Gretzky isn't the greatest goal scorer?

[ChuckLefley]

I don't think you can claim to focus on assists while shooting career high years and more than anyone else in the league.

I mean except for the fact that he has talked about trying to average 2 assists per game in multiple seasons.

it seems to me that you have an agenda here and nothing will deter you.

 

[Albatros]

I mean except for the fact that he has talked about trying to average 2 assists per game in multiple seasons.

it seems to me that you have an agenda here and nothing will deter you.

He did not shoot less while doing so, besides that was a singular season.

 

[ChuckLefley]

He did not shoot less while doing so, besides that was a singular season.

No, it was not a singular season. Regarding how much he shot, it doesn’t matter, he was still trying to average two assists per game.

 

[Albatros]

No, it was not a singular season. Regarding how much he shot, it doesn’t matter, he was still trying to average two assists per game.

In that case he failed miserably all years but one.

 

[The Panther]

Oddly, Gretzky's shooting-percentage in 1985-86 (his lowest between 1979-80 and 1990-91) was still higher than Ovechkin's in every season of the latter's career, excepting two ('19 and '20). Ovechkin is a very high-volume shooter.

If you look back at Wayne's 1985-86 season, his goal scoring and shooting percentages were definitely down a bit earlier in the season, but not excessively so:

Games 1 to 23: 18 goals in 23 games (shooting percentage = 18.6%)

Games 24 to 49: 20 goals in 26 games (shooting percentage = 16.0%)

Then, he suddenly had the longest goal-less streak of his career:
Games 50 to 58: 0 goals in 9 games (shooting percentage = 0.0) [37 shots on net in this period]

Games 59 to 80: 14 goals in 22 games (shooting percentage = 15.4%)

I suspect that during that 9 game goal-less period, Wayne realized he was in a bit of a goal-funk and he just decided to try to rack up his assists totals as far as he could. Not that he wasn't trying to score goals, of course, but I think the point of breaking his own 135-assist record and the challenge to get as many assists as he could sort-of entered his mind around the start of February.

From 1983-84 through 1993-94, in general, it's very typical that Gretzky scored more goals in the first half of the season than the second.

 

[Albatros]

I suspect that during that 9 game goal-less period, Wayne realized he was in a bit of a goal-funk and he just decided to try to rack up his assists totals as far as he could. Not that he wasn't trying to score goals, of course, but I think the point of breaking his own 135-assist record and the challenge to get as many assists as he could sort-of entered his mind around the start of February.

And Kurri actually shot less during this time period, but in the 28 games since the start of February he had a shooting percentage of 44.3 (!).

 

[Fantomas]

High shooting percentages were kinda a thing in the 1980s. That and low save percentages.

Craig Simpson, for example, had ridiculous shooting percentages. You don't see this anymore because it is so much harder to score.

 

[Albatros]

This year so far it's been up again though, a number of guys above 20 percent among the top scorers. Kreider's 25 % is better than all of Gretzky's seasons but one and good even by Simpson's standards.

 

[adsfan]

In that case he failed miserably all years but one.

Wayne Gretzky has the most assists in NHL history and 700 more than second place Ron Francis.

Wayne Gretzky has more assists (1963) than any other NHL player has points. Jagr has 1921 career points to be in second place.

So the entire NHL has sucked at assists for the entirety of its existence since 1917?

 

[Albatros]

Wayne Gretzky has the most assists in NHL history and 700 more than second place Ron Francis.

Wayne Gretzky has more assists (1963) than any other NHL player has points. Jagr has 1921 career points to be in second place.

So the entire NHL has sucked at assists for the entirety of its existence since 1917?

Good for him, but if his personal target was recording two assists per game then he succeeded only once and never came close again. You are of course free to make of it what you wish. For this discussion it would be more relevant to talk about Joe Malone's two goals per game season.