How Great Would Gretzky Be If He Played In The Modern Era? (post-lockout)

[Fantomas]

Some embarrassing Gen Z takes in this thread. Unlikely more than 1 in 20 of them popped open a book in their lives. That is to say, one without illustrations.

 

[McShogun99]

but he'd be on a team that scores <300g/season instead of 400+/season, wouldn't have near the qty of All-Star teammates, wouldn't regularly have 4/5/6/7/8 goal leads to pad stats upon, wouldn't have the shit goalies/smaller pads/poorer techniques to pad stats upon

he'd still dominate, but nowhere near the fashion the high-scoring 80's afforded him. Parity would prevent it.

Only the Oilers were scoring 400+ goals a season during that time. Most of it was because of Gretzky but he had a lot of help with so many HOFers on the team. There’s been no team since the 80’s Oilers that had that kind of fire power.

 

[umma gumma]

McDavid is so freaking far superior than Gretzky ever was I simply can’t believe anyone could watch highlights and games of both and think anything otherwise. Nostalgia is one hell of a drug.

McDavid is so superior yet he can't even win the Art Ross year after year. Wayne Gretzky was beating out Mario Lemieux for scoring title; do you understand the achievement behind that? Mario is the most talented player to play the game, and Gretzky was outscoring him. Shooting against the same goalies, cutting up the same teams.

Ignorance is an even worse drug.

 

[quietbruinfan]

His game of circling, reversing, and sliding would still work very well in today's no redline straight line game. He would face better goaltending and i can't imagine the same level of teammates. That means about 25 fewer points a year but still quite dominant.

 

[psycat]

I think there's probably an irreconcilable difference of opinion here between people who think modern players have access to so much more stuff that they'd somehow be better, and people who understand that unique talent will always be unique talent.

Gretzky with access to modern sports medicine likely would have been even better over a longer period of time.

It's ok people will, maybe, get it in 30 years or so when people will claim that McDavid would be a 3rd liner in the "league of today".

 

[Nathaniel]

McDavid is so freaking far superior than Gretzky ever was I simply can’t believe anyone could watch highlights and games of both and think anything otherwise. Nostalgia is one hell of a drug.

You think gretzky gets outscored by kucherov n mack b2b years?

 

[NickyFotiu]

20-40 guy in his prime

Chris Kreider scored 52. Sam Reinhart scored 57. Zach Hyman scored 54.

A prime before back injury Wayne is not topping out at 20-40 imo.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Chris Kreider scored 52. Sam Reinhart scored 57. Zach Hyman scored 54.

A prime before back injury Wayne is not topping out at 20-40 imo.

Didn’t think I needed to put the /s

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

Kucherov is probably the best comparison in terms of how Gretzky would produce. Not the fastest or most jacked guy, but an absolute gamer and racking up a ton of assists.

 

[NickyFotiu]

Didn’t think I needed to put the /s

Hey you never know on this board. I have read some crazy stuff.

 

[Random Comment]

You think gretzky gets outscored by kucherov n mack b2b years?

I think they are both significantly better players yes. I’m not gonna play a hypothetical game of “if gretz had the training and equipment of today” bit.

 

[nbwingsfan]

Yea? Are we talking about 91goals in 362games over the 6seasons 94-95 to 99 Gretzky against goalies that started to not allow goals on zone entry shots? Or 91 goals that are against real dogshit goalies that about 2000 non-nhl goalies just in Canada could do better right now?

Please note that top 5 in today's NHL is nothing to laugh at. There is so much more talent in today's NHL THANKS to Wayne, Mario, Jagr, etc.

Jagr wasn't top5 since his 2006-2007 season, that's 11years before his retirement (from the NHL, because the madlad won't stop playing)

It's just not the same hockey bud, you really can't compare the two. Anyone's guess are valid to be honest, so is yours, we'll never know.

Same thing I asked before… of Gretaky would be just be considered a “Thornton” … then what does that make Hawerchuck or Trottier?

You know the guys Gretzky out scored by lioe 70-80pts?

Would they be like Craig Smiths or maybe even Anthony Mantha?

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Prime Gretzky would destroy the league today….same with Mario.

 

[shakes the clown]

I think they are both significantly better players yes. I’m not gonna play a hypothetical game of “if gretz had the training and equipment of today” bit.

So you’d rather play the “time machines exist” hypothetical game? Got it, carry on.

 

[Boxertim]

This is always my answer….

If a Time Machine version of 70s Gretzky was to start playing in 05, then he would be as good a Kyle Wellwood was.

If 05 Ovi went back in time and started in 79, he would have scored 150+ goals per season for 30 seasons.

If Gretzky was born 18yrs ago and trained like the #1 overall trains these days, he would be elite beyond elite.

 

[I Hate Blake Coleman]

He’d have the hockey sense to dominate in any era, but he wouldn’t be strong enough to last in today’s NHL.

