Mario Lemieux vs Today's NHL

[PenguinSpeed]

-What do you think? Would Lemieux put up 150+ in todays NHL in prime? How badly would players like Mcdavid and Matthews struggle in a contact and grasp and hold league era?

-I think Lemieux dominates and crushes all players today in prime. I think players like Matthews and Mcdavid stats fall hard in clutch and grab era. Discuss, however

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[jw2]

Yes.

 

[nowhereman]

Yes, he would lead the NHL in scoring. Not with 150+ points, as you're suggesting, but by a comfortable margin. I'm thinking he'd put up around 130 points or so. He's a tier above Crosby/McDavid, the same way that Crosby/McDavid are a tier above guys like prime J. Thornton/P. Kane, etc. There's a clear and sizeable gap but it's not massive.

And let's not pretend that the 80s/90s was some slugfest where only 6ft 5" neanderthals could succeed. Guys like Yzerman, Selanne, Gilmour, Sakic, Kariya, etc. had no problems generating offense during that period, so there's no reason to think that today's stars wouldn't fit right in. McDavid, in particular, would succeed in any era. Can you imagine guys like Hatcher and Rathje trying to catch a flying McJesus? Good luck.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

he'd basically be Alex Chiasson today

 

[Captain Controversy]

Eh probably be another Malkin but Canadian

 

[mja]

He’d be the best player in the league, and it wouldn’t be close.

 

[Chloraflora]

You mean a Mario who could play without defensemen draped all over him? He'd win the Art Ross every year by a wide margin.

 

[Highmarker]

Lemieux would be one of the best he would not put up 150 points but he might win some scoring titles. I think McDavid would absolutely tear up the league back in the day as well tho. He's already a cut above everybody else in a league where EVERYONE can skate really good. Imagine Mcdavid coming down on a Darian Hatcher or a Darias Kasparitis, they wouldn't stand a chance.

 

[Turk]

As the teenagers have already pointed out.....Bobby Orr would be an AHL player because athletes today are soooooo wonderful.

Therefore Mario would be an ECHL player......or perhaps a French chef.

 

[nowhereman]

Eh probably be another Malkin but Canadian

Lemieux was Malkin on his best day, he just played like that all the time.

 

[sansabri]

As the teenagers have already pointed out.....Bobby Orr would be an AHL player because athletes today are soooooo wonderful.

Therefore Mario would be an ECHL player......or perhaps a French chef.

He has Food and Beverage manager written all over him.

 

[DKH]

I sat in loge 7 row 1 the corner clock in Boston Garden when Mario scored right infront of me for his first NHL goal

I’ve had my folks season tickets for over 35 years and took my youngest to see Crosby and Lemieux when she was 8 so she could say she saw them

We sat front row glass and the goal Judge gsve her his phone book sized game stat sheet that night and we still have it

I saw a lot of Mario and he scared me more than even Gretzky

I’d say I saw him live 50 times or more and put me down he would dominate the league

I like Crosby but to me he’s no Lemieux

 

[McRpro]

Mario would be critized on here for his lack of a two-way game.

 

[DitchMarner]

-What do you think? Would Lemieux put up 150+ in todays NHL in prime? How badly would players like Mcdavid and Matthews struggle in a contact and grasp and hold league era?

-I think Lemieux dominates and crushes all players today in prime. I think players like Matthews and Mcdavid stats fall hard in clutch and grab era. Discuss, however

You do know guys like Bure, Sakic and Yzerman were among the dead puck era's biggest stars, right?

 

[Silky mitts]

Even if he played 82 in his prime and you just added him to the Pens I don’t think he could get 130 points this past year. Maybe 50 G 71 A.

 

[Luigi Habs]

Mario Lemieux is the type of player who would outproduce everyone else by a wide margin no matter what era he would have played in.

Not sure if the younger generation understands how dominant and above everyone else he and Gretzky were. Pretty sure they would still be in today’s NHL.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

I think he easily breaks 160.

You had to have seen him to understand what he was about. Even the players who excelled this era and had some overlap with Mario.
Mario was another tier above all of them.

- Selanne
- Joe Thornton
- Alfredsson
- Sakic
- Jagr
- Iginla
- MSL
- Pronger
- Hossa
- Marleau

In 2011 Selanne was 8th in Scoring with 80 (40 years old) points, Iginla had 86 (34 years old).

Teemu put up 109 points in 96, the year Mario had 161 in 70 games. That is a RIDICULOUS spread.


At no point in their careers were they ever even remotely close to the same universe as Mario.

2x Top 10 Scorers from this decade were outpaced by Mario by 50%.

 

[DitchMarner]

Lemieux scored at a ridiculous rate in 1995-1996 despite having a bad back and that season wasn't that much higher scoring than 2018 (3.14 goals per game versus 2.97 goals per game). He scored at almost a goal per game clip (69 in 70). Of course, he did play with Jagr.

I don't see why Lemieux at his peak wouldn't have scored 140+ points in the 2017-2018 season. Gretzky circa 1985 or so would put up 140+ points this past season if healthy.

I think current McDavid could have put up about as many points in the dead puck era as he just scored under the right circumstances, but I expect him to grow as a player. A peak McDavid may be good enough that he could have put up about 125 points in 1999 and about 170 in 1988. Same with peak Crosby.


1998-1999 scoring leaders:

NHL.com - Stats


1987-1988 scoring leaders:


NHL.com - Stats


Gretzky scored at a 186 point clip in 1988.

 

[Rebels57]

Hed outscore most of todays NHLers by the same percentage he outscored most of his 80s/90s competition.

 

[DearDiary]

Lemieux was pretty much a better Malkin. If Malkin has no trouble in todays NHL, then why would Lemieux? He would dominate any era of hockey

 

[Perfect_Drug]

-What do you think? Would Lemieux put up 150+ in todays NHL in prime? How badly would players like Mcdavid and Matthews struggle in a contact and grasp and hold league era?

McDavid would be as effective as Bure, if not moreso. But yeah, verdict is still out if he could dominate like Mario, but I wouldn't hold my breath (and I'm an Oiler fan).

 

[Wendelstache]

Lemieux was also a chain smoker who never stepped into the gym (until later in his career to save the Pens).

I can't imagine what he would do to this league with modern day training/sports medicine and elimination of clutching/grabbing.

Probably a consistent 165-185p player.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

Lemieux was also a chain smoker who never stepped into the gym (until later in his career to save the Pens).

I can't imagine what he would do to this league with modern day training/sports medicine and elimination of clutching/grabbing.

Probably a consistent 165-185p player.

He used a wooden stick as well.

Imagine if he whipped 100mph wristers?

 

[CanadianPensFan1]

I suppose I am biased but, yes, Mario would dominate. Probably the same way he did then.

One of the amazing things about Mario was .. his ability to slow down the game and make it come to him. As such, I don't think his lack of speed to today's game would be much of an issue. He had so much skill and power and vision.

I have no doubts that the spread today would be the same as it was then.

 

[Spirit of 67]

Another here for Mario dominating.
And it's fitting here, AINEC.