chooch said:
Stats are just that especially for 80's players.
You know, I agree with that statement. And the extent to which numbers are relied upon by many of today's modern sports fan's is unnerving. For example, evaluating a HOF candidate strictly on his numbers. Very superficial (and lazy, for that matter).
That said, on infrequent occasions, numbers do
help tell a story about an individual. As in, when his numbers are so ridiculously above and beyond that of his peers.
Babe Ruth hitting 60 home runs in a time in baseball when guys weren't hitting 20 in a season is one example. Tiger Woods winning the '97 Masters by 12 strokes(!) told us something about that player's special ability, which has since been validated repeatedly.
Gretzky essentially lapped the field with regard to virtually all modern offensive records. Was he the most natural goal scorer of his time? No, Mike Bossy was and #99 will tell you so himself. Was he the single most skilled player of his time? You'll get a good argument (including from me) that Robert Orr and #66 surpass him.
But there is no questioning his utter dominance. None whatsoever.
For a single decade (the 1980s) he transcended his sport unlike any other athlete in any professional sports league ever, IMO. And 10 years is a long time in professional sports. So what if he was a mere mortal the second half of his career? Had he retired in 1990 he would still be legendary. As is, his output in the '90s was nothing to be ashamed of; a vast majority of NHLers would take it in a nanosecond.
And, to be honest, the "what ifs" sound silly, at least here. What
if Guy Lafluer didn't smoke two packs a day? What
if Bossy's career didn't end after 10 seasons? Same with Bobby Orr. And Mario, for that matter. Ultimately, all one can go by is reality, what has actually transpired.
The
truly "great" ones are so few. ("Great" being the most overused and abused word in sports lexicon.) Ruth, Jordan and Montana in other sports come to mind. And in hockey over the last three decades, #99, #66 and #4 tower above all others, by a considerable margin. It is futile to attempt to diminish
any of their accomplishments in any way whatsoever, IMO.
Wayne was able to score 8,000,000 points
because he played in a weaker conference?
C'mon!