Why is Gretzky so underrated on HF?

[joe dirte]

well, watch a few highlights. many if not most of the goals you see would not go in against modern goalies.

They probably would, actually, when you give him modern sticks and equipment, not to mention training, and put the goalies in the equipment from the 80s.

Peopme look atvthe highlights from the 80s and think this, but fail to realize that the equipment, speed and training wasnt that much different in the late 90s to today. And he still managed near 100 points at that point, at an age very few players remain effective anymore.

Prime gretzky would be the best player in the league. Even today.

 

[MadLuke]

Gretzky still scored 10 goals and 20 points in 15 playoff games in 96-97, using is slapshot that was still working against John Vanbiesbrouck style of goaltender, I think he is underrated mostly by overrating how non transferable in others era (would it be the O6 or now) is skill set was good for, while Jagr/Howe/Orr/Hull/Beliveau would have been good in any era type of logic and Lemieux dominated some segment of games in the 80 , 90, 2000s

Is brain was a large part of is success and would have been useful in any era, same for is vision, but also is skill set (skating, shooting, passing) was all time great an underrated.

When Jagr/Sakic played at the same time has Gretzky they were not winning Art Ross above him and no one from now were destroying those 2 when they played in 2005-2006/06-07 in the NHL.

 

[HockeySniper]

Curious to know who you guys think is the goat or top 5

 

[DMXATF23]

I, for one, don’t think we’ve had enough time to evaluate him as a GM in Edmonton.

 

[GoJetsGo55]

Curious to know who you guys think is the goat or top 5

1) Gretzky
2) Lemieux
3) Orr
4) Howe
5) Is open to debate

 

[HockeySniper]

1) Gretzky
2) Lemieux
3) Orr
4) Howe
5) Is open to debate

Great list, mine is the same as well. I bet most people would have this too. I’m not sure in what order I would put them though.

 

[Passchendaele]

I would argue that it is the best athletes that would master any era, Gretzky didn't necessarily have the extraordinary athleticism to do that and thus his greatness is somewhat dependent on his era.

How do you define athletism? Muscle mass? Bench-press digits?

Wayne had insane stamina and was a really good runner.

 

[Albatros]

Can't see how Howe could still be above Jágr, who also has excellent longevity and better peak.

How do you define athletism? Muscle mass? Bench-press digits?

Strength, fitness, agility.

 

[Passchendaele]

Can't see how Howe could still be above Jágr, who also has excellent longevity and better peak.

Howe's longevity has no equal.

Jagr played for a long time, but he wasn't elite for that long.

Howe finished top-5 in scoring for twenty straight years.

 

[socko]

Wayne had 122 assists at 29 years old, well past his prime, playing for the Kings, and that is more than anyone but himself in history. Flat out the best playmaker in history by a wide margin. And yes the GOAT.

 

[Frenchy]

Maybe it's a generation thing , I remember when i was a kid naving many arguments about Gretzky, Lemieux and Bossy vs Maurice Richard. My cousins and I we were arguing with my uncles about who was the best . Of course us kids we were saying back then that they were all better than the Rocket, but the endless closing arguments of my uncles were always the same : We are older than you guys and we saw Maurice play , you didnt. It was a different period , but he was better than all of them .

why is he underrated ?

Maybe not enough of us saw Gretzky back then when he was playing , maybe thats the reason why he's underrated, idk.

You have to remember that back then we didnt have all the NHL games available on TV , like we have right now with CI. In the east you were lucky to see him twice a year on TV on the regular season.

It could also be because Gretzky played mostly in the 80's where the level of talent for some of the NHL players could be compare to AHL players today. I'm not taking anything away from Gretzky, but todays talent is far superior.

Maybe it's because of the Goalies he was facing, with their weak and terrible standup style. Todays Goalie with the butterfly style are far superior to what we had in the 80's.

Idk , i was just thinking out loud, i have no idea why the greatest player of all time would be underated .

 

[KoozNetsOff 92]

Can't see how Howe could still be above Jágr, who also has excellent longevity and better peak.



Strength, fitness, agility.

Howe shits all over Jagr lol

 

[KoozNetsOff 92]

Curious to know who you guys think is the goat or top 5

Gretzky
Orr/Howe
Lemieux

Pretty clear top 4. Many players have an argument for 5th.

 

[Passchendaele]

Maybe it's because of the Goalies he was facing, with their weak and terrible standup style. Todays Goalie with the butterfly style are far superior to what we had in the 80's.

Good luck playing butterfly with 80s pads.

 

[golgoXIII]

Gretzky is the goat ... close this thread

 

[MadLuke]

Can't see how Howe could still be above Jágr, who also has excellent longevity and better peak.



Strength, fitness, agility.

Could you explain the better peak, Howe peak seperated itself from the rest of the league more than Jagr.

 

[Dondini]

Lol at people I’m not that old 32, but I grew up on shitty skates and shitty sticks so I kind of understand what they had to use back then. Now listen in the dead puck era (late 90s)Gretz a complete shell of his former self(especially skating and shooting) finished 5th in league points at 36. Then at 37 he finished 4th in league scoring. Gretz is the best ever there is no question. Only one who’s even close to him is Mario. The same guy who after not playing for nearly 4 years and at age 35 in the height of the dead puck era shows up mid season and puts up 35 goals 76 points in 43 games. These two players are on a different level and it’s a travesty that people don’t understand how good gretz and Mario were.

 

[Canadian Finn]

It is difficult to read the greatest player in the history of the game is underrated.

But most who underrate him never saw him play...so it really isn't their fault.

I likely underrate Orr for the same reason.

 

[Albatros]

Could you explain the better peak, Howe peak seperated itself from the rest of the league more than Jagr.

Howe's peak was in the context of a 6-team league, with very limited competition. Maurice Richard and Ted Lindsay, sure, but after them there's already Wally Hergesheimer.

 

[MadLuke]

Howe's peak was in the context of a 6-team league, with very limited competition. Maurice Richard and Ted Lindsay, sure, but after them there's already Wally Hergesheimer.

Separating yourself of that type of competition is already great, add 6 other team no one is scoring more points than Richard on them.

 

[Albatros]

Sure it's a fine achievement, but nothing compared to what Jágr faced in a league that had grown tremendously both in size and in quality.

 

[93LEAFS]

I'm not sure he's underrated, but obviously, people love the guys whose highlights really translate like Forsberg, Lemieux, and Bure. I do think it leads to Bure and Forsberg getting overrated around here.

 

[Leafs87]

It’s sad when most sane people on this board only thinks you’re the best ever...

A legendary player like him would adjust his game to this generation and rip the league apart

 

[Dustin]

I think Gretzky is underrated because he numbers look like fantasy. And because of that I think people create reasons for it. Trash goaltending, terrible systems, etc. It's really only when you look at him vs his peers can you really understand how far ahead Gretzky was for his time.

 

[DANTHEMAN1967]

Howe's peak was in the context of a 6-team league, with very limited competition. Maurice Richard and Ted Lindsay, sure, but after them there's already Wally Hergesheimer.

How does fewer teams correlate to limited competition?