BlueMonk 102 Report post Posted March 20, 2007 "Gretzky was nothing special" deserves to be quoted in some member signatures. Awesome! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingslogo19 281 Report post Posted March 20, 2007 I never got to see Bobby Orr play because i wan't old enough.. But have watched on dvd's how amazing he was. His skating was so smooth for a D man.. Its too bad he had to retire early because of bad knees Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bogeygolfer 4 Report post Posted March 20, 2007 (edited) okay i'm really truely finished arguing this with you as there's really no point, parting shot,... number 4 is worn by several people around the league, so is number 9 for better or worse how many people have 99 on there backs? Retiring 99 was about the publicity. Edited March 20, 2007 by bogeygolfer Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Icteria virens 11 Report post Posted March 20, 2007 To me that really doesn't make a difference anyway....just another person's opinion. He barely played against Orr and played even less against Gretzky. just another person's opinion??? are you kidding me? it's Gordie freakin' Howe's opinion, that's who's. Have you ever skated a shift in the NHL? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eva unit zero 271 Report post Posted March 20, 2007 I've said it tons of times but never on this site. There is no GREATEST HOCKEY PLAYER flat-out. Here's how I rate them. Gretzky- Greatest offensive player Orr- Greatest offensive defenseman Howe- Best all-around offensive player Lidstrom- Best defensive defenseman Bourque- best all-around defenseman Roy- Best positional goalie Sawchuk- Best all-around goalie Hasek- Best unorthodox goalie EDIT: Brodeur- Best reflexive goalie Brodeur has good reflexes, but his are far fro mthe best. He plays a hybrid style and his game is primarily about being in the right position. I have always felt John Vanbiesbrouck and Kirk McLean had the fastest reflexes I've ever seen in a goalie. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CopenhagenWing 38 Report post Posted March 20, 2007 Yeah OKAAAAY Seven consecutive victories in the world hardest cycling race is not dominating a sport? What do you think cyclists do all year after the Tour de France? Sit around and eat Cheetos? Not only that but in 1996 Lance underwent brain and testicular surgery, and extensive chemotherapy to treat the testicular cancer that had metastasized to his brain and lungs. But he still game back and trained harder than ever to win again. Please place the crack pipe down before you decide to post, thanks. Did I say he didn't dominate the Tour de France? Didn't think so. However, the professional race calendar runs from early February to late October. Some riders are competitive throughout the season. Lance chose a different path post-cancer where he spent most of season training for the Tour while riding a few races without any real interest of winning them. The Amstel Gold Race in the Netherlands was one of the few races where Armstrong consistently tried to win. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
toby91_ca 620 Report post Posted March 20, 2007 (edited) teh reason i dismise gretz after the oilers run is because what did he do besides taking the kings to there only finals appearance in 93? How about winning 3 scoring titles? May not sound like much, but there are only 5 other guys in the history of the game (I think) that have been able to win more than 3 throughout their entire careers. Also, Gretzky played from 1991 on with a wonky back, that had more to do with decline than playing for a different team than the Oilers. Gretzky has a lot of crazy records, but to me, the most interesting one of all is assists. There are only 3 guys in the history of the game to ever have more than 100 assists in a season. Bobby Orr did in once (102), Mario did it once (114) and Gretzky did it 11 times!!! (highest - 163). And 3 of those seasons were post-Edmonton. It was 11 in a row actually. Would have been 12 if he played a full season, he had 90 in 74 games the next year. That stat is just unbelievable to me. Edited March 20, 2007 by toby91_ca Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Never_Retire_Steve 35 Report post Posted March 20, 2007 I'll take the Hart trophies over the Norris trophies on any day, especially the extra couple that he added a few years later Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Icteria virens 11 Report post Posted March 20, 2007 How about winning 3 scoring titles? May not sound like much, but there are only 5 other guys in the history of the game (I think) that have been able to win more than 3 throughout their entire careers. Also, Gretzky played from 1991 on with a wonky back, that had more to do with decline than playing for a different team than the Oilers. Gretzky has a lot of crazy records, but to me, the most interesting one of all is assists. There are only 3 guys in the history of the game to ever have more than 100 assists in a season. Bobby Orr did in once (102), Mario did it once (114) and Gretzky did it 11 times!!! (highest - 163). And 3 of those seasons were post-Edmonton. It was 11 in a row actually. Would have been 12 if he played a full season, he had 90 in 74 games the next year. That stat is just unbelievable to me. assists get my vote for the most overrated stat for modern era hockey players. the gluttony of second assists given out nowadays never happened when Howe was playing. To me it signifies even more what a perimeter player he was, how he never could stand to get his nose dirty. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theman19 47 Report post Posted March 20, 2007 this thread is filled with people who've obviously never seen either player play,.... we've got people implying that bobby orr a shut down defensive D-man (he just controlled the puck, hard for the other team to score if he has it 90% of the game) i've watched enough game film to know he wasn't, just the most gifted skater the nhl has ever seen and we've got other people saying Gretzky was everything from "nothing special" to a "permiter player" and the benefit of padding his stats by secondary assists,...for one,...80% at least of his assists were direct ones,..i.e. he passed it, the other guy scored, For two you take away everyone of his assists he still breaks every scoring record in the nhl accept most points. For two, permiter players don't score 20 overtime playoff game winning goals. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
toby91_ca 620 Report post Posted March 20, 2007 (edited) assists get my vote for the most overrated stat for modern era hockey players. the gluttony of second assists given out nowadays never happened when Howe was playing. To me it signifies even more what a perimeter player he was, how he never could stand to get his nose dirty. I gotta say, this is some strange commentary. You think having massive amount of assists is an example of why he isn't better than others? You know he also has more goals than anyone else as well right? If assists are so easy to come by nowadays, why are there not more players that have 100 assist seasons? Edited March 20, 2007 by toby91_ca Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
