What Made Gretzky GREAT?
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- Опубліковано 25 гру 2022
- Time Stamps
0:00 - Intro
Edgework 0:13
Slapshot 1:02
Behind The Net 2:11
X- Factor 3:21
A quick analysis on the greatest NHL player of all time. What made techniques did Gretzky use to achieve his record breaking records in hockey? - Спорт
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?
@@That90sShow No that would be you.
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.
@@94champsgoteem 😂
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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
Excellent analysis.
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!
Came to UA-cam hoping I’d find exactly this type of video. Technical and to the point. Thanks!
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 😂
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.
Met him and his wife very very briefly. They were both very chill and friendly.
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!
Amazing Video. Great work 👍🏻
Ol' Waynos - Incomparable and quite frankly an example sheet today for how to be a great hockey player. Kudos forever..
well done. solid breakdown.
Great break down!
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.
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.
@@jockejocke1 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.
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.
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.
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?
His ability to adapt is what made him great.
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 don't think you know much about Gretzky, hockey, or hockey history, but you got one thing right. He was the GOAT.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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?
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!!
Hockey underrated such a cool sport
Hope it stays underrated. The rest of the sports arehave all gone full transvestite.
Alexi Kovalev next please.
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
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 never hear mention of today's sticks! Oh, if Wayne had had the opportunity to play with one of these...whew!!!
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.
I believe that Gretzky is one of if not the only player in sports history who was truly impossible to beat.
Goalies back then :D
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.
1981...50 goals in 39 games
That will never happen again.
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
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.
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.
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
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'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.
Well said. If Gretzky didn't hurt his back his numbers would be even more insane.
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.
His vision.
His skating ability
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 😄
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
Can you do a video on Mario Lemieux?
It wouldn't be about why he's the goat though, because he isn't.
87 points: Jamie Benn won a scoring title with. 79 points: Gretzky won a scoring title BY.
the gap between gretzky(1) and jagr(2) in points is about the same as the gap between jagr(2) and kariya(100)
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
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!
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.
He went around people like they were statues.
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
Definitely the GOAT. 99
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?
#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: ua-cam.com/video/9-K_3cnwhkY/v-deo.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
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.
How quickly we forget.
Forget what?
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.
It makes me so MAD when ppl say Gretzky is overrated. THEY JUST DONT KNOW OR WANT TO KNOW
Yep, that’s why he will always be the greatest one.
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….
i’m not a huge hockey fan, but for some reason I told my son about him tonight because I love the way he was in perpetual motion and used space he could see steps ahead. So your video was great because it wasn’t just a bunch of scores for important milestones, but an actual explanation of how he was accomplishing his task.
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 made Linda Lovelace great? No gag reflex....
His hair obviously.
World class flow!
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 😂💀
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.
He is the GOAT JR MR HOCKEY is the GOAT !!
Orr, Howe, Gretzky and Lemieux all have their arguments. No doubt Mr. Hockey set the standard though.
@@moosethegoosey it’s very hard to pick one I agree !! MR HOCKEY!!! Is mine
@@sammyweed4771 . Its Orr for me...
@@daverepole9283 Great Pick !!!! I’m a huge Bruins Fan…. #4. Bobby Orr
@@sammyweed4771 me too. You got great taste. 👌
Messi is the first athlete after Gretzky that has that brain it is crazy
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.
nice video, like and subscrib :)
Thank you! I appreciate it!
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.
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?
He played on a great team. The oilers were so good they traded him and still won the cupthe next year. Like the bulls trading Jordan and winning.
I still don't get why players don't use the slap shot and slap shot fake more often in today's game. This is a great way to get defensemen and goalies out of position. When I think of forwards shooting slappers, Yzerman's goal vs the St. Louis Blues always comes to mind. It seriously makes me wonder if accuracy in today's game is a problem or if the skill over power factor has just been taken to another level. Moose says it right though. SPACE SPACE and more SPACE. This is what gives players an edge in hockey. Hockey is a game of speed and therefore the faster you can react, the better your chances will be of either making a play or avoiding a mistake. The more space you create, the better you 'slow the game down' so you can make good decisions. This facet of hockey IQ can make a player good and a good player great.
