McDavid in the 80s

[SML2]

His team gets dominated by a stacked Edmonton squad with about 8 Hall of Famers on it. Oh the irony.

 

[Machinehead]

Yes. Lemieux had 168 in 1988. You do know 1988 was "between" 1982 and 1989, right?

Oh, well excuse me. And how many did 3rd place have? Like 110?

 

[DoobieDubas]

Still multiple tiers above Matthews.

lmao had to bring matthews into it i love it

 

[CMDEADLY]

Compared to elite players in the 80's, yes. Maybe even compared to generational players in the 80's.

Generational doesn't even describe Gretzky. He was a living video game.

He was living in a time where he knew where everyone would be in slow skating times.

Gretzky disagrees with you, so out of the horses mouth he thinks he wouldn't put up the same numbers not even close. As talent level is higher across the board. 3rd and 4th lines back then were AWFUL, now 4th liners are putting up 20-40 points. It's a completely different time period and the talent brought into the NHL is better.

You take a 4th liner today and put him in the old NHL he's second line or better.

 

[pikkuvaimo]

It was the late 80's and the 90's when Lemieux started going ape ****.

Peak Wayne and Peak Mario weren't happening at the same time.

No they weren't, but Mario did hit 168 in 88 and 199 in 89. (And also 141 in 86). Then there was Bossy with 147 in 82 and Nicholls with 150 in 89. So it's not true that only Gretzky hit 145+ between 82 to 89.

 

[authentic]

The goaltending and defensive play in the early 80s was Bantam house league level. Ridiculous if you don't think a guy like McDavid would lead the NHL in points going back in time. There are worse players than him from well over a decade ago that would do the same.

 

[Machinehead]

Wait, you actually don't think McDavid would lead in points if he went back in time? That's honestly delusional.

He won the Art Ross by 5 points. If you're telling me he's better than Gretzky, as @Sojourn alluded to, you're telling me Giroux is better than Gretzky, and Kucherov is better than Gretzky.

Because the fact is, while McDavid is clearly the best player in the league right now, he isn't obnoxiously better than everyone else. (like Gretzky was)

So if McDavid is gonna go back and put up 216 points, then Giroux, Kuch, Malkin, MacKinnon etc. are all eclipsing 200.

One guy in NHL history has scored 200, but five guys today could do it. That's banana bread.

 

[Machinehead]

He was living in a time where he knew where everyone would be in slow skating times.

Gretzky disagrees with you, so out of the horses mouth he thinks he wouldn't put up the same numbers not even close. As talent level is higher across the board. 3rd and 4th lines back then were AWFUL, now 4th liners are putting up 20-40 points. It's a completely different time period and the talent brought into the NHL is better.

You take a 4th liner today and put him in the old NHL he's second line or better.

Gretzky thinks he's like a 4th liner. That doesn't change what he actually did.

 

[sinDer]

That's would put him pretty clearly #2 behind Gretzky. Still way, way, way behind him, but pretty clearly #2. And that's with the advantage of modern training.

Lol

Way way way behind him?

A teleported 2018 McDavid in the 80's would destroy the league, even Gretzky.

Better yet, that would also be the case with many other players.

The average current 25 goal scorers would easily score 50, if not 75

 

[Machinehead]

Yep. Here we go with the "everyone now is better than Gretzky" mental gymnastics.

Saw this one coming.

 

[Machinehead]

Lol

Way way way behind him?

A teleported 2018 McDavid in the 80's would destroy the league, even Gretzky.

Better yet, that would also be the case with many other players.

The average current 25 goal scorers would easily score 50, if not 75

So the entire league now is better than the entire league then? You honestly believe that?

 

[CMDEADLY]

That's the main point though Gretzky is only adding to the point that fans don't get. The people that work in the industry think these kids are way better, the only people that disagree watch highlights or old game film and see the great play. They don't see the bad defense and goaltending.

 

[SotasicA]

Everyone WAS better in the O6 days.

 

[CMDEADLY]

So the entire league now is better than the entire league then? You honestly believe that?

No, but great players now when it's harder to make the NHL would still be great then.

 

[authentic]

He won the Art Ross by 5 points. If you're telling me he's better than Gretzky, as @Sojourn alluded to, you're telling me Giroux is better than Gretzky, and Kucherov is better than Gretzky.

Because the fact is, while McDavid is clearly the best player in the league right now, he isn't obnoxiously better than everyone else. (like Gretzky was)

So if McDavid is gonna go back and put up 216 points, then Giroux, Kuch, Malkin, MacKinnon etc. are all eclipsing 200.

One guy in NHL history has scored 200, but five guys today could do it. That's banana bread.

If they went back in time like the thread is asking? Obviously they would. Being born back then is a completely different story and an actually fair comparison though. It doesn't mean they're more talented than Gretzky, but they are more skilled and it would be made even more obvious if they were dropped into a no defense, slow skating, wide open game with beer league caliber stand up goaltending. Gretzky pushed the puck up ice untouched without making more than a few stickhandles and fired the puck across the ice from just inside the blueline for multiple goals in the early 80s. These guys would have a field day if they went back in time with their modern skillsets.

No joke, the defensive structure and goaltending from Junior A hockey games, not even the OHL, was better than early 1980s NHL hockey, over 10 years ago.

 

[Machinehead]

You know how many times somebody actually scored 75 goals in the 1980's?

Three.

Gretzky, Gretzky, Lemieux.

 

[authentic]

Gretzky thinks he's like a 4th liner. That doesn't change what he actually did.

No one is discounting what he actually did though, the game is tremendously better now in every way, that does not diminish Gretzky's greatness.

 

[CMDEADLY]

You know how many times somebody actually scored 75 goals in the 1980's?

Three.

Gretzky, Gretzky, Lemieux.

And Gretzky Gretzky Lemieux would still lead the league today, you not being able to admit that Mcdavid would help lead the league then is just downright delusional as has been stated. Take off the nastalgia glasses.

 

[Laveuglette]

Would be pretty weird that one player has modern equipment and the others don't. They would copy it.

 

[tony d]

A consistent 160-170 point scorer, still not as good as Gretzky.

 

[Machinehead]

And Gretzky Gretzky Lemieux would still lead the league today, you not being able to admit that Mcdavid would help lead the league then is just downright delusional as has been stated. Take off the nastalgia glasses.

Again, the only thing delusional is the idea that a slew of current NHL players would be hitting 75 goals and 200 points.

Because again, McDavid isn't THAT far away from the pack.

 

[Cats2TheCup]

LTIR

 

[Machinehead]

Would be pretty weird that one player has modern equipment and the others don't. They would copy it.

Modern equipment my ass.

Gretzky could be naked, overweight, and possibly dead and he would still outscore McDavid.

The gap between Gretzky and the 2nd highest scorer in the NHL would lead several teams in scoring.

 

[CMDEADLY]

Again, the only thing delusional is the idea that a slew of current NHL players would be hitting 75 goals and 200 points.

Because again, McDavid isn't THAT far away from the pack.

You aren't taking into account improvements in defense and goaltending. Most of the elite players in the league now would put up 50+ goals and you thinking otherwise is just head scratching.

 

[sinDer]

So the entire league now is better than the entire league then? You honestly believe that?

Well...

The current worst team in the league would probably win the cup