Perhaps modern day training would bulk him up, but who knows if an extra 20 lbs. of muscle would slow him down.

Even back then he wasn’t a particularly great physical specimen. They used to joke that he consistently finished dead last on the Oilers during strength and fitness tests, but he had so much skill that he overcame this weakness. In today’s NHL I don’t know if he still would. Just like in today’s NHL, Bobby Orr wouldn’t seem quite so fast, and Bobby Hull’s slapshots would get blocked most of the time.

That’s the sad reality of professional sports...the game doesn’t always get better, in fact sometimes it gets worse, but the players continuously get better.

Cole Caufield and Johnny Gaudreau are small guys that exceeded. Smaller than Gretz.

Do you guys think Wayne was just plodding along on the ice or something?

 

[Scorevechkin]

He would be The Great One in any era as his main talent it the game processor that he got.

 

[Drake1588]

If we're asking what would plucking a player out of the past and plopping him into a single game be like, then #99 would really suffer, like everyone else.

Yet if he's benefiting from the same training regimens and nutrition and equipment and sports science and overall technology that today's players do, he'd be elite in terms of his top-tier league peers. He'd be the best and by a large margin. He would win comparable numbers of Harts and Art Ross Trophies.

What is a more interesting question is gauging the impact that advancements in 1) goaltending and 2) NHL depth -- even after expansion -- would have on his career numbers. What would that mean for his scoring output? He played against some bad bottom six/bottom pairing skaters and atrocious goaltending. Both are loads better today. I think those changes in the game would play a meaningful role in limiting his peak scoring output. He would still be a wizard out there, though.

 

[The Shadow]

Gretzky would be annihilated in his office. He would retire after 10 games.

Al MacInnis told me once that Gretzky wasn’t just as good as everyone says. He was far better. And he was ellusive and hard to hit.

I have no doubt Wayne would adapt and play differently in todays game

 

[Voight]

Mcdavids 153 points is not that big of an anomaly now that kuch n mack hit 144 n 140 right after. Gretzky I think kucherov with better goal scoring n vision passing cranked up a level. Lemieux on the other hand would flirt with 180 easily in the 2020- present era

This is some weapons grade copium right here

 

[AD1066]

150-170 points in his peak. Consistently wins the Art Ross while healthy. Perennial 40 goal scorer, with a few seasons of 50-60 and a handful of Richards. Probably wouldn't lead the league in goals as many times as he did, since I'd argue that elite velocity now matters more than it used to, whereas he relied more on deadly accuracy in the same way that McDavid now does.

In terms of style/impact, a better Kucherov seems about right to me. People saying 180+ points are out to lunch IMO, since it would require him to perform better relative to this era (a deeper, more diverse league) than he did against his own era. Even with overall scoring back up, it's still a good ways below the nightly barn-burners of the early-to-mid 80s. That's not to diminish him, but you'd really have to ignore how much a sport can and did change in 40 years.

 

[Laphroaig]

He'd be lucky to be a fourth liner on the Sharks. Can't stand the man and I'm incapable of being objective.

 

[HugginThePost]

In a time where every Tom, Dick, and Harry has a 92mph wrist shot because of stick technology........

..........I think Ol' Wayne might be okay.

I won't bother getting into the fact no one would be looking to "take him out" in this new environment of peace and love.

 

[mjhfb]

Lemieux got 199 points being hooked and held. With the hooking/holding rules today a 100% Lemieux (no cancer or back limitations) would regularly get over 200 points.

 

[Ford Prefect]

Gretzky would be annihilated in his office. He would retire after 10 games.

I was thinking the same thing. There are some advantages he had that he wouldn't today.

1. He had McSorley watching his back, who would knock you the f*** out if you sneezed on him. Elite players today don't have that protection anymore. My guess is that he gets run a few times with clean hits and he tightens up on that stick.

2. Complete lack of defensive systems. It was shinny hockey back then compared to what's played today. As mentioned, he could afford to take his time behind the net. He tried that today he'd be ass-over-teakettle in a heartbeat.

3. The game is so much faster today. Yes, he had tremendous hockey IQ, but it helped that the game was much slower. I wonder how effective he would have been if he had less time to allow plays to develop. The players are in better shape (when he started out, players used to smoke in the locker rooms) and better prepared. Sure, he would have the advantages of better nutrition and better training, etc., but I think that would lead to the mean would catch up to him more than he pull away.

4. Goaltenders have improved exponentially. Be it the development of the butterfly, or the MASSIVE difference in equipment size, it's not as easy to score anymore. Back then you could see the net behind them, with ample space to shoot for. Now they block out the sun. Sure, skaters have had some developments, like modern composite sticks vs. wooden sticks. He had an accurate shot, but nit a string one. I don't think he benefits as much from the change.


He was head and shoulders above his peers (at least until Mario arrived). Where would he be today? Near the top no doubt, but I'm not sure he'd be as elite as he was.