What least impressed you about Gretzky?

[chooch*]

I dont just mean statistically (no cups or more than 40 goals for final 14 years of 20 year career; overall minus for career that kind of stuff) For me its:

1) Would always try to score late in the game with a big lead (ie get his 4th point or a meaningless goal ) and whoop it up

2) When Mario scored in 87, just stood there waiting for hugs instead of going to Mario.

3) his girlish personality.(sorry)

I liked him but these kind of things rubbed me the wrong way.

Click to read more...

 

[Bulldog fan]

... or that still, to this day, there are fans that are jealous of all his accomplishments.

 

[Lou is God]

I dont just mean statistically (no cups or more than 40 goals for final 14 years of 20 year career; overall minus for career that kind of stuff) For me its:

1) Would always try to score late in the game with a big lead (ie get his 4th point or a meaningless goal ) and whoop it up

2) When Mario scored in 87, just stood there waiting for hugs instead of going to Mario.

3) his girlish personality.(sorry)

I liked him but these kind of things rubbed me the wrong way.

Wow, what are you talking about man, in the last 14 years of his career he scored 40 or more goals five times!

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php3?pid=2035

And as far as not winning any cups in his last 14 years I guess we can knock off Mario off his pedestal too.

 

[Big Cat Davo]

Nothing

Nothing. Gretzky is as close to the perfect professional athelete the NHL will ever see. All the the skills, all the tools, and not of the attitude. Gretzky's humility over the course of his career could speak louder than his numbers.

Dave

 

[Steelhead16]

This feels kinda like bashing Santa Claus after he brought you just what you wanted, but since you asked. The only gripe I ever had with Gretzky was his lack of any two way play. I know that a person has only so much energy and to spend it playing defense would take away from the offense, but when you're ahead by 4 or 5 goals late in the game you can come past the blue line once in a while. Sorry Santa.

 

[pei fan]

... or that still, to this day, there are fans that are jealous of all his accomplishments.

Great Post!

 

[pei fan]

3) his girlish personality.(sorry)

Just because he was more civilized and classier than most athletes doesn't mean
he had a girlish personality.I don't think guys like Messier would have idolized him
if that was the case.

 

[mcphee]

I never liked his hair.

 

[#66]

There are things that bother me about all players including my favorites but I just can't bring myself to talk bad about Gretzky. The guys done to much good for the sport to bash him over anything petty.

 

[mmbt]

I never liked his hair.

That's only because he played with Kurri, who possessed the greatest head of hair to grace NHL ice in the 80s. No one's hair would look good in comparison, why do you think Messier just gave up and went for the bald look?

 

[GKJ]

defense

 

[acr*]

He never fought

 

[Bring Back Bucky]

He never fought

Wrong, just ask Steve Payne what it felt like to be on the other end of Wayne's fistic fury.

 

[Malefic74]

His skating. That hunched over style sacrificed a lot of power and neither his speed nor acceleration were anything to write home about.

 

[Bulldog fan]

His skating. That hunched over style sacrificed a lot of power and neither his speed nor acceleration were anything to write home about.

... and if Mother Teresa could have walked faster she could have visited more African villages .

 

[AH]

Moments after the Habs won the Cup in 1993 and HNIC pulled away to get Gretzky's comments in front of the LA dressing room, the answer to the first question from the interviewer ended with Wayne saying he might retire and not come back the following season. The guy is a total ego-maniac. I am sure he must have been disappointed with losing in the finals (as anyone would be), but to try and to take away the thunder from the team that actually won the championship was uncalled for. He knew he wasn't going to retire, he just wanted the focus to turn on him.

I never liked Gretzky and knowing that the ultimate challenge in his career (winning a Cup after Edmonton) was thwarted at the hands of my Habs makes 1993 that much sweeter.

