McDavid in the 80s

[Niten Ichi Ryu]

In the 80s, there were no two-line passes, which makes the game slow down immensely, and it was a man's league. Holding, elbowing, face-washing, even punching was prevalent without the concern of getting penalized every time the wind blows. Alot more whistles and stoppages too, no such thing as delay of game. Also can't forget that the sticks were wooden pieces of crap and the skates were the 80 dollar ones you can buy at Wal-Mart today. You can't just say he has modern equipment, while the rest of the league does not, that's not a realistic scenario (although time travel isn't either).
I think Connor is suited for today's game perfectly, but in the Gretzky era, his speed wouldn't be as effective and his skating wouldn't be as explosive.

People love to discredit Gretzky, saying he would be just an average star in today's game. This is so short-sighted, and just an echo of stupidity, in order to justify that the current era is the best era; which is more about pride than reality. If it was so easy, then how come no one else came close to Gretzky until Mario entered the league. He was far above 2nd place for almost a decade. He owns the record book, with achievements that will never be done again in the NHL. He is the G.O.A.T. and the most special athlete, not only in hockey, but in sports history.

 

[Future GOAT]

McDavid in the 80s would be the best player in the 80s NHL. Ovechkin in the 80s would be the best goal scorer and surpass 92 goals pretty easily.

 

[Thenameless]

Seriously, you're wrong. I'm sorry. I'm not going around in circles again. Broken...jesus, you guys can believe what you want.

No. You're the one that's wrong.

 

[Bupi]

Are athletes really getting faster, better, stronger?

Most of you have apparently already seen this but I recommend this for those of you who hasn't.

 

[Porkleaker]

This is such a dumb, theoretical question. Why they even allow such stupidity on here is beyond me.

 

[authentic]

Are athletes really getting faster, better, stronger?

Most of you have apparently already seen this but I recommend this for those of you who hasn't.

Hockey players today are more skilled and better at hockey. People always cling to the stronger, faster narrative as if that's the only thing that's changed in hockey since 1902.

 

[authentic]

No. You're the one that's wrong.

Bravo.

 

[authentic]

So McDavid would have 430 points?

I don't know the exact number, probably around there.

 

[authentic]

After I stopped laughing at your post (Selanne was better than Lemieux...? What?), I then wondered why it is so important to you to convince people that McDavid in a time machine would be 'better' than Lemieux/Gretzky, whoever.

Can you explain why it so important for you to convince other people of this? Obviously, a lot of people agree with you, a lot of people disagree with you, and neither can be proven correct, unless Back to the Future becomes a reality (and McDavid wants to take a trip to the 80s to play rough hockey for way less money, which he wouldn't). Why does this matter so much to you, especially when your opinion, among knowledgeable fans, is clearly not in any kind of strong majority? The definition of "insanity" is continuing to do something you know will fail.

As for the "he would more than double Gretzky in points" comment... Uh, no, he wouldn't.

McDavid would have to use what would feel like, to him, a lumbering, heavy piece of wood to play hockey with. This would slow him down and make his stickhandling appear much more deliberate than it appears now with the super-light, 'whippy' sticks. He might have an easier time slapping the puck with 1984's equipment than now, but as you know slapshots are far from his forte anyway. And the nimble deking and wrist-shots that are his forte would be much more difficult to do.

Getting back to the "would double Gretzky in points" comment, consider a few things:
-- Gretzky effectively doubled the next-best NHLer in points from 1980 to 1988, so what you're saying is that McDavid would score 4 times more than Stastny and Bossy
-- Gretzky easily outscored Mario Lemieux from 1984 to 1988, and again from 1989 to 1991.
-- Mario Lemieux was a teammate of Sidney Crosby
-- In the first 14 games they played together, Crosby had 18 points and Lemieux 17. Mario was 40 years old and days from retirement (again), and Crosby one year from his highest points' season.
-- McDavid has not hugely outscored Crosby in the 3.3 seasons they've overlapped thus far.
Given these factors, it's a laughably misinformed opinion to express, as you are doing with absolute authority, that McDavid would easily double Gretzky in points.