It’s because when a player slap shots, it’s much harder to hit where you want to aim compared to wristers. There’s more power and room for error and that’s why it’s used as a rebounding mechanism in this day and age. This also couples in with the fact that defense is played much more tightly nowadays, most players wouldn’t have the time to slap shot and even if they did, there’s a high chance the defender will block it because they can react to it.
To slow to wine up..
The average league performance after 2005 (when Ovechkin joined the NHL) is significantly lower than in the 1980s and early 1990s. In the 80s, the performance per match ranged from 7 to 8 goals, and the most “fun” season was the 1981/82 championship - 8.03 goals (it was in that year that Gretzky set an all-time record - 92 goals in the regular season). In the first half of the 90s, the performance in the NHL was slowly declining (with the exception of the 1992/93 championship), and in the 1996/97 season there was a sharp decrease in this indicator - to 5.83 goals per game. In the 2003/04 regular season, the performance dropped to a terrible 5.14 goals.
This may be due to increased competition in the NHL. After the collapse of the USSR, many hockey players who played in the countries of the Warsaw Pact moved to play in the NHL. The best players on the planet are playing in North America right now. During the Gretzky era, there were almost no Europeans in the NHL. In the 1983/84 season. Only 50 foreigners played in the NHL.
Ovi came into the league during the "dead puck era," playing against bigger, faster goaltenders who are equipped to look like they're working as fighting dog training dummies. The defenders have also become very large. Gretzky scored half of his goals on some skinny, dangling fools who jumped 5 meters out of the “frame”, trying to cut the corner, and then fell onto the ice.
In the 1988-1989 season. in the regular season of the NHL, 1 field player from the countries of the former USSR played, after the collapse of the USSR in the 1991-1992 season. 24 field players played in the 1993-1994 season. - 63, and in 2003/04. - 71. As can be seen from the figures, the higher the field players from the countries of the former USSR played, the lower the performance in the NHL. The performance is correlated with the number of players playing in the NHL from the countries of the former USSR.
From 1975 to 1991, the clubs of the USSR played 108 matches with the teams of the National Hockey League. During this time, the clubs of the USSR won 58 victories, 10 matches ended in a draw and lost 40 times to the representatives of the NHL.
In 1990/91 USSR clubs won 17 times against NHL clubs, lost 8 times and drew 3 times. This indicates the high competitiveness of Soviet hockey players.
Meetings of the owner of the Stanley Cup with the champion of the USSR, who became in the season in which the match took place:
12/29/1979 New York Islanders - CSKA - 2:3
12/31/1985 Montreal Canadiens - CSKA - 1:6
01/12/1991 Pittsburgh Penguins - Dynamo (Moscow) - 3:4
For example, the results of the teams in which Gretzky played at that time against the teams of the USSR:
01/04/1980 Edmonton Oilers - Dynamo (Moscow) - 1:4
12/27/1985 Edmonton Oilers - CSKA - 3:6
12/31/1988 Los Angeles Kings - Dynamo (Riga) - 3:5
12/04/1989 Los Angeles Kings - Khimik (Voskresensk) - 3:6
12/03/1990 Los Angeles Kings - Khimik (Voskresensk) - 5:1
Also, the symbolic team of the century included 4 players who played in the USSR championships and 2 players who played in the NHL. The six members of the symbolic team were chosen by voting organized by the IIHF. The selection committee included 56 hockey experts from 16 countries in Europe and North America.
Symbolic team of the century:
Goalkeeper: Vladislav Tretiak (USSR) - 30 votes.
Defender: Vyacheslav Fetisov (USSR) - 54 votes.
Defender: Börje Salming (Sweden) - 17 votes.
Wing: Valery Kharlamov (USSR) - 21 votes.
Wing: Sergei Makarov (USSR) - 18 votes.
