Mario Lemieux vs Today's NHL

[Cup or Bust]

Of course he would not score over 2 points per game, but I could see him as a 130-140 point player and 20-30 points better then McDavid over a full season. He is probably the most naturally gifted offensive hockey player we have ever seen.

 

[Boxscore]

Lemieux's scoring went down drastically as the league changed, just like everyone else.

Silly talk.

 

[ScaredStreit]

While I think Gretzky was the better player compared to Lemieux, I do think that Lemieux's game is much more suited for today's league. Lemieux would still easily be the best player in the league by a wide margin.

 

[Boxscore]

While I think Gretzky was the better player compared to Lemieux, I do think that Lemieux's game is much more suited for today's league. Lemieux would still easily be the best player in the league by a wide margin.

This. Unless Gretzky was paired with a player like Ovechkin, Kane, Kucherov, etc. Gretzky was a master chess player, he would reach his pinnacle with creative players who can think the game on his level, like Kurri, Coffey, etc.

Mario was a different animal altogether. See the way Malkin dances through teams and slaughters guys one-on-one? Mario would be that x3. If you couldn't touch him, Lemieux would absolutely embarrass teams with his physical skills, size, reach and deekes.

To make a basketball analogy... a prime Lemieux today would be like LeBron, Magic Johnson and Steph Curry all rolled into one. That's how dominant.

 

[Former Referee 68]

I mean he is No Gretzky but he would be ok

 

[Nico the Draft Riser]

Lemieux would actually have to play defense in today's NHL

 

[TopShelfYzerman]

Equipment would cancel each other out. Everyone in that same era used the same skates or stick. No one had a one up on the other. Mcdavid certainly doesnt have it better by wearing lighter skates and equipment because his peers have the same luxury.
To me the equipment argument makes no sense. Lemieux gets better equipment but at the same time the game is faster today.

 

[BM14]

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.

And Mike Bossy couldn't take ice time from Ovechkin.

 

[Foots]

Mario Lemieux has no chance in today's NHL. He will be put in a coma by Tom Wilson.

 

[Bank Shot]

But he was still scoring considerably more than anyone else.

His 1.77 PPG in 2001 is still the highest of any player post-1996. The closest is a prime Sidney Crosby with a 1.68 and 1.61 in small fractions of seasons, then the next best full season was ‘99 Jagr with a 1.57.

Which is to say, Lemieux was 16 points/82 games better than the next best player of the past two decades, in the middle of Dead Puck, when Lemieux was 35 and hadn’t played in three years. It’s really hard to quantify just how ludicrously good he was with the puck on his stick. He would shred this league just like he did the Dead Puck league.

Funny how no one ever includes Marios playoff numbers from 2000-2001 when he was under a ppg.

If you average all the game Mario played that year his expected points over 82 games drops to 124 points.

Still great but a far cry from using his regular season numbers only.

Crosby fans fall into the same trap when they prorate his best half seasons into full seasons. Crosby has played a bunch of full seasons and has never been able to maintain the pace.

Hell McDavid had like 30 goals in his last 40ish games last season. Doesn't mean he is a 60 goal scorer.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Funny how no one ever includes Marios playoff numbers from 2000-2001 when he was under a ppg.

If you average all the game Mario played that year his expected points over 82 games drops to 124 points.

Still great but a far cry from using his regular season numbers only.

Crosby fans fall into the same trap when they prorate his best half seasons into full seasons. Crosby has played a bunch of full seasons and has never been able to maintain the pace.

Hell McDavid had like 30 goals in his last 40ish games last season. Doesn't mean he is a 60 goal scorer.

Playoffs are usually excluded from these comparisons because they’re statistically irregular.

To wit: All three teams Lemieux faced in the playoffs were above average defensively, and in particularly NJ and Buffalo were 1-2 in the conference defensively. Lemieux actually did score over a PPG against those excellent defensive teams, until the final three games which the Pens were crushed by an aggregate 12-2 including two shutouts. Those conditions aren’t exactly favorable to maintaining your statistical averages.

It makes little sense to use that sample of games as an extension of the regular season record, since during the regular season you don’t play 6 games in a row against the best defensive team in the conference. It’s not like everybody had an equal opportunity to get shut down by the Brodeur-Stevens Devils. Hence, people tend to focus on the regular season stats which are accumulated against the full range of competition.

 

[OVrocks]

I think he’d be an ok 3rd liner and PP specialist. He’d max out around 40-50pts.

 

[DitchMarner]

Mario Lemieux has no chance in today's NHL. He will be put in a coma by Tom Wilson.

I hope you're being sarcastic.

He was prolific offensively last decade. Do you think 2008 Ovechkin would score under 80 points today?

 

[Flair Hay]

I think 110 to 130 would be a pretty reasonable projection if he was in tip top shape like most players these days.

 

[DitchMarner]

I think he’d be an ok 3rd liner and PP specialist. He’d max out around 40-50pts.

I'm going to ask you the same question I asked above ^.

Do you think 2008 Ovechkin would score under 80 points today?

