Mario Lemieux vs Today's NHL

[Bank Shot]

With a 70mph muffin of a shot?
Doubtful.

MacInnis trained his entire life with a wooden stick to get his shot that lethal.

All those guys from Macinnis's era switched from wood sticks to aluminums and composites over the years and their goal scoring didn't spike.

Guys that are good shooters are good shooters.

 

[TheGoldenJet]

Lemieux scored 91 points in 67 games on an absolutely trash Penguins team in 2002-2003.

Team might have been trash but Lemieux did have an elite winger in prime Alexei Kovalev for most of that season.

 

[PenguinSpeed]

All those guys from Macinnis's era switched from wood sticks to aluminums and composites over the years and their goal scoring didn't spike.

Guys that are good shooters are good shooters.

-You ever see what Bobby Orr skated with? You are telling me skates and sticks dont make a difference? Watch the video, and NHL player is telling you over a person that posts on a message board.

 

[tarheelhockey]

40 game samples are also statistically irregular.

The season after his 76 points in 43 games he only had 31 in 24.

Guys that paint Mario as an atomic superman cherry pick what they like and discard what they don't.

As long as we’re acknowledging that Mario was 36 years old that season, playing with a hip injury that involved October surgery, that this was the second-lowest scoring season in the modern history of the game, that the Art Ross winner that year was scoring over .1 point per game less than Mario, and his PPG that season was higher than Patrick Kane’s when he won the Hart in a much higher scoring environment.

But sure. That was peak Mario and he wasn’t so great. Overrated.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

As long as we’re acknowledging that Mario was 36 years old that season, playing with a hip injury that involved October surgery, that this was the second-lowest scoring season in the modern history of the game, that the Art Ross winner that year was scoring over .1 point per game less than Mario, and his PPG that season was higher than Patrick Kane’s when he won the Hart in a much higher scoring environment.

But sure. That was peak Mario and he wasn’t so great. Overrated.

/owned

 

[Bank Shot]

-You ever see what Bobby Orr skated with? You are telling me skates and sticks dont make a difference? Watch the video, and NHL player is telling you over a person that posts on a message board.

Its a guy trying out different equipment for half an hour.

Like the best NHL players can't adapt.

The only guys worse than the "80's players would be AHLers crowd", are the "Every modern player is worse than the players I watched in my glory days" crowd.

 

[PenguinSpeed]

Its a guy trying out different equipment for half an hour.

Like the best NHL players can't adapt.

The only guys worse than the "80's players would be AHLers crowd", are the "Every modern player is worse than the players I watched in my glory days" crowd.

-Wayne Gretsky tells you in this video. The great one, and Oiler, Flat out tells you.

 

[Bank Shot]

As long as we’re acknowledging that Mario was 36 years old that season, playing with a hip injury that involved October surgery, that this was the second-lowest scoring season in the modern history of the game, that the Art Ross winner that year was scoring over .1 point per game less than Mario, and his PPG that season was higher than Patrick Kane’s when he won the Hart in a much higher scoring environment.

But sure. That was peak Mario and he wasn’t so great. Overrated.

No one said Mario isn't great. That doesn't mean he scores 160 points in today's game.

No one would.

 

[Bank Shot]

-Wayne Gretsky tells you in this video. The great one, and Oiler, Flat out tells you.

He says the equipment is different. Everyone knows that already.

 

[PenguinSpeed]

No one said Mario isn't great. That doesn't mean he scores 160 points in today's game.

No one would.

-Jaromir Jagr at 34 years old put up 123 points in 2006. That's an Old Jagr, not a prime Mario Lemieux, Gretzky, or Bobby Orr.

-Just because Mcdavid and Ovechkin cant dominate their peers like Mario or Wayne it is what it is. Heck, Mcdavid cant even dominate like Old Jagr in 2006, a far less scoring era then todays game.

 

[Bank Shot]

-Jaromir Jagr at 34 years old put up 123 points in 2006. That's an Old Jagr, not a prime Mario Lemieux, Gretzky, or Bobby Orr.

-Just because Mcdavid and Ovechkin cant dominate their peers like Mario or Wayne it is what it is. Heck, Mcdavid cant even dominate like Old Jagr in 2006, a far less scoring era then todays game.

