned how to goaltend yet back then.

It wasn't his speed, shot, puckhandling, or size. It was his hockey vision. He's kinda like Brady in that respect. Nothing particularly remarkable except he sees opportunities and plays that nobody else did.

Lemieux was a better shot bigger, and arguably a better puckhandler. But even he didn't quite have the vision of Gretzky.

And yeah, defencemen weren't very good and goalers didn't have the same kind of equipment. But Gretzky is still better than either Crosby or McDavid.

>>75965361
>>75966165
Are you kidding? Messier was a great player but Kurri was a mediocre player that was lifted to champion heights because he was paired with Gretzky.

>>75965137
Pete's scoring records are untouchable because the best players don't stay in the NCAA for 4 years. Had Curry stayed with Davidson instead of going pro, he would have beaten Pete's record.

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>>75965082
>What made him so good /sp/?

Ability to read the game and great linemates. Mostly Jari Kurri and Esa Tikkanen in Edmonton, line was known as the Finnish sandwich. Esa Tikkanen would be in the hall of fame if he wasn't agitator and borderline goon.

Kurri, Tony Granato, Tomas Sandstöm and Luc Robitaille in Kings.

>How can his accomplishments and records not even be challenged by today's highest tier players?

Hockey was different game back then.

>>75967960
>Goalies had not learned how to goaltend yet back then.

It is mostly about overall coordination of defense, forwards didn't play as actively in defense as they do now. Getting across center ice and blue line was easier back then.

Goalies were shit back then compared to now.

He would have been challenged by Orr and Mario if one wasn't a Dman with exploding knees and the other didn't get cancer.

You will never see people putting up years with about 200 points again, unless heavy restrictions are put in place on goaltending. Top flight NHL players right now who have incredible talent like Crosby and McDavid struggle to put up 100.

Don't get me wrong. Gretzky is the best, especially relative to the era he played in. But he wouldn't be considered untouchable if he didn't play in the era he did.

>>75965082
he is ukrainian

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>>75965082

>>75967480
Belorussian ancestory actually

>>75968848
McDavid is not even 21. You'd have to be an utter retard to seriously compare him to gretzky

Lemieux was dominant in 80s,90s and 00s. gretzky stopped being in the mid 90s.

>>75970857
gretzky stopped being good when he left the most stacked team in any any sport ever

No butterfly goaltending

>>75969051
Averaged 44 points a game for all four years, before there was a three point shot (and bonus/double bonus)
Who has done that for even one season

>>75969280
>Goalies were shit back then compared to now.
>>75971443
>No butterfly goaltending

Defense as team was far less disciplined back then overall. It wasn't all goalies fault.

>>75974489
now it's entirely the defensemen's fault whenever a goal is scored. Only idiots blame goalies

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>>75974685
>now it's entirely the defensemen's fault whenever a goal is scored. Only idiots blame goalies

Only idiots blame players in any particular position.

Defensemen and forwards didn't defend in as coordinated way as they have done since 90's, now you don't have situations where front of the goal is empty of defending players if couple guys go to fight for the buck in corner or attacking defenders can stay completely unguarded at blue line just waiting for pass to shoot an slapshot. Well, at least as often as it happened back then. Getting across center ice and blue line was easier, sure forechecking existed back then as well, but that wasn't as aggressive as it is now. Chocking the game as whole wasn't seen as viable tactic as it is now.

Defending as team is the thing that changed hockey in 90's. Of course goaltending has evolved as well.

>>75965082
hockey is almost more of a mental game

>>75965082
I havent read the thread but anyone who uses Gretzkys stats when trying to compare him to any modern player is a fucking idiot. The game has changed, a lot.

>>75977095
>Defensemen and forwards didn't defend in as coordinated way as they have done since 90
This.

Go watch a game from the 70s or 80s. An actual full game and not just the highlights. It looks like a highschool game compared to the modern NHL.

>>75971483
>>75969051
he only played 3 years, freshman couldn't play back then.

>>75965093
>>75966184
>>75966288
>>75966283

You children, and by children I mean you were obviously too young to actually see Gretzky play, need to go watch tapes of Gretzky.

Crosby is amazing, McDavid, Lemieux, too. But Gretzky was different. A tier above of all of them.

Just watch game tapes.

I was at a practice once and during a scrimmage someone pinned Gretzky face-first against the boards, between the corner and the net,. The puck was between his skates.
He somehow got the puck onto his stick, even though he was pancaked against the boards and had only one hand on the stick, flicked it with his wrist, and the puck hit the goalie in the back of the shoulder, hit the post, and fell to the ice.
He didn't score, but from that position he got a shot on goal.

Just a cool memory, not meant to show anything really, except his creative thinking. He was just different. Watch the tapes.

>>75967960
kek
France in charge of defense.

just no.

>>75971443
>No butterfly goaltending
incorrect
that started in the 70's ffs

>>75965118
>it's the eras
then why did he destroy Lafleur, Dionne, Bossy, Yzerman, Esposito, Francis and his extremely talented teammate Mark Messier - in every possible way offensively? Why was he head and shoulders above everyone else if the era was so easy?

He figured out how to be the best of the era and worked at it until he changed how the game was played and officiated. He was a skinny twig that couldn't lift the minimum weight required at training camp but he didn't need to build up his core strength.

Crosby figured out how to be the best of his era: lower body strength, but the commissioner literally changed the game to help HIM as the league came out of a lockout.


Gretzky would have thrived in any era just like Rocket Richard proved he wasn't too small to handle the NHL.

Lemieux better

>>75980482
Unironically this

>>75980482
""""no""""""

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>>75965082
He saw the game differently than others and made plays that would only come to fruition moments rather than seconds later. His sheer passing ability made him godlike in the offensive zone.

Wish I could have seen him live but I guess ill settle for McDavid.

>>75980509
>tf
>tt
fuck off pierre of course lemieux was better

>>75969051
this is one of the stupidest posts i've ever read on sp

less room behind the net these days

>gretzky thread
>ctrl-f coffey
>no results
baka

>>75965082
carried by kurri

>>75980453
>He was a skinny twig that couldn't lift the minimum weight required at training camp but he didn't need to build up his core strength.

The fact that he was physically weakest player in his team for most of his career is pretty interesting.