Screw that. I like the game as it is now. Goalies that make it very hard to score against make the guys that have to score better. The level of skill is off the charts with the players we have now. I have no doubt in my mind that if you time swapped Gretzky and McDavid, the former would be at best a 2nd line center in todays game and the latter would have eclipsed the former's point total in half the career games. A lot of other current players would have performed better than Gretzky as well. The goalies back before the butterfly technique took over were largely a gong show.
GDT: We’re not in Carolina anymore FLA@CAR
- Thread starter CanesFanBudMan
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Screw that. I like the game as it is now. Goalies that make it very hard to score against make the guys that have to score better. The level of skill is off the charts with the players we have now. I have no doubt in my mind that if you time swapped Gretzky and McDavid, the former would be at best a 2nd line center in todays game and the latter would have eclipsed the former's point total in half the career games. A lot of other current players would have performed better than Gretzky as well. The goalies back before the butterfly technique took over were largely a gong show.
Daeavorn
livin' that no caps life
I agree, right now I think we have a great balance between scoring and defense. I would rather not go the NFL route and hamstring defense just to get scoring up.
Based on how many dreadful goaltending performances weve seen, I hesitate to agree that its in a bad spot.
Good goalies tend to be good, bad goalies are bad. Isn't that how it's supposed to be?
- Jun 14, 2016
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MCD would probably still be a top player in the 80s but I don’t see why you think 99 would not be if he came into the league now.
Agree on net size though
The S5
Registered User
- Jul 27, 2017
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There are a lot of factors making todays players better, but you can only rate players on how they fared against the best players of their time. With that in mind Gretzky is still the greatest player of all time. I don't know if you were around when he was playing, but the impact he had on the game was greater than anything we have seen since. Nothing even comes close.
Anton Dubinchuk
aho
I don't think he's arguing that. I think he's arguing that since players are better today, it only makes sense for goalies to be as well.
Derailed75
Registered User
I actually agree with both of you. You can not compare players that are generations apart and I also think a player from today playing a few generations ago would be a much better player. The biggest thing, and this is across all sports is science. The tailor made workouts for their positions, the again tailor made diets. Athletes are at the absolute top of what a human body can become due to these things and although they were around some in Gretzky's day they were not what they are today. The shear size and speed players can achieve would blow them off the ice, and thats not even counting the better equipment factor.
- Jan 17, 2018
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If you time swapped McDavid into 2060 he wouldn't be in the top 50 speed-wise. It has always been thus. Carl Lewis would have dominated Jesse Owens, yet would likely never beat Bolt.
It isn't about more-skilled but better conditioning, better equipment, simple progress.
This gets into some philosophical issues of the debate like 42jerks brings up above:
Does Gretzky get to grow up in the 21st century with modern nutrition and training for a teenager so he's not the same 160 lb beanpole he was when he was drafted? That makes a big difference in his ability to play in the modern NHL.
Does McDavid get the same benefit of growing up in the 2000s? Or does he have to grow up with 1970s training and junior competition before starting to play in a divided NHL/WHL era? If McDavid is growing up in the 70s, does he still have 30 pounds of mostly muscle on Gretzky at 18?
There's more to it than simply looking at McDavid and thinking he would dominate back then.
The S5
Registered User
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Very true. Keep in mind guys in the 70's and 80's were lighting darts between periods. They also had beer wheeled into the locker room after the game. It was a very different time.
Anton Dubinchuk
aho
In the context of a different discussion or debate, sure. But as far as taking Connor McDavid as is, and dropping him into an NHL game in the 1980s, I don't think it's a question he would dominate. No one was trying to start any "who should really be considered the greatest player" debates here, it was only brought up as a point regarding whether goalies are "too good".
Goalies are as good as they need to be. For me, I don't hate the notion of bringing the pads in an inch or two here or there. Seems too easy nowadays to not let puck through you. Goalies fight back on it being a "safety" issue every time you want to bring the pads in, but you can at least bring them in where they aren't actually blocking body parts (leg pads, for example, don't need to overlap each side of the leg by 3 inches).
When the difference between good goaltending and bad goaltending is a matter of 1-2 percentage points, it's little tweaks like that that will actually make a difference. Do too much and you change the sport.
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Derailed75
Registered User
Yup and Babe Ruths training regimen was beer, cigars, and hot dogs
Navin R Slavin
Fifth line center
I did like the article, you goddamned grouch. I just thought it might be relevant to point out that Ken f***ing Dryden wrote it.
Negan4Coach
Fantastic and Stochastic
AAAAAAAAAAA
LOL, yeah, no I don’t know who that guy is, I thought it was an enlightening article. Just thought found it noteworthy it was published where it was.
Anton Dubinchuk
aho
Decent 1970s comparable for Andrei Svechnikov.
AD Skinner
Registered User
AD Skinner
Registered User
Navin R Slavin
Fifth line center
He was also a liberal member of Canadian Parliament, so maybe the Atlantic has a liberal Rolodex, lol
But yeah, you should look that dude up. Seriously impressive all around.
Rick Davis
Registered User
- Dec 31, 2020
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You forgot pootie tang....also a big part of the Babe’s regimen. BTW the Babe was a huge Caniac...
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Stickpucker
Playmaka
- Jan 18, 2014
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Navin R Slavin
Fifth line center
He needs to light up a blunt and channel his inner snoop dog.
YES.
I mean, no, not in this state. But when we start having road trips to cannabis legal states again, yesssss.
Rick Davis
Registered User
- Dec 31, 2020
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I think the most disappointing thing about yesterday’s loss (aside from squandering a 2 nil lead) is the fact that the team pretty much sleepwalked through the final 2/3 of the game. I think part of the coaching staff’s responsibilities is to hammer in the notion that when you are playing in front of your third string goalie you <must> put in a full 60 minute effort, especially when you are playing a very talented and well coached team like the Panthers.
Hopefully our also very talented group will use yesterday as a teaching moment going forward...
Hopefully our also very talented group will use yesterday as a teaching moment going forward...
Stickpucker
Playmaka
- Jan 18, 2014
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I like that he follows up on a man even a couple seconds after the puck is gone and finish them. Saw him blow up some poor Dman trying to transition last night and it was glorious. Other teams have been doing that to us for years and it's never called so minas well take the hit.
*As long as you do it right and take the other player out of the play leaving a 4v4.
Stickpucker
Playmaka
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The Faulker 27
Registered User
Tiger Woods is better than all of them. He would light up today's NHL.
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