Dear God, once again I'm glad I don't read his TL;DR posts. Esposito's years with the Bruins would be the among the most potent offensive seasons in the history of hockey if some guys named Gretzky and Lemieux didn't come along.
I read your post... you know there was a time when a bench press of 500 pounds made you the strongest man in the world… a 4 min mile was uniginable… the record for the 100 yard dash was probably owned by jesse owens…
today... a 500 pound bench press is fairly obtainable by a few hundred or more steroid freaks... and that 4 min mile really isnt the gold standard... and jesse owens time in the 100 yards wouldnt qualify him for the Olympic team anymore...
I always said a guy like babe ruth given access to todays training and science probably would have been able to compete against todays athletes but I have no proof.
when gordie howe played hockey he was considered the toughest biggest meanest player in the game... mr elbows... farm boy tough. hell, terry oreilly was on the cover of hockey digest as the toughest fighter in hockey when I was 10...
these guys were 6 feet and around 200 pounds... theyd be called small forwards in todays nhl
they say the game is faster than its ever been... slow players cant keep up anymore. would Esposito/howe/oreilly have had the speed to play in todays NHL? these guys all played in the days before coaching the trap... they werent told to stay in their lane... werent told to limit their shifts to 30-40 seconds... could they adapt to todays nhl… would they still be superstars?
we know in racing/strength competitions todays athletes blow away the past. humans have never been biggers/stronger/faster than they are now. maybe its the steroids I dont know... but the records are all falling and the standards are growing more and more extreme
I like to think the greats from past years could adapt to todays world with a level playing field but I have to show faith because the evidence says todays athletes are superior.
I watched old time hockey. I watched bobby hull skate up the ice unmolested and fire a slap shot from the blueline. I watched glen hall or terry Sawchuk waive a hand at the puck as it went by.
the game has changed.
in phil espositos day he was crushed in that slot.... just hammered with cross checks... props to that guy for standing his ground and collecting the garbage goals. no one ever did it better. but could Esposito beat the trap? was his passing skills up to todays standards necessary to beat a 5 man defensive employment? and how was his own defense? could he adapt to the demands of todays centers for defensive coverage and still get his offense in?
Esposito had strength and stamina. I heard him do an interview where he said he didnt even break a sweat in his first min of a shift. he said he wasnt sure he could ever succeed in 30-40 second shifts.
I propose a team coached today to play trapping hockey would eat a team from the early 1970s for breakfest. I propose the way hockey is played now would crush the way hockey was played then
I propose the goalies today are much more difficult to beat {but then again todays sticks are so much better and the shooting is so much better}
old times say in hockey then each team had a few guys that could shoot the puck... today EVERYONE can shoot the puck. The training kids go through today to learn fundamentals is 1000 times more intense then it ever was for Esposito and his generation of pond hockey players.
you wont read this... so you wont get your education improved. its ok, a lot of people prefer to stay ignorant. it helps them be happier. I do wish you happiness. but I will stand by my decesion and defend it with a well reasoned argument
im not afraid or hurt if anyone L O f&&&&&g Laughs at me. Honestly, I dont think they are capable of better so I give them a little participation ribbon but I always hope for more and encourage more so id like to see their attempt to do better here.