Connor McDavid will go down as the 2nd best player of all-time

[MacMacandBarbie]

you just described jagr......yet nobody talks about him. guess cuz he's czech.

The reason is because it was obvious to everyone he wasn’t as good as Mario when they played together. Drai is going to have the same issue when people try to talk about his top 10 claim if he keeps it up.

 

[TheAngryHank]

Is the Mario > Gretzky thing similar to OV > Crosby? Anybody who saw both want to chime in? As someone who didn’t follow hockey enough at the time to see and appreciate their primes, I’m curious how anybody could make an argument of Mario > Gretzky without having drank the Mario Kool-Aid and binged highlight videos.

as someone whom doesn't even like Mario because he was a snot nose whiner , Mario was more dynamic and better at everything then Wayne except for seeing the full 200 feet of ice at once .Science could figure out how Mario did things but wayne was magic.

 

[psycat]

If McDavid hits 180 points next season, would people start considering him the GOAT?

No but I could see the argument for "best" in that case(Although it wouldn't be clear cut by any means). The greatest(Gretzky that is) have so much hardware, be it team or individual and a lengthy career, mulitple cups, way more culutral impact, international fame, success etc.

McDavid is the best player currently and in quite awhile but Gretzky is simply hockey for many people(especially ones that don't know much about the sport) that's greatness and he have the stats+achievements to back that fame up.

Maybe Alexander Severus was a better emperor than Augustus or Caesar, I don't know, but the latter 2 are simply greater in a historical context.

 

[StorminSnvechnAho]

Probably an unpopular opinion but in my book you need at least one Cup to even be mentioned as top five all time.

 

[YippieKaey]

Howe was fitter/stronger than 99% of players who played today

Same with Bobby Hull

There was a reason these guys dominated hockey (NHL + WHA) for 20 - 30 years.

Howe would easily be a top 6 player in this NHL in his career primes along with

Gretzky
Lemiuex
Mcdavid
Orr
Crosby

Hull would be in the next tier with

OV
Kucherov
Draisaitl
Matthews
Mack

He really wasn't. Compared to his peers sure but most NHL players today are way ahead of the strongest and fittest guys of yesteryear.

 

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Depends how his rest of career will go but not willing to rank him above Crosby just yet. He's up there as far as regular seasons go.

 

[BigEezyE22]

Gretzky had absolutely stacked teams with good puck moving d-mans same with Mario. McDavid has to do most of the work by himself that's the difference

Lemieux had 199 points playing between Rob Brown and Bob Errey.

 

[Dubi Doo]

It's unlikely he'll surpass Lemieux.

 

[Canovin]

No but I could see the argument for "best" in that case(Although it wouldn't be clear cut by any means). The greatest(Gretzky that is) have so much hardware, be it team or individual and a lengthy career, mulitple cups, way more culutral impact, international fame, success etc.

McDavid is the best player currently and in quite awhile but Gretzky is simply hockey for many people(especially ones that don't know much about the sport) that's greatness and he have the stats+achievements to back that fame up.

Maybe Alexander Severus was a better emperor than Augustus or Caesar, I don't know, but the latter 2 are simply greater in a historical context.

If he hits 180 and also wins a championship, he should be considered the GOAT. That would mean he did what Gretzky and Lemieux couldn't do. Win a championship without a dynasty caliber supporting cast

 

[psycat]

If he hits 180 and also wins a championship, he should be considered the GOAT. That would mean he did what Gretzky and Lemieux couldn't do. Win a championship without a dynasty caliber supporting cast

No, it's not about a single "achievement", it's about the total package, he could hit 200pts without having a case for that. Now if he hits 180pts 5 times, win 3 cups, a couple of Olympics, become much more famous across the globe, produce well into his late 30s etc that might make him have a case.

That's the ballpark for someone overtaking Gretzky in my eyes because he simply didn't just win a cup, hit 200pts etc he did it regulary and(as I already pointed out) he was simply much more of a cultural phenomena in addition, or due, to all achievements.

It will probably get easier for someone to leave a "Gretzky-like" impression on the sport once a couple of more decades pass and the memory of him fades but it will still take someone who achieve even more than what McDavid is currently doing.