Yeah but you are projecting that Mario would dominate his peers in 2018 at a way higher rate than he actually did during his prime.



Mario scored 1.28 times more points than 3rd in the league in scoring when he had his 199 point season.

Scoring 160 points in 2018 would be 1.6 times better than 3rd in the league in scoring.

1.28 times better would be 128 points.

Still the best, but way more realistic. This 150+ points is just frankly pulled out of someone's butt.

 

[tarheelhockey]

-Just because Mcdavid and Ovechkin cant dominate their peers like Mario or Wayne it is what it is.

This cuts to the heart of it. There’s no law passed down from on high that says the best player ever has to be playing right this minute. There are a whole lot more retired players than active ones.

 

[PenguinSpeed]

Yeah but you are projecting that Mario would dominate his peers in 2018 at a way higher rate than he actually did during his prime.



Mario scored 1.28 times more points than 3rd in the league in scoring when he had his 199 point season.

Scoring 160 points in 2018 would be 1.6 times better than 3rd in the league in scoring.

1.28 times better would be 128 points.

Still the best, but way more realistic. This 150+ points is just frankly pulled out of someone's butt.

Mario Lemieux averaged 2.06 points per game for the 1990's, not 1 season, the 1990's.

The 2nd best player is 1.37, Wayne Gretzky.

-In the 1990's, Mario Lemieux thoroughly annihilated everyone in points per game. Lets see Mcdavid do it. Or Ovechkin. Simply put, they cant and never will.


1990s NHL Stats

 

[Bank Shot]

Mario Lemieux averaged 2.06 points per game for the 1990's, not 1 season, the 1990's.

The 2nd best player is 1.37, Wayne Gretzky.

-In the 1990's, Mario Lemieux thoroughly annihilated everyone in points per game. Lets see Mcdavid do it. Or Ovechkin. Simply put, they cant and never will.


1990s NHL Stats

Ovechkin has done it with goals.

And Mario missed the last 3 years of the 90s that would have drug down his PPG.

And you didn't address how he didn't dominate his peers in his best season like fans are projecting he would do now with 150+ points in 2018.

150+ points for Mario in 2018 would be better than anything he ever did in his career.

Maybe he would have played goal and coached too in 2018. I dunno.

 

[PenguinSpeed]

Ovechkin has done it with goals.

And Mario missed the last 3 years of the 90s that would have drug down his PPG.

And you didn't address how he didn't dominate his peers in his best season like fans are projecting he would do now with 150+ points in 2018.

150+ points for Mario in 2018 would be better than anything he ever did in his career.

Maybe he would have played goal and coached too in 2018. I dunno.

-LOL. The year Mario had cancer and put up 160 points, he was averaging 2.8 points per game and played 60 games. He was smashing everyone with cancer. You never watched Lemieux, Im done talking with you. Ignore.

 

[Tweed]

Just puttin' this here for all the youngin's that missed out on the most naturally-gifted hockey player to ever touch ice.



Class dismissed.

 

[Lawd Stanley]

-LOL. The year Mario had cancer and put up 160 points, he was averaging 2.8 points per game and played 60 games. He was smashing everyone with cancer. You never watched Lemieux, Im done talking with you. Ignore.

Better ignore everyone who doesn’t agree Lemiuex would dominate in the current NHL the way Ovechkin does. Lemiuex in his prime would be a star player now but in a time machine coming to the present he would be but a shadow of what he was in the NHL of that era.

 

[Swedish Gretzky]

Ovechkin has done it with goals.

And Mario missed the last 3 years of the 90s that would have drug down his PPG.

And you didn't address how he didn't dominate his peers in his best season like fans are projecting he would do now with 150+ points in 2018.

150+ points for Mario in 2018 would be better than anything he ever did in his career.

Maybe he would have played goal and coached too in 2018. I dunno.

Buddy whats wrong with you man? How old are you? Mario would dominate in todays NHL. thats like saying Jordan wouldnt be the best baller in todays nba or muhammed ali wouldnt be the best boxer in 2018. Mario would light up the league 150pts+ per season. Mcdavid got nothing on mario

 

[Bank Shot]

-LOL. The year Mario had cancer and put up 160 points, he was averaging 2.8 points per game and played 60 games. He was smashing everyone with cancer. You never watched Lemieux, Im done talking with you. Ignore.

