What made Gretzky so good?

mulletmanofusa

Registered User
Nov 9, 2018
58
46
I've never seen more than highlights from his career and I'm not here to question how good he was, I just want to know what made him as good as he was. Physically he looked like a shrimp, but he still dominated games. How?
 

snipes

How cold? I’m ice cold.
Dec 28, 2015
54,882
61,422
He had the greatest anticipation of where players were going to be on the ice and his hockey IQ was unparalleled.

He could also pick corners and change his shooting angles on his slap shot like no one else.

If I could sum up what I mean by his vision and anticipation watch this pass, utterly ridiculous:

 

mulletmanofusa

Registered User
Nov 9, 2018
58
46
He had the greatest anticipation of where players were going to be on the ice and his hockey IQ was unparalleled.

He could also pick corners and change his shooting angles on his slap shot like no one else.

If I could sum up what I mean by his vision and anticipation watch this pass, utterly ridiculous:



Uh. How the hell did he know where to pass? Didn't look up once.
 

Kaners Bald Spot

Registered User
Dec 6, 2011
22,704
10,812
Kane County, IL
If you listen to Gretzky talk about what made him so good, not only was he the smartest hockey player ever in terms of thinking the game, he also did a lot of advance scouting of the Red Army team as a a teenager in the 70s and introduced a lot of strategy and scoring concepts to the league that hadn't been seen in the NHL before. According to the Great One himself, he was the player that made it commonplace in the NHL to play behind the goal line in the offensive zone, and he stole it from Tarasov/the Red Army team.
 
Last edited:

Sam Spade

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May 4, 2009
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Tofveve

Registered User
Mar 10, 2013
26,872
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The West
Could anticipate game-play better than anyone else. Like a great chess genius, he was many moves ahead of the others.

In my opinion he also utilized the full ice surface like few others. Like you are supposed to, he'd break wide down the boards pulling the Defenseman to him, opening up the ice. He also became known for using the space behind the net like none before him to the point that it became known as his "office."

Finally, he had really quick turning, stopping and starting ability while being able to keep his head up.
 

CupInSIX

My cap runneth over
Jul 1, 2012
26,283
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Alphaville
Maybe his youth? Specifically growing up in the 60s practicing with his dad like crazy, like a kid might practice pitching every chance he got.
 

Snippit

Registered User
Dec 5, 2012
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Anyone have good footage of Gretzky/Lemieux in games/highlights from the late 90s? Little more interesting to watch cause scoring was lower
 

Kaners Bald Spot

Registered User
Dec 6, 2011
22,704
10,812
Kane County, IL
Anyone have good footage of Gretzky/Lemieux in games/highlights from the late 90s? Little more interesting to watch cause scoring was lower
Gretz was old and almost done by then. There were still high scoring players even in the late 90s. When goalie pads got light enough, that is when the Dead Puck Era started to get really bad in terms of scoring. I wonder if you looked it up, that over 2010-2015 the highest scoring players had lower point totals than from 1995-2000
 

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