"Goal number 500 in 575 games. Nobody does it better. Nobody has done it faster."

[tazzy19]

Isn't that what he said?

Similar sounding perhaps, but not really. He said Gretzky knew where the other players were going to be before they knew. The Phil Esposito quote is saying Gretzky knew what the opposition was going to do before they knew. Two very different things.

 

[Big Phil]

Tonight we just saw Crosby get 4 points while Malkin got 5. So there surely are games where the stars still shine. So is it really that far off when a player who every expert knows was better than these two be able to dominate statistically like that?

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Amazing video. Just another typical 5 point, empty net goal performance from Gretzky, but it's the way he did it -- as usual, in the dying minutes. Before the game, he said he wanted to score the hat trick to do it, and he goes out and scores the hat trick. Has there ever been a more dramatic player? Not even Bossy or Lemieux got to 500 in less games (or 600, 700 for that matter, forget about 800 or 894). And this guy wasn't a goal scorer! Lol

Rocket Richard.

 

[VanIslander]

Notice how that, after he scored two goals early, he passed and passed again on assisting on Kurri and Tikkanen goals rather than puck hog shots on net. Gretzky always looked for the pass first, which makes his goal scoring more remarkable (and explains why defenders play off him so much, anticipating what he usually goes to first: dishing the puck to teammates).

 

[tazzy19]

Notice how that, after he scored two goals early, he passed and passed again on assisting on Kurri and Tikkanen goals rather than puck hog shots on net. Gretzky always looked for the pass first, which makes his goal scoring more remarkable (and explains why defenders play off him so much, anticipating what he usually goes to first: dishing the puck to teammates).

Exactly right. I've always thought Gretzky's ridiciculous goal scoring totals were simply the result of his playmaking, not his shot or his deking ability (which were both above average, but not his primary weapons). Gretzky would create plays not just for his teammates, but also for himself. And because the opposition were weary of him setting up his teammates, this would create room for him to score himself. Genius at work.

 

[Devils Nick30]

Amazing video. Just another typical 5 point, empty net goal performance from Gretzky, but it's the way he did it -- as usual, in the dying minutes. Before the game, he said he wanted to score the hat trick to do it, and he goes out and scores the hat trick. Has there ever been a more dramatic player? Not even Bossy or Lemieux got to 500 in less games (or 600, 700 for that matter, forget about 800 or 894). And this guy wasn't a goal scorer! Lol

Poor guy, his 1st NHL game and is scored on so quickly

Awesome video to watch though, thanks for sharing it.

 

[Brooklanders*]

Amazing video. Just another typical 5 point, empty net goal performance from Gretzky, but it's the way he did it -- as usual, in the dying minutes. Before the game, he said he wanted to score the hat trick to do it, and he goes out and scores the hat trick. Has there ever been a more dramatic player? Not even Bossy or Lemieux got to 500 in less games (or 600, 700 for that matter, forget about 800 or 894). And this guy wasn't a goal scorer! Lol

Who ever said Gretzky wasn't a goal scorer? That is clearly a huge misconception.
"Not even the great Bossy or Super Mario." So Gretzky, the greatest of alltime hands down is underrated in your opinion?

 

[Brooklanders*]

Amazing video. Just another typical 5 point, empty net goal performance from Gretzky, but it's the way he did it -- as usual, in the dying minutes. Before the game, he said he wanted to score the hat trick to do it, and he goes out and scores the hat trick. Has there ever been a more dramatic player? Not even Bossy or Lemieux got to 500 in less games (or 600, 700 for that matter, forget about 800 or 894). And this guy wasn't a goal scorer! Lol

Who ever said Gretzky wasn't a goal scorer? That is clearly a huge misconception.
"Not even the great Bossy or Super Mario." So Gretzky, the greatest of alltime hands down is underrated in your opinion?

 

[tazzy19]

Who ever said Gretzky wasn't a goal scorer? That is clearly a huge misconception.
"Not even the great Bossy or Super Mario." So Gretzky, the greatest of alltime hands down is underrated in your opinion?

As a "goal scorer", I would say Gretzky is underrated by the average hockey fan. I think most would pick Mike Bossy, for example, as the better goal scorer. Yet Gretzky outscored him in the same number of games, just as he did Lemieux and everyone else in the same number of games (during his prime years). Not only do I feel that Gretzky's post-prime career really clouded a lot of people's judgement, I also feel people didn't even see Gretzky as the best goal scorer in the game during his prime -- simply because of his ridiculous assist totals, and his "look to make a play first" approach. As such, he loses the "pure goal scorer" label that many of his contemporaries had, despite him ironically outperforming ALL of these "pure goal scorers".