Gretzky

[Coolio Mendez 7]

While I disagree with retiring Gretzky's number league wide, he's almost in a league of his own. You absolutely cannot compare guys like Iginla or Modano to Gretzky or you come off looking foolish, like you did just now. You even compare Gretzky to Yzerman, who many don't even think was the best player on his team during his era (Lidstrom). You might be able to make a case for Lemieux, Howe, or Orr being comparable to Gretzky, but it's so difficult to compare players from different eras; the only one from the same era, Lemieux, probably has the weakest case for it.

Almost 900 goals (nearly 100 goals more than a guy playing 300 more games than him), over 2800 points, almost two points per game in both the playoffs and regular season. He re-wrote the record book, and I'm not sure that can be overrated. I can't believe people get on Gretzky for being protected by an enforcer rather than doing the job himself. A guy with that much skill has no reason to be fighting; he's the last guy you want in the box. More often than not, Gretzky's job on the PK would be to nab a shorthanded goal.

For the record, I really dislike Gretzky; maybe it's the way the league babied him. But honestly, I don't think we'll be seeing another player with a career like Gretzky's ever again, even with the league moving towards more scoring.

Couldn't have said it better

[Coolio Mendez 7]

I am sorry, and i am probably going to get a lot of s*** for this.

I think Gretzky is Waaaaaaaaaay over-rated.

When Howe retired, his number didn't get retired league wide, he held alot of records before wayne did. WTF is that?

Gretzky isn't half the leader guys like Lemiux, Yzerman, Iglinla, Modano are.

Why isn't #9, 19, 66 Retired league wide.

Is 99 the only one who has that right?

He never played for the wings, but a wing cannot wear number 99, but somebody in washinton can wear 19, 66, or 9?

WTF People.

I'm sorry, as soon as you had Mike Modano in the same boat as Wayne Gretzky I couldn't continue. Modano isn't even the best leader on his team!

Edited February 7, 2009 by Coolio Mendez

[Heroes of Hockeytown 694]

Well, ok, i admit he was the best in goals department.. but how can anybody even think he had more heart than yzerman.

he gave everything he had every ******* night. Stevie played games on one leg alot of times, and gretzky would have sat in the locker room like a *****.

For one, playing with a debilitating injury isn't a prerequisite to being a good leader.

And two, Wayne did have back trouble after being hit from behind by Gary Suter in the 1991 Canada Cup. He was never quite the same after that, and he missed the first month of the season recovering, but still managed to finish third in the scoring race (behind Lemieux and his linemate Kevin Stevens).

He then missed half of the next season with that bad back, but turned around to lead the playoffs in scoring (notably tallying a hat trick in Game 7 of the Conference Finals) en route to bringing the Kings to the Stanley Cup Finals. He scored 40 points that playoff year and that mark hasn't been reached since.