28 Years ago today, Mario Lemieux returned to play from cancer treatment

[authentic]

I think it is fairly safe to say that the Oilers developed the way they did, at least in part, because of Gretzky. A bigger portion would probably go to good drafting and to Sather's approach, but I think seeing how hard the best player in the world practiced, seeing how he approached certain game situations etc. rubs off. As someone said up thread, Lemieux himself says he learned a lot from playing with top players in the Canada Cup and his development took a sharp upward trajectory afterwards. And no, it is not demonstrably false. I don't think you know that that means.

Obviously they benefitted from playing with Gretzky... And it's demonstrably false because the team was stacked regardless, hence winning the Cup without him just two seasons after he left. He played on a stacked team for a longer period than Lemieux and Gretzky also benefitted from that in comparison to Lemieux.

 

[authentic]

The Gretzky "debate" really needs to end. There is no debate, he's the greatest to ever lace em up. It amazes me with all the records Gretzky holds that people still try arguing that (insert player here) is better. I mean, it seems to me there are far better things hockey related to debate.

Well when one guy has a higher adjusted career points per game average, despite playing through a lot more games with injury and being better at 35 after not playing for 3 1/2 years than Gretzky was at any point after 30, and also dominated against half competent defense and goaltending there will be a debate about who was the better player. His career is obviously hands down the best though which goes without saying.

 

[The Panther]

Obviously they benefitted from playing with Gretzky... And it's demonstrably false because the team was stacked regardless, hence winning the Cup without him just two seasons after he left. He played on a stacked team for a longer period than Lemieux and Gretzky also benefitted from that in comparison to Lemieux.

Strange argument you're making here.

It's pretty clear that every Stanley Cup team is good, and has some good players. Your argument (repeated a few times) seems to be that because the Oilers of 1990 (without Gretzky, Coffey, or Fuhr) won the Stanley Cup, Gretzky was therefore less impressive than Lemieux whose teams didn't win Stanley Cups without him. In other words, you're arguing -- based on team context -- that the guy who won half as many Cups was better because his team won less.

What Gretzky's ex-team did when he was long gone is irrelevant to Gretzky as a player on the ice. Otherwise, we'd have to downgrade Lemieux further because:
-- From 1985-1988, and in 1990, his team missed the playoffs when he was playing.
-- In 1994 (when Lemieux barely played), and in 1995 when he didn't play at all, his team did well. (In fact, they did better without him at all in 1995 than they had in 1994... or 1992... or 1991, or...).

Does this mean Lemieux was less of a player? Of course it doesn't.

 

[The Panther]

Can someone remind me of why Mario missed so many games in 1993-94? He came back near the end, right? Was it his fatigue from the cancer, etc. treatments the previous year, or was it another, lingering physical injury? Or, did he just want to take a break and then come back in time for the playoffs?

(On that point, why didn't he play in 1995 at all? Although I'm kind of glad he didn't, as that season just sucked.)

 

[Boxscore]

I was at that game. Great ovation by the Philly fans. Mario was a demigod.