Does it help that Jagr led the 1992 Pens in even-strength scoring in the playoffs, and helped them survive a series against New York where Mario was MIA courtesy of Adam Graves?
I'd say that the Brady/Montana thing (and championships in general) has more to do with strong supporting casts. Brady generally had a lower bar to clear to win games. The modern NFL QB has an average passer rating around 87. For the earlier part of Brady's career it was around 80. In the mid-1980s, it was around 70. But without adjusting for how easy passing has gotten (which should help Brady):
| Overall Playoffs | |
QB | W | L |
Montana | 16 | 7 |
Brady | 27 | 10 |
Marino | 8 | 10 |
| Games below 80 QB Rating | |
| W | L |
Montana | 2 | 4 |
Brady | 8 | 5 |
Marino | 1 | 8 |
| 80-99.9 QB Rating | |
| W | L |
Montana | 4 | 1 |
Brady | 5 | 4 |
Marino | 3 | 0 |
| 100+ QB Rating | |
| W | L |
Montana | 10 | 2 |
Brady | 14 | 1 |
Marino | 4 | 1 |
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Have a 100+ QB rating in a playoff game? Expect to win. But even when he's played poorly, Brady can expect to win. That's not because of Brady, it's because of team support. Or if you're cynical, ref support
This is largely true in hockey too. The Penguins can succeed in a series where Crosby doesn't produce. They succeeded when Lemieux was out of the lineup. (Championship teams generally can.)