That is not at all what "I am saying these guys would likely barely even make the league had you time-machined them at conception and given them all the modern equipment, training and nutrition." would be taken to mean by anyone with reading comprehension.
well, put me down on the No Reading Comprehension list, then.
The number of people trying really passionately to reach the pinnacle of a sport is what matters here.
Royce Gracie once looked like the greatest MMAr on the planet, and, if not him, it was his brother Rickson. You could transport them into the UFC of even 10 years ago and they wouldnt sniff Gold and likely wouldnt be able to hang around very long.
Humans didnt evolve - the game and the money and prestige and the talent pool sure did, though.
By the way Im not specifically saying that Howie Morenz is Royce Gracie here - only that my limited reading comprehension and logic leads me to seeing this as what
@Overrated was saying and it wouldnt have entered my mind that it was about human evolution.
There is an old guy with a bunch of antique lumberjack equipment in my town. The equipment that was being used 60-120 years ago makes you see giant, strong men as the wielders - there really isnt a better explanation - i am CERTAIN that genetics have not changed, and in fact, im even suspicious that we have devolved recently, and that there has been an ebb and flow dependant on both food, living conditions and also what kind of men were found desirable depending on whether it was a time of war, peace, sport, farming… ie. WHO got to reproduce most. The problem is that we were NOT a sporting cultureto the degree of the last 30 years in hockey and alpha males were way more likely in the past to get manual labour jobs that actually paid well than to pursue a game, which i will also say was likely seen as kids’ stuff by most.
A good example of money and talent is in rugby. They didnt professionalize until around 1990. Money came in and with it a larger pool of players who have the time and supporting crew to focus entirely on training. Its visually impossible to deny the difference between late 90s rugby and pre 1990 rugby - the guys are terrifyingly built.
And no, before anyone says it, you couldnt simply transport the players from the past and give them that and they would automatically become modern players. Some would, some wouldnt - genetics are what they are, and some of the past greats made it to the top based on wonderful natural talent in a game that was played mostly by only people who could afford to play - if not at the top level, then as they were coming up through the ranks and proving themselves.
And, there we get the same outlook - to some there will never be another Gareth Edwards. He was clearly so very dominant, so quick, smart, athletic. Where there are enormous gaps it usually entails that a sport has yet to reach its peak. Connor Macdingus is one of the most amazing players i have seen with my eyes, i dont think it can be argued, and he is going to win many Art Rosses and be seen as the best player around for a long time - but the gaps between him and Kucherov/Mackinnon/Huberdeau/etc. are not like Gretzky or Orr’s (vs dmen) and in fact, we saw how his gaps were oldtime level gaps in the one year where he played in a weaker league. His gaps, otherwise, or more like Jagr’s. I dont think this is a coincidence that both Jagr and MacD played in a truly professionalized league that attracts passionate, driven talent from all hockey playing countries.
edit - one more thing
when we look at where people have come from to make the NHL, especially longer ago, its nearly all from deep talent pools in city hubs, where kids can sharpen iron against iron every weekend against other talent, and where endless allstar or rep teams can take in tournaments and keep driving to emerge as the best player out of a huge pool.
And then you get Geoff Sanderson from the Yukon… and thats it. Yukon kids HAVE to be as genetically gifted as Ottawa kids, but, there arent enough to make a league of players good enough to push their best into being their best. Depth of talent WITH a serious prize dangled produces sharpened talent.
I think its impossible to know how well players from the past would have fared now, but it stands to my reason that if they DIDNT come through a deep and frenzied shark tank then it is LIKELY that MANY wouldnt have fared well. I do, however, believe that anyone who is truly dominant in a weaker era is likely a top tier athlete and would have done well… i cant say how well.
