wyane gretzky-now in days

[banditgeek101 0]

how do you think the great one would be like in the nhl now with all the new superstars

[Eazy_b97 1]

Wayne Gretzky as a 40 year old man, or as an 18 year old kid? 2 Very differen't effects.

I think he'd still be the best, but I cannot see him topping 150 points in a season. Thats in his prime.

If he were playing right now at his age...... I'm thinking skinnier Ron Francis.

[banditgeek101 0]

I can see what your saying but i dont think hed be as effective. I think he would probably end up getting hit unlike when he played and cost him an injury.Any way, he just wouldn't be as good as everyone would like him to be.

[Eazy_b97 1]

I look at Mario and he was able to average roughly around those totals on a terrible team (looking at his '02 and '03 PPG). The thing that made Gretz so effective wasn't his physical talents, its was his on ice vision, which is more difficult to defend. Its a difficult thing to argue. I don't think hed get his 215 points, but he'd exceed St. Louis and Iggy's scoring pace. About the injuries, he was difficult to hit and the league as a whole tended to protect him and not just his team. It wasn't like nobody ever tried, it just didn't really work out and people started playing him differently.

[banditgeek101 0]

i have to agree with u but he was not that hard to hit. he did have good on ice vision and he also could sense were the puck was going to be. That is a very important skill to hve in the NHL. Thats also what made him and his team more effective and aslso with his good quotes like "100% of the shots u dont take dont go in."

[Eazy_b97 1]

Why don't you think he was tough to hit?

[cardinalhcky26 0]

Why do u think he is hard to hit?

[Eazy_b97 1]

because his whole philosophy was avoiding people. Look at his "office", chasing someone behind the net is a HUGE no-no while playing D. The "gretzky curl" is designed to take off the pressure of hits and avoid getting attacked. He played in open areas and didn't put himself in vulnerable positions very often. He curled deep in his zone to create passes and had the skills to make people look stupid when they attacked him. With him, it always seemed to be a "contain" situation.

[LkptTiger 1]

He wasn't particularly fast, but he was incredibly evasive. I've watched a few of the old Oilers games on ESPN Classic (I'm still a young'un yet...) and have made a conscious effort to watch him while he was on the ice. He NEVER stood still, and watching the games I can also see that he was always looking all over the ice - not just at the puck. He knew where everybody on the was at all times, and it seemed as though he knew what a would-be-checker was going to do before the other guy knew himself...He was nothing short of an on-ice genius who came into (and out of) the game at just the right time.

I haven't seen another player in any game I have ever watched, NHL or otherwise, who was as difficult to get a body on than "The Great One."

[MDE3 0]

He was known as a "ghost" on the ice..with or without the puck, he had that ability to become almost invisible....about the time you thought you had the options covered with him, he invented new ones...In addition once he got in your head, and he did that with everyone, he could freeze the opposition like nobody else....from forwards to goalies, he had everyone paranoid....thereby reducing their effectiveness by about half.

One of the huge reasons he was so difficult to hit, was that nobody wanted to be schooled as blatantly as he could make happen, so players were a lot more cautious about overcommiting to take him out for fear of getting left without a jockstrap. Then if someone tried and hesitated, they got burned anyway..

[Chadd 916]

A lot of coaches would complain about his lack of defensive commitment and taking too many risks. Plus he would have been saddled with a couple of pluggers on his line and not been put in a position to succed like he was in edmonton.

[Keith 0]

He would have a much harder time passing with the glut that is created with current defensive systems.... He may also hurt his team since the behind the net style is incredibly risky unless you have it down perfectly.... It's asking for turnovers and odd man rushes. He may not get hit much, but he would be hooked and grabbed more than ever.... Only thing that salvaged mario in his most recent comeback is his size and reach coupled with his vision.

[Chadd 916]

While I agree with some of your points, Keith....I think he was so advanced in terms of thinking the game and always being a few steps ahead of everyone; He would find new ways and adapt to ways that would break down and beat this system. Perhaps he wouldn't do his behind the net magic, as it probably would not be as effective. But since he beat the game with his mind and vision first and foremost, he would be able to find new ways. IMO

The number one thing slowing him down now would be his own coach, not the other team. I can only imagine Hitchcock or Lemaire coaching him. Not to mention he doesn't have enough size for a lot of other coaches.