McDavid is one of the greatest hockey players I've ever seen. I think he's the best player I've seen since Mario Lemieux in the early-/mid-1990s. I don't think he's as skilled as Lemieux or Gretzky were in terms of overall hockey IQ and instinct -- that's hardly a put-down, as nobody else is either. McDavid is, in fact, my favorite hockey player for the past 20 years. But he's not at Gretzky or Lemieux's skill level.

Anyway, since you've long-since become entrenched in your opinion which you seem attached to for ego/emotional reasons more than accuracy, I have no doubt my words will have no influence on your thinking whatsoever.

After you stopped laughing at something I never said? I said 43 year old Selanne was better than 40 year old Lemieux... I then asked that poster to explain how Mario Lemieux scoring 22 points in 26 games, in the highest scoring season since 1995-96, mostly on the powerplay with a rookie phenom, at 40, is any indication that Connor McDavid right now wouldn't outscore Gretzky going back to 1980 just as he is.

As for the rest of your post, did you even read the OP? I'm arguing with another person who can't properly comprehend what I'm reading. You're in over your head here.

(Hint: The thread specifically says with his equipment, not like he would need it anyway, but follow along here before you get lost).

 

[authentic]

In the 80s, there were no two-line passes, which makes the game slow down immensely, and it was a man's league. Holding, elbowing, face-washing, even punching was prevalent without the concern of getting penalized every time the wind blows. Alot more whistles and stoppages too, no such thing as delay of game. Also can't forget that the sticks were wooden pieces of crap and the skates were the 80 dollar ones you can buy at Wal-Mart today. You can't just say he has modern equipment, while the rest of the league does not, that's not a realistic scenario (although time travel isn't either).
I think Connor is suited for today's game perfectly, but in the Gretzky era, his speed wouldn't be as effective and his skating wouldn't be as explosive.

People love to discredit Gretzky, saying he would be just an average star in today's game. This is so short-sighted, and just an echo of stupidity, in order to justify that the current era is the best era; which is more about pride than reality. If it was so easy, then how come no one else came close to Gretzky until Mario entered the league. He was far above 2nd place for almost a decade. He owns the record book, with achievements that will never be done again in the NHL. He is the G.O.A.T. and the most special athlete, not only in hockey, but in sports history.

That doesn't mean players today aren't more skilled than him. The game evolved a lot, this thread is not about Gretzky being born today or travelling to the future, it's about McDavid going back to 1980 just as he is, and people still defend it like their lives depend on it. If it doesn't matter and it's so stupid why are people so adamant on proving something wrong which is so obviously true. Lol, no 2 line passes really prevented players who were far less skilled than today from putting up well over 100 points.

I agree that it's a silly comparison, it's just funny how people think Gretzky would actually be better than Crosby, McDavid and Ovechkin if they all stepped on the same ice exactly as they were. It's amusing to me. that's all.

 

[unknown33]

Do you guys think that in other competitive fields there are super heroes that were way ahead the field today 25 years ago? Surely it sounds ridiculous if you work at any competitive field?

Most jumping and throwing WRs are from the 80s/early 90s.

 

[Thenameless]

Bravo.

Ditto.

 

[unknown33]

Just so you're all aware too, it's almost 2019 now. That was 16-18 years ago when Lemieux was last a good player. Forsberg said he noticed a big change in the pace of the game from the mid 2000s to when he made his brief comeback in 2011. No version of Lemieux that actually existed would step into the NHL today and dominate McDavid.

Improvement in general has dimishing return and plateus after a while. It's not linear throughout time. Athletic performance is limited by the human body.

 

[TaLoN]

He'd have monstrous stats, but I still don't think he'd break 92/215, even with modern equipment. A Storm Trooper with better equipment still can't beat Yoda.

Love it!

 

[authentic]

Improvement in general has dimishing return and plateus after a while. It's not linear throughout time. Athletic performance is limited by the human body.

At what point in time would you say NHL players skills plateud?

 

[spiny norman]

This thread has run its course.