Gretzky and the 2002 Olympics

The Panther

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No chance. I don't think there's any conceivable way Gretzky could have played past 2000 at the very latest. He had played A LOT of hockey in his life by 1999, and probably with more pressure than any other player. He was done.

In fact, up to his trade to LA in 1988, it was generally considered impossible that he would play beyond his 30th birthday. (My NHL guidebook from 1987 writes exactly that.) This was partly due to his fear of flying, which seemed to decrease as he got older, or as his salary increased, depending on your cynicism.

An interesting question would be: If the Olympics had been in winter 1999 (instead of 1998), would he have made the team?
 
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The Panther

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Given it's Gretzky I think he would make it. The guy was still doing quite well even in his last season.
I hadn't realized it until recently, but he was actually scoring points at a solid clip in 1998-99 until his injury. He had 56 points in 56 games just before getting injured. When he came back on March 22nd, the Rangers were way out of the playoffs and he was getting set to retire, so I think he kind of mailed in those last dozen games of his career.
 

JackSlater

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It would take stones to cut Gretzky unless he was playing atrociously. It probably depends on who the GM was. Gretzky himself for instance planned to take Yzerman to the 2006 Olympics, despite the fork sticking out of his back, until Yzerman personally told him not to.
 

vadim sharifijanov

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It would take stones to cut Gretzky

i agree completely and maybe you could have left it at just that much. even if he’s playing at an end of the line iginla level, there is no keeping him off the team.

i mean, first of all he’s gretzky. he’ll sell you an extra million dollars of team canada merchandise. and it would be a very good team-building move, moreso even than gretzky’s actual us-against-the-world contribution to that team; getting him a gold medal would mean a lot to every person in that dressing room, who all idolized him growing up—well, except possibly for mario.

plus, eric brewer was on the team. ryan smyth too. you think kevin lowe’s going to leave his ex-edmonton roommate/meal ticket off the team?

as for whose spot he would have taken, you’d think it would be a bottom of the roster player, so smyth, nieuwendyk, or young gagne. or perhaps fleury, who was a wild card. but all those guys played roles that gretzky probably couldn’t even have played if it was 1991.

you know, i don’t know that gretzky doesn’t take yzerman’s wise old man spot. obviously a big downgrade, hockey-wise. but just gretzky’s mere presence might at least somewhat makes up the difference.

but the best bet is probably actually another broken down wildcard, lindros.
 

quoipourquoi

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Fleury was having attitude problems in 2001-02 (pointing sticks at fans, allegedly breaking SJ Sharkie's ribs, and such). Gretzky himself wanted him for the team, and there's a good chance that without Gretzky making that call, Fleury's roster spot is up for grabs.
 

vadim sharifijanov

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Fleury was having attitude problems in 2001-02 (pointing sticks at fans, allegedly breaking SJ Sharkie's ribs, and such). Gretzky himself wanted him for the team, and there's a good chance that without Gretzky making that call, Fleury's roster spot is up for grabs.

but don't you think as the team's captain gretzky still manages to get fleury on the team?
 

robertmac43

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Gretzky would have likely gotten the invite to the team as a Career honour type thing. I mean come one old Gretzky > Peca on that roster
 

quoipourquoi

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but don't you think as the team's captain gretzky still manages to get fleury on the team?

Yeah, probably (especially if he's centering Fleury on the Rangers).

Given the impact Fleury had on Messier's stats in 2000-01 (40 points in his first 35 games), Gretzky in a similar situation might even get Owen Nolan's spot from the first 8 players named in March 2001.
 

Nick Hansen

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It's a bit weird thinking back on that team. I wouldn't have guessed Lindros was on it. In hindsight, it kind of feels like his career was basically over by the turn of the millennia and I guess that is true in a sense. He did come back and scored a PPG for the 01/02 season but by then it was more than clear to everyone that he was just a shadow of the old Lindros.

Does anyone remember his performance at the OG? 6 games and 1 goal. No assists. -3.
 

Ziggy Stardust

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It's a bit weird thinking back on that team. I wouldn't have guessed Lindros was on it. In hindsight, it kind of feels like his career was basically over by the turn of the millennia and I guess that is true in a sense. He did come back and scored a PPG for the 01/02 season but by then it was more than clear to everyone that he was just a shadow of the old Lindros.

Does anyone remember his performance at the OG? 6 games and 1 goal. No assists. -3.

From what I recall, many critics said that Joe Thornton should have selected ahead of Lindros. It likely wouldn't have mattered though since Lindros didn't play a pivotal role, and Thornton would have been behind Sakic, Yzerman, and Lemieux.
 

JackSlater

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It's a bit weird thinking back on that team. I wouldn't have guessed Lindros was on it. In hindsight, it kind of feels like his career was basically over by the turn of the millennia and I guess that is true in a sense. He did come back and scored a PPG for the 01/02 season but by then it was more than clear to everyone that he was just a shadow of the old Lindros.

Does anyone remember his performance at the OG? 6 games and 1 goal. No assists. -3.

Lindros was basically a non factor. He actually had quite a few chances in the early games but didn't capitalize. He scored a goal (I think it was a largely irrelevant goal) and just slammed his stick down on the ice as if to signify "finally".

