KOVALEV10*
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JCD said:In terms of popularity and what they brought to the sport off the ice, there is no comparison. Gretzky was the Face of hockey. Non-fans around the world who had no clue how many 'quarters' the NHL played, knew who Gretzky was.
Orr was a stud, arguably a better hockey player. Certainly on the same level at the very least, but he is known in hockey circles. The NHL was a forgotten issue in non-NHL cities. Your average Joe on the street could run Orr over and not know who he was. That isn't a slight on Orr, just an observation on who the media and public latched on too. Gretzky caught the public-at-larges eye, Orr did not.
Mario is behind both of them. Since he sat out so often in his career and treated hockey more like a job than a passion, he didn't get the 'love' the other two did. No slight on his talent either, I think he is on the same plateau as Orr and Wayne as well. Point being, he didn't grow the sport like Wayne did. He put Pittsburgh on the map, Gretzky put hockey on the map for most of the US.
Put it this way, the popularity of the NHL at large follows very closely with Gretzky's career. Off hand, in the last 30+ years, I would guess the highwater mark for hockey's popularity would be the mid- to late-80's and early 90's. That wave of enthusiasm sparked the expansion in southern markets. (note: these refer primarily to the US, Canada already knew what they had; this are also just my subjective observations).
Wayne was glamourized in a way no other hockey player has been. Saturday Night Live appearances. Breakfast cereals. Saturday Morning Cartoons. He is the only player to approach Ruth-esque popularity. Call that unfair if you like, but it remains true.
Combine that off-the-ice popularity with his on-the-ice dominance and he earns the title of 'The Great One'. Orr, Mario and Hull may compare (though not neccesarily exceed) Wayne on the ice, but none can touch him off-the-ice.
I guess we could thank Gretzky for the lockout too then...