I take Gordie personally. Both were dominant offensive players for long periods of time, but Gordie brought a physical edge that few skill players have ever brought that puts him ahead of Lemieux in my eyes.
Right. Never mind that Mario's career was stopped by CANCER. Longevity is entirely a matter of skill.Howe's longevity edge plays a huge factor against Mario. Howe with the edge.
Actually, it was a cheapshot before then that started the process. But.Right. Never mind that Mario's career was stopped by CANCER. Longevity is entirely a matter of skill.
But when you have a player who is comparable to Gretzky and Lemieux offensively, and capable of dominating a game in other ways, I'll take the all-round force.
Personally, I think Gretzky was on another level offensively than Howe or Lemieux, but I can definitely see the rationale for taking Howe over him.
Honestly, I really think you could rank any of the top 4 in any order and have some valid justification for it.
To me, Lemieux is a clear #4. The top 3 though...
To me, Lemieux is a clear #4. The top 3 though...
Mario was the best player ever to play the game. Others had better careers thanks to better teams and health.
I'm not biased either.
'93 may be the greatest season ever in pro sports. But, you can't judge a player by what they could have done. It's about what they did. And Lemieux's accomplishments are a step back.I don't think it's as clear as some make it out to be. Neither Gretzky nor Howe had to go through half the health problems Mario had, yet he finished his career with a ppg of like 1.9 despite that. What he did in 93 after returning from cancer ranks way up there in terms of all time greatest achievements.
Howe nearly died from head injury in 1950 and suffered permanenent neurological damage - hence the nickname Blinky.I don't think it's as clear as some make it out to be. Neither Gretzky nor Howe had to go through half the health problems Mario had, yet he finished his career with a ppg of like 1.9 despite that. What he did in 93 after returning from cancer ranks way up there in terms of all time greatest achievements.
In the playoffs, in the first game of an acrimonious series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the club that had dispatched the Red Wings in the teams' previous 11 playoff games, Howe was involved in an on-ice accident that almost ended his career and his life. The Leafs' Ted "Teeder" Kennedy was moving with the puck toward the Detroit goal, skating down the left wing about six feet from the boards. He had just passed the center line when Howe attempted to bodycheck him. Kennedy stopped abruptly and Howe went crashing into the boards head first. He lay unconscious on the ice, blood covering his face, until emergency staff removed him on a stretcher.
For the next few hours, many thought the worst. His mother was called in case his condition worsened and an operation was performed to relieve the pressure on his brain. Howe had fractured his skull and was out for the rest of the playoffs, but he did make a remarkable recovery. The Wings, stirred by Howe's injury, defeated the Leafs in overtime of the seventh game, ending Toronto's three-year reign as Stanley Cup champions. When Detroit won the Cup with a victory over the New York Rangers, again in overtime of the seventh game, Howe was cheered when he gingerly walked onto the Olympia ice to touch the trophy.