From what I recall, many critics said that Joe Thornton should have selected ahead of Lindros. It likely wouldn't have mattered though since Lindros didn't play a pivotal role, and Thornton would have been behind Sakic, Yzerman, and Lemieux.

Thornton was the next guy in line, along the lines of Carter in 2010. He wouldn't have been displaced by Yzerman though (at least in the late stages) as Yzerman played RW.
 

Big Phil

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Fleury was having attitude problems in 2001-02 (pointing sticks at fans, allegedly breaking SJ Sharkie's ribs, and such). Gretzky himself wanted him for the team, and there's a good chance that without Gretzky making that call, Fleury's roster spot is up for grabs.

Fleury did just finish an excellent season in 2001 though. He had 74 points in 62 games before needing to go to rehab. He would have easily finished 3rd in scoring that year behind Jagr and Sakic. So I think the idea is that Fleury in 2002 wasn't much of a step back of that, even though it was clear his erratic play was probably based on his off-ice stuff.

That being said, I can't see how you pick Gretzky. Honestly. This is supposed to be Team Canada, not Team Politics. Look, Gretzky nearly made some grave errors in 2006. Lemieux and Yzerman were by no means good enough for the team, yet they were going to be selected come hell or high water. Lemieux retired in January, and Yzerman personally told Gretzky not to pick him, other than that he was choosing them. Which is not the way to go. You don't play favourites here. That was part of what was wrong with the 2006 team as a whole, but that's another story.

Former NFL coach Bill Walsh once told his players that he only wants them for their best years, not their twilight.

To me, that is the way you win. The bigger question is does Bourque make the team in 2002 if he is playing? That's pretty legitimate as he was still playing a high level in 2001. But Gretzky? Come on, let's not forget just how drained he looked in 1999, let alone lasting three years in 2002. He was not the same player anymore, not even close. It just caught up with him. If he is on the 2002 team then it is a pity choice, not a sensible or practical one.
 

86Habs

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Face it, there's no way Gretzky would have been left off that team. My guess is he would have replaced Joe Nieuwendyk, who, iirc, primarily played special teams and split 4th line centre duties with Peca on that 2002 team.

Kariya - Lemieux - Yzerman
Gagne - Sakic - Iginla
Smyth - Lindros - Nolan
Shanahan - Gretzky/Peca - Fleury

In terms of actual effectiveness at the tournament, an ancient Gretzky couldn't have performed any worse than Lindros or Smyth.
 

LeafsNation75

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The bigger question is does Bourque make the team in 2002 if he is playing? That's pretty legitimate as he was still playing a high level in 2001.
Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't it speculated why Bourque was not selected among the first 8 players when they were announced in 2001 and it was later said Bourque told Gretzky he was planning to retire once the 2001 season was over.
 

Big Phil

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Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't it speculated why Bourque was not selected among the first 8 players when they were announced in 2001 and it was later said Bourque told Gretzky he was planning to retire once the 2001 season was over.

I can't remember, but I know that myself I figured Bourque had only a season or two. That was the idea, so it makes sense not to pick him based on that.
 

Admiral Awesome

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Tough question with a lot of ifs, but if we pretend that Gretzky was an active player and playing at the level he was playing at in his actual final season, then yes, he makes the team without any questions asked.
 

The Panther

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I seem to remember there was some debate about whether Gretzky (and Messier) should make the team in 1998, never mind how it would have been 4 years later. As it was, Gretzky made it, Messier didn't.

Aside from his big 3 goal-2 assist game against Vancouver early in the 1997-98 season, Gretzky was not looking good in the first half of that season (nor, to be fair, were any of the Rangers, with the team then entering a long period of crap-ness). By December 21st (presumably around the time the final line-up for the Olympics was settled), Gretzky had 31 points in 38 games.

I doubt I myself would have picked him for the '98 team. And if he'd still been going in 2001-02? Zero chance.
 

Big Phil

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I seem to remember there was some debate about whether Gretzky (and Messier) should make the team in 1998, never mind how it would have been 4 years later. As it was, Gretzky made it, Messier didn't.

Aside from his big 3 goal-2 assist game against Vancouver early in the 1997-98 season, Gretzky was not looking good in the first half of that season (nor, to be fair, were any of the Rangers, with the team then entering a long period of crap-ness). By December 21st (presumably around the time the final line-up for the Olympics was settled), Gretzky had 31 points in 38 games.

I doubt I myself would have picked him for the '98 team. And if he'd still been going in 2001-02? Zero chance.

Actually if I remember correctly that team was picked around December 1st. Bobby Clarke apparently pushed for it to go as long as possible. I had Gretzky on that team regardless because even at that point of his career there was an x-factor about him. Look at what he did in the 1997 playoffs. With his bad back and such the guy still had two hat tricks in the playoffs. You still never knew if Gretzky could pull a rabbit out of his hat, and for that alone he'd have made it for me. Plus he eventually led the NHL in assists that year.

But he took a step down in 1999 and then three years later I agree he has no chance to make the team. Canada didn't win all the tournaments it did through charitable selections. Heck, they've won DESPITE some of those poor choices, but he just wouldn't have been on the radar by then. If there was a World Cup at the end of the 1999 season is he a lock for that? I don't even think he is.
 

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