Center forward: Wayne Gretzky (Canada) - 38 votes
Ovechkin played in the NHL with more competition than Gretzky. But you can compare the results of these players, at the time when the Soviet players started playing in the NHL.
Gretzky played 373 games in the NHL from 1993 to 1998 and scored 120 goals (averaging 0.32 goals per game) at the age of 32-36. Ovechkin, aged 32-36 (from 2017 to 2022), played 353 games in the NHL and scored 222 goals (an average of 0.63 goals per game).
Gretzky played 721 NHL games and scored 302 goals from 1988 to 1998 (averaging 0.42 goals per game) at the age of 27-36. Ovechkin, aged 27-36 (from 2012 to 2022), played 721 games in the NHL and scored 441 goals (an average of 0.61 goals per game).
During these periods, Ovechkin won against Gretzky in the number of goals scored.
In addition, rules contributed to increased performance in the 1980s. Goalkeepers wore narrow shin guards, less sturdy helmets, and play skates, rather than goalie skates, as they are now. Video replays in the league were introduced only in 1991, when Gretzky had already crossed the equator of his career and stopped scoring goals with automatic bursts. In 1993, they changed the rules for playing with a high stick - it was forbidden to lift it above the crossbar, and before that it was allowed to swing up to the shoulder. In 1996, when Gretzky was three years away from retiring from the sport, a trapezoid was introduced - they outlined a section of ice on which the field was forbidden to contact the goalkeepers.
Ovechkin also won against Gretzky in the number of seasons in which they became the best scorers.
Number of seasons in which the player became the best scorer:
1. Alexander Ovechkin - 9 seasons
2. Bobby Hull - 7 seasons
3. Phil Esposito - 6 seasons
4. Wayne Gretzky - 5 seasons
5. Gordie Howe - 5 seasons
6. Maurice Richard - 5 seasons
7. Charlie Conacher - 5 seasons
8. Pavel Bure - 3 seasons
9. Teemu Selanne - Season 3
10. Mario Lemieux - 3 seasons
11. Brett Hull - 3 seasons
12. Bill Cook - 3 seasons
13. Babe Dy - 3 seasons
Wayne Gretzky never became the best sniper after 1991, that is, when, after the collapse of the USSR and the Warsaw Pact, European players poured into the NHL (the number of Europeans in the NHL became more than 5 times), and the competition in the NHL itself increased! And Gretzky's performance dropped noticeably. Wayne Gretzky himself said in an interview that it’s harder to score now than when he was playing (I quote him: “To score 13 goals now - and this is just my opinion - is much more difficult than to score 15 goals, as I did in '93. ").
Ovechkin plays at a time when the NHL became the strongest league in the world, and Gretzky scored the most goals in the 80s, and at that time, as the results of the matches and the composition of the symbolic team of the century showed, the USSR championship was the strongest league in the world.
It's funny the number of Gretzky haters who go out of their way to IGNORE his assist numbers. Yeah, Ovi is a great goal scorer, but how many Art Ross trophies does he have? ONE. Gretzky has TEN. Gretzky had some talented teammates, but he also made everyone around him better... a LOT better... so much so that in several of his best seasons, the second place person in the points race was someone on his own team, racking up goals because Wayne kept feeding them the puck.
Wayne wasn't a one dimensional sniper. He was an incredibly talented goal scorer, passer and playmaker... and he DOMINATED the league during his era. Nobody has done that before or since.... NOBODY, and it isn't close.
That's a very interesting theory but it doesn't explain why so goal scoring wasn't higher in the 1970's. When you highlight Gretzky vs Ovechkin goal numbers, keep in mind the role of each player as it pertains to their team. Look specifically at what Gretzky did during the playoffs. Ovechkin is without a doubt one of the greatest goal scorers but we're talking about overall player skills. Ovechkin is arguably the best goal scorer of the last 20 years..but has 1 cup to his name. Ovechkin will never be in the same discussion about being the GOAT. Crosby has a much better shot of making that list of players.
Could we get another commentator for this? FUCK!
9 mvp