 

[BrettNYR]

Moments after the Habs won the Cup in 1993 and HNIC pulled away to get Gretzky's comments in front of the LA dressing room, the answer to the first question from the interviewer ended with Wayne saying he might retire and not come back the following season. The guy is a total ego-maniac. I am sure he must have been disappointed with losing in the finals (as anyone would be), but to try and to take away the thunder from the team that actually won the championship was uncalled for. He knew he wasn't going to retire, he just wanted the focus to turn on him.

I never liked Gretzky and knowing that the ultimate challenge in his career (winning a Cup after Edmonton) was thwarted at the hands of my Habs makes 1993 that much sweeter.

He was about 33 then, which is when some players start to feel tired, old, etc.

And him not winning a Cup away from Edmonton was not his fault. He never really had the players around him in LA or STL.

And how could you possibly not like Gretzky? If it wasn't for him, the NHL probably would've been gone 10 years ago.

 

[monkey_00*]

I couldn't help but notice Wayne Gretzky the other day during that Press Conference from Phoenix Arizona.........he was saying that eventually when NHL resumes play in places like Toronto and Montreal the fans will once more come back to the Arenas and Hockey Night in Canada will also once more draw the HUGE TV ratings.........but then he went on to add; "...but that is not our project...our project is to increase the popularity of hockey and build a solid foundation in places like Arizona, Florida and California."..........OH REALLY?............and whose project is it Mr.Gretzky to make the NHL strong in Canada in places like Winnipeg, Quebec City and Hamilton?.......Mike Modano's?.....Chris Chelios?......no...maybe it will be Jeremy Roenick's project to help make NHL strong in Canada in those places.........heh heh heh..............

The two guys that tried to spear-head a comeback of the NHL season (Wayne Gretzky & Mario Lemieux) are also part owners of hockey clubs that should be playing their hockey up here in Canada........first we have the Wayne Gretzky's Phoenix Coyotes who should have NEVER left Winnipeg Manitoba in the first place...........and then we have the Pittsburgh Penguins who came very close to relocating here to Hamilton until one day the club drafted Mario Lemieux and he saved that franchise's demise..............

Wayne Gretzky lost a boat-load of money the first time around when he was the part owner of the Toronto Argonauts CFL football club..........the same thing is about to happen to him again with the Phoenix Coyotes of the NHL..........he was a great hockey Player.........I wish I could say the same thing about him with Business.

 

[kmad]

His penchant for doing any TV commercial that throws cash his way

 

[It Kills Me]

I never liked his hair.

I was about to say that he should have had a mullet.

 

[It Kills Me]

Wayne Gretzky lost a boat-load of money the first time around when he was the part owner of the Toronto Argonauts CFL football club..........the same thing is about to happen to him again with the Phoenix Coyotes of the NHL..........he was a great hockey Player.........I wish I could say the same thing about him with Business.

I know, he should invest in me.

 

[chooch*]

Wow, what are you talking about man, in the last 14 years of his career he scored 40 or more goals five times!

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php3?pid=2035

And as far as not winning any cups in his last 14 years I guess we can knock off Mario off his pedestal too.

Sorry I meant 50 goals after the age of 28 or whatever. The guy was an overall minus for his career.

Obviously people idolaize him immensely as canadian.But he decided not make his home here - does that tell you something?? forgetting that he didnt invest in a canadian franchise.

I'm not knocking anyone off his pedestal (as if I have that capability). I just think he was mollycoddled by the likes of Cam Cole (and Mario was better )

I just want to know what you think - about his friendship with Gary Bettman for instance. was it right?

 

[Tb0ne]

It tells me his wife probably doesn't like cold weather.

He's not beyond criticism, but some of these comments go too far. As the other poster said, the NHL probably would have went under years ago if it wasn't for him.
In his hay day he was probably one of the most well known sports figures, ever.. not just hockey.

 

[revolverjgw]

This.

 

[mazmin]

I dont just mean statistically (no cups or more than 40 goals for final 14 years of 20 year career; overall minus for career that kind of stuff)

The only thing I dislike about Wayne Gretzky is something that was partially out of his control. Being the center of the popularization of hockey in the southern USA was an occurence that IMO became a big part of the disease that has plagued NHL hockey for the last decade.