 

[wetcoast]

Probably an unpopular opinion but in my book you need at least one Cup to even be mentioned as top five all time.

Probably but playing in a 32 team Salary cap NHL is a lot different than the 06 era and the 70's and 80s before the clutch and grab era in the later 90s.

 

[Canadian Finn]

likely wont eclipse The Great One but I agree he'll end as the second best NHL'er of all time.

 

[Chet Manley]

He is the third best player I've watch since ~1977. I can't really compare players from before that time. Bit surprised so many people in this thread watched Orr and Howe enough to rate McDavid higher.

 

[Sweetpotato]

As an Oiler fan, unless he takes yet another step forward and does something crazy like 180 points I'm not putting him ahead of Lemieux or Orr.

For me it'll be the top 5 of Gretzky, Lemieux, Orr, Howe and McDavid.

 

[Three On Zero]

Very doubtful, him and Crosby will
Jocky for the #5 spot depending how the final half of his career plays out

 

[Video Nasty]

Very doubtful, him and Crosby will
Jocky for the #5 spot depending how the final half of his career plays out

Crosby will be toast in this belief within 2 seasons and 4 seasons max.

When McDavid has 4 Harts, 6 Lindsays, 7 Art Rosses, 400 goals/1100 points through 10 seasons, has been top 2 in both raw points and PPG for 9 years in a row, likely top 5 in Hart voting for 9 years in a row to go along with at least 6 nominations, and at least a Cup and a Smythe maybe even 2, all he’ll need to do is compile stats for the second half of his career.

And when that’s all that has to be done, there’s no point waiting to move him into the top 5 and it will be definitively over Crosby and the other 7 players or so who all have their own compelling cases.

 

[HF007]

If he replicates this season’s domination for another 3-4 years and a cup, you gotta have him second, especially considering the era

 

[JianYang]

He's a phenom for sure. It will be interesting to see how he evolves though as he gets older when the speed and acceleration comes back down to earth.

Guys like Gretzky and Mario evolved, and kept dominating as they got older.

Unfortunately, Orr never got the opportunity.

 

[bottomofthefoodchain]

He likely flirts with 5th and rotates with Crosby for that position

He' way past Crosby already

 

[Three On Zero]

He' way past Crosby already

Nope

Crosby will be toast in this belief within 2 seasons and 4 seasons max.

When McDavid has 4 Harts, 6 Lindsays, 7 Art Rosses, 400 goals/1100 points through 10 seasons, has been top 2 in both raw points and PPG for 9 years in a row, likely top 5 in Hart voting for 9 years in a row to go along with at least 6 nominations, and at least a Cup and a Smythe maybe even 2, all he’ll need to do is compile stats for the second half of his career.

And when that’s all that has to be done, there’s no point waiting to move him into the top 5 and it will be definitively over Crosby and the other 7 players or so who all have their own compelling cases.

Some big “ifs”, like I said it depends how McDavids is second half goes

 

[bottomofthefoodchain]

Nope


Some big “ifs”, like I said it depends how McDavids is second half goes

It's not debatable. After this season he will have 5 Art Ross to Crosby's 2, 3 Hart's to 2, 4 Lindsay's to 3. And by the time his career is over he will likely have another 10 awards.
What Crosby has over McDavid are team dependant trophies, nothing else.

 

[Video Nasty]

It's not debatable. After this season he will have 5 Art Ross to Crosby's 2, 3 Hart's to 2, 4 Lindsay's to 3. And by the time his career is over he will likely have another 10 awards.
What Crosby has over McDavid are team dependant trophies, nothing else.

That and phantom trophies.

 

[kugelbahn]

The only thing preventing him potentially to reach that high in rankings was goal scoring, and he answered that. Now it is about staying where he is now for a few more seasons.

 

[Three On Zero]

It's not debatable. After this season he will have 5 Art Ross to Crosby's 2, 3 Hart's to 2, 4 Lindsay's to 3. And by the time his career is over he will likely have another 10 awards.
What Crosby has over McDavid are team dependant trophies, nothing else.

False still

 

[Nathaniel Skywalker]

He' way past Crosby already

Haha good one