 

[Jordan Belfort]

Bourque, Coffey, Chelios, MacInnis, Murphy, Leetch, Pronger, Robinson, Blake, Potvin, Lidstrom, Stevens, etc. all say hi.

As does Roy, Belfour, Vernon, Hasek, Richter, Hextall, Fuhr, Joseph, etc.

Yea sure but they weren’t too good and stopping slapshot ice burners down the wing from the blue line loool

 

[Jordan Belfort]

Too bad the goalies don’t just let everything in on the ice these days. Ovi would have 300 goals a season

 

[Jordan Belfort]

Kinda like how Ovechkin scores his ES goals?

Sure, "defense was trash." Lidstrom (who beat every last one of today's "star" defensemen for Norris while being on his last legs), Bourque, Coffey, Leetch, etc. are trash. Son, don't watch hockey again.

Oh, and I am a lot younger than 50

Wait so Fleury and Holtby were letting 2 on 2 ice Bruner slapshors from the blue line off the rush? Seemed to miss that part of the cup finals hahaha

 

[Perfect_Drug]

Too bad the goalies don’t just let everything in on the ice these days. Ovi would have 300 goals a season

Why does everyone say this, even though it's been refuted many many times in this thread?

Here is a video of OEL with 80s equipment on.
Coyotes star Oliver Ekman Larsson tries on 80's equipment

His 95mph slap shot goes down to a 69mph muffin with a wooden stick.

Ovechkin wouldn't be able to overpower goalies with a wooden stick. He would skate at half his speed, and not do corners or edges properly.

 

[Bank Shot]

Playoffs are usually excluded from these comparisons because they’re statistically irregular.

To wit: All three teams Lemieux faced in the playoffs were above average defensively, and in particularly NJ and Buffalo were 1-2 in the conference defensively. Lemieux actually did score over a PPG against those excellent defensive teams, until the final three games which the Pens were crushed by an aggregate 12-2 including two shutouts. Those conditions aren’t exactly favorable to maintaining your statistical averages.

It makes little sense to use that sample of games as an extension of the regular season record, since during the regular season you don’t play 6 games in a row against the best defensive team in the conference. It’s not like everybody had an equal opportunity to get shut down by the Brodeur-Stevens Devils. Hence, people tend to focus on the regular season stats which are accumulated against the full range of competition.

40 game samples are also statistically irregular.

The season after his 76 points in 43 games he only had 31 in 24.

Guys that paint Mario as an atomic superman cherry pick what they like and discard what they don't.

 

[Bank Shot]

Why does everyone say this, even though it's been refuted many many times in this thread?

Here is a video of OEL with 80s equipment on.
Coyotes star Oliver Ekman Larsson tries on 80's equipment

His 95mph slap shot goes down to a 69mph muffin with a wooden stick.

Ovechkin wouldn't be able to overpower goalies with a wooden stick. He would skate at half his speed, and not do corners or edges properly.

Ovie would probably outperform all his peers in goal scoring just like he does now.

 

[Hanji]

Of course he would not score over 2 points per game, but I could see him as a 130-140 point player and 20-30 points better then McDavid over a full season. He is probably the most naturally gifted offensive hockey player we have ever seen.

This is a reasonable projection.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

Wait so Fleury and Holtby were letting 2 on 2 ice Bruner slapshors from the blue line off the rush? Seemed to miss that part of the cup finals hahaha

The reason goalies were so under-dressed was because Al MacInnis or Iafrate would have eventually killed someone.

Slapshots were not supposed to go over 100mph. But MacInnis was concussing goalies with his shot, breaking helmets in half, and breaking fingers when they did glove saves.
When the composite sticks came, EVERYONE was shooting 100mph, and the goalies needed bigger equipment to stay safe.

When the average player could now whip a 90mph wrist shot, and goalies were padded in a sumo suit, the game completely changed. Now it's about playing percentages from angles, re-directions, and rebounds.

The game has totally evolved, but you could NOT put Fleury or Holtby in the 80s and expect them to save anything without any equipment in a shooting gallery.

 

[PenguinSpeed]

Why does everyone say this, even though it's been refuted many many times in this thread?

Here is a video of OEL with 80s equipment on.
Coyotes star Oliver Ekman Larsson tries on 80's equipment

His 95mph slap shot goes down to a 69mph muffin with a wooden stick.

Ovechkin wouldn't be able to overpower goalies with a wooden stick. He would skate at half his speed, and not do corners or edges properly.

-LOL, I was looking for that video all day yesterday to show how Ovechkin would disappear in the 90s with different equipment and rules. I also said it was way more difficult to slap it, one time it, and shoot it with an old stick. The fact this player can barely skate takes the cake. It also proves my point Mcdavid isnt anywhere close to the speed of Pavel Rocket Bure with old skates. Thank You for posting.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

Ovie would probably outperform all his peers in goal scoring just like he does now.

With a 70mph muffin of a shot?
Doubtful.

MacInnis trained his entire life with a wooden stick to get his shot that lethal.