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

While I agree with some of your points, Keith....I think he was so advanced in terms of thinking the game and always being a few steps ahead of everyone; He would find new ways and adapt to ways that would break down and beat this system.  Perhaps he wouldn't do his behind the net magic, as it probably would not be as effective.  But since he beat the game with his mind and vision first and foremost, he would be able to find new ways.  IMO

The number one thing slowing him down now would be his own coach, not the other team. I can only imagine Hitchcock or Lemaire coaching him. Not to mention he doesn't have enough size for a lot of other coaches.

Very true...

[djinferno 2]

the man has so much vision and knows where everybody is all the time, he would just float around and distribute the puck like he always did, hockey is a simple sport if you can see where everyone is going at full speed as if they where in slow motion... and yes hes hard to hit because he understands where to skate and when to give the puck, you got to contain and that also does not work

[biff44 0]

I think he would do just fine! He had great anticipation, and that is always a game-winner. Also, with modern medicine, he would not have had so much problem with his knees.

[Chadd 916]

Today is the 6th anniversary of his last game and I've been watching it on ESPN classic. Couple of observations:

1. Sundstrom and Maclean on the first line? They expected way too much from him

2. Gretz should have had 4 or 5 assists. Perfect feeds to guys that should have scored but missed.

3. Bill McCreary was the ref and it's amazing how many cheap shots he let go right in front of him. One guy was driven head first into the boards, Ndur tackled Barnaby after he(Ndur) lost his stick on a one on one.

4. There were actual scoring opportunities at both ends of the ice.

5. I miss 99.

[mik3 1]

The Gretzky trick against the panthers from 97 was on msg the other day. I don't even like Gretzky, but it was great watching him that game.

[Tanner23 0]

he would deffinitly be an all star player but i cant really see him being that amazing for some reason

[Harrycaray 0]

what you got to remember is that wayne would have been through the qmjhl or ohl and he would have been the same but better with his skills and everything growing up now hed be better. hed be faster just like the people today

[shute 4]

safe to say he'd be the Pavel Datsyuk of today but maybe better. I think what most people are missing was that he was just that far ahead of everyone else at the day. we've all heard of people in the nhl those days not even being to skate backwards. he was just miles ahead of everyone else thats all. i mean if you put me back when hockey first started i'll be everyones howe. it was very different times back then and the goalies flat out sucked. get Datsyuk to go back in time to when gretzky played and he'd be our gretzky of today. just different times but you have to go credit to him for being that far ahead of everyone else. he just played and worked hockey 24/7 even as a kid. it's also safe to say that his passion for the game back then and now unmatched and that goes a long ways when you have someone who gives it 100% every night unlike players of today who only do well when their contract is up.

[Chadd 916]

safe to say he'd be the Pavel Datsyuk of today but maybe better. I think what most people are missing was that he was just that far ahead of everyone else at the day. we've all heard of people in the nhl those days not even being to skate backwards. he was just miles ahead of everyone else thats all. i mean if you put me back when hockey first started i'll be everyones howe. it was very different times back then and the goalies flat out sucked. get Datsyuk to go back in time to when gretzky played and he'd be our gretzky of today. just different times but you have to go credit to him for being that far ahead of everyone else. he just played and worked hockey 24/7 even as a kid. it's also safe to say that his passion for the game back then and now unmatched and that goes a long ways when you have someone who gives it 100% every night unlike players of today who only do well when their contract is up.

You give far too little credit to older players.

[Eazy_b97 1]

I think you've completely skipped over greatests greatest attribute. His ability to think. The game has gotten tougher, but not really "smarter" look at his totals. Mario in his prime, wasn't on the same level as Gretz, and in the same NHL now, Mario can still average over a PPG. with a bad back and lost drive. Gretz was not bigger, stronger or faster than the players of his time, he didn't have a better shot either. He just saw the game better and was able to always be in position and in areas which suited him best.

I agree with your analogy of you in the older days, but Gretzky played approxomately 5 years ago and he was still averaging over a PPG. The old game wasn't great compared to today, but wasn't as bad as you make it out to be either. If he can control the game better than Mario in his prime, and Mario in his current state is still capable of running the league, then theres no way He'd be on Datsyuks level.

[shute 4]

i'd agree that he would be better then Datsyuk but Datsyuk is more skilled. gretzky has better vision but with Datsyuk skills he'll do end to end and take control of the game just like Gretzky. i think 150 points for Datsyuk is fair to say and but with the main difference being that Gretzky's passion for the game. skill wise i would have to go with Datsyuk but vision and passion go to gretzky.

[Eazy_b97 1]

Gretzky scored more than 150 points 9 times in his career