unknown33
Registered User
- Dec 8, 2009
- 3,942
- 150
I don't know where to get these stats, but apparently Gretzky is the all-time leader in takeaways and routinely led the league, and I believe it. Watch classic Oiler games, especially playoff games, and you can see that he was very effective without the puck because of his positioning and anticipation and didn't slack in his defensive responsiblities.
Gretzky was a takeaway artist. For that reason alone I would not call his defensive ability poor. Below average at worst. Maybe even average in his prime, or better. And of course, if you always have the puck, that means the other team doesn't, and that is a defensive skill too.
Gretzky's adjusted +/- was always fantastic during his prime, and other dominant offensive superstars like Lemieux did not always look great, meaning that although it's possible to have a great adjusted +/- based solely on offense, it is far form a guarantee.
Gretzky was a very strong forechecker (which usually led to his takeaways). Possitionally, he was usually quite sound. Other than that, he wasn't very notable on D, but since those are two important aspects I would definitely consider him to be above average. As mentioned, he is supposedly the all-time leader in takeaways (though there are no official NHL records for it, so its hard to know how many, or by what margin). Most of his D came through just reading the play and anticipation - just like much of his Offense.
Obviously he was mostly known for his O game, but some seem to think he must have been terrible on D because he didn't grind or hit, and scored so many points. While being "above average" may not sound great, when you consider the offense he brought, its actually quite an accomplishment.
No one has dominated one end of the ice more than Gretzky -- he deserves all the accolades his offense has earned him.
Yet, how many have more goals against while on the ice than Gretzky (2285 goals against).
And seven MINUS +/- the back end of his career when his main job was to put folks in seats with his offense.
Plus, zero blocked shots (unless by accident), zero bone crushing checks, very little work in the corners, and a general disdain for all things physical makes for an incomplete defensive game. But in his power years, there was never anyone better in the offensive zone.
No one has dominated one end of the ice more than Gretzky -- he deserves all the accolades his offense has earned him.
Yet, how many have more goals against while on the ice than Gretzky (2285 goals against).
And seven MINUS +/- the back end of his career when his main job was to put folks in seats with his offense.
Plus, zero blocked shots (unless by accident), zero bone crushing checks, very little work in the corners, and a general disdain for all things physical makes for an incomplete defensive game. But in his power years, there was never anyone better in the offensive zone.
Gretzky wasn't a grinder but, he did play well in his own end. His positioning was excellent, he was good at taking away the puck and, most importantly, he worked hard behind centre and didn't float.
Yes, in his first few seasons he wasn't as focused on the back end but, as he matured he became much better.
Gretzky and Kurri were regularly the on the first penalty killing crew for the Oil.
Maybe I'm in the minority here but I felt Gretzky's defense went more downhill as his career went on. In his prime he was as smart as he always was and he had great positioning for sure which enabled him to pick off a pass. But he also had quickness in his younger years and he was extremely dangerous on the penalty kill.
I felt as the years went on and his back started to give out more (thank you Gary Suter) along with his speed starting to decline that he was more of a liability defensively as his career dragged on, he still did have his hockey sense of course which is the only thing that saved him somewhat defensively.
In a way, he went the opposite of Lemieux. I always felt Lemieux became more polished all around later in his career and a much more reliable player in his own zone rather than in the beginning of his career where he was certainly lost defensively