Pat Lafontaine also scored 148 points in that season.

So it stands to reason that guys like McDavid and prime Ovechkin and Crosby would have done better than that.

[MOD]

 

[Bank Shot]

Buddy whats wrong with you man? How old are you? Mario would dominate in todays NHL. thats like saying Jordan wouldnt be the best baller in todays nba or muhammed ali wouldnt be the best boxer in 2018. Mario would light up the league 150pts+ per season. Mcdavid got nothing on mario

Because Mario didn't beat his peers in the 80s and 90s by that kind of margin so he surely wouldn't beat modern players by that kind of margin.

Pretty simple really.

 

[PenguinSpeed]

Pat Lafontaine also scored 148 points in that season.

So it stands to reason that guys like McDavid and prime Ovechkin and Crosby would have done better than that.

[MOD]

-Because you ignore key points. Mario Lemieux only played 60 games that year. 60. Pat Lafontaine played 84. Lafontaine played 24 MORE games then Lemieux, and Lemieux still beat him by 12 points.

-Lemieux beat every player in the entire league by over 1 point per game. And this was indeed Lemieux's best season.

 

[Lawd Stanley]

Buddy whats wrong with you man? How old are you? Mario would dominate in todays NHL. thats like saying Jordan wouldnt be the best baller in todays nba or muhammed ali wouldnt be the best boxer in 2018. Mario would light up the league 150pts+ per season. Mcdavid got nothing on mario

You must not understand that goalies and “average” players back then are much much better today and stronger, faster and more skilled as the sport has evolved. Even the goalies have coaches now. Mario would be great in his prime even today but he wouldn’t be as good as he was facing today’s competition. This would be like me saying Ovechkin would do just as well in the year 2040. He wouldn’t. Everything evolves.

 

[Knave]

Just puttin' this here for all the youngin's that missed out on the most naturally-gifted hockey player to ever touch ice.



Class dismissed.

It's more that this proves how garbage hockey was for such a long time thanks to a massive quadrupling expansion over a few decades (not adding 1 team in nearly 2 decades of play like today). Look at that time and space. Look at how free he was to do things. Look at how slow everyone is skating. Look at how small those goaltenders are and how technically unsound they are.

Honestly I love when videos like this get posted. Compare that to Crosby or Ovechkin or Malkin. Look at what they have to deal with on a nightly basis and they can still pull off a highlight reel 10x better than that.

Like I said - he would break 70 points a few times in his prime and that would be it.

 

[Ugene Magic]

Mario did the things he did because of a natural skill level we've seen from nobody to go along with his vision. He could skate, and very well for his size. He would be a full tier above the supposed generational players of today.

What people are forgetting about is his vision/hockey IQ, and what that meant for the PP. Mario would still slice up even the stingiest defenses when PKing. Don't forget about presence. They have it dripping off of them/him. Players will not want to be made fools of and back off just as they did then. I think he has his predictions right at around 150/150+. A healthy Mario in great shape would be an animal never seen before. Now add in he can do it with not just a wooden stick, but a straight wooden stick. He didn't have to rely on curved whippy sticks, slappers/one timers like some.

He has every option open to him than the majority of players today. Most have their one strong suite they fall back on time and time again, over and over, whereas, Mario, could beat you from everywhere at any moment's notice. Mario's attributes still out stretch today's NHL. He would flourish in today's NHL. Mario picking corners from far and in tight, behind the goalline with that straight stick isn't even remotely doable by another regularly before, during and since his tenure.

A perfect healthy specimen of Mario probably still cracks a couple 160+ seasons just from his PP acumen.

I think people are underselling his pedigree, vision. Severely.

 

[Swedish Gretzky]

Because Mario didn't beat his peers in the 80s and 90s by that kind of margin so he surely wouldn't beat modern players by that kind of margin.

Pretty simple really.

Yeah it is simple. Mario would destroy this league. He was dominating even in the 2000s at an old age with a lame back, status post chemotherapy. This is an argument you will not win.