ANewHope
Nuggets|Avs|Broncos
- May 26, 2011
- 2,370
- 920
It will always be very difficult to compare players of different eras. So many things can affect how a player plays and how good he was in that era. For instance Gretzky played in an era that he was very well protected by goons on his team. He certainly wasn't challenged physically like McDavid, Crosby (concussions), etc.
He may have had goons/got babied for sure but he played in a league that was 1000x more physical. Mcdavid is playing in the least physical era we've ever seen. You don't need goons anymore. NHL has prioritized speed/skill. What's considered dirty nowadays was a routine play back then.
Entirely different games which is why I think it's always made sense to compare what they did in their era's. Which is why Gretzky will always be the GOAT most likely. Almost impossible to top.