What probability do you feel Ovechkin has to catch Gretzky now?

[Big Phil]

Also, Gretzky's days of scoring large goal totals were long gone by his lockout years. He didn't lose 1.5 seasons of goal scoring prime to lockouts and 2 shortened seasons when he was still putting up 50 per season. It matters, but not remotely as much.

To be fair, Wayne didn't hit 40 goals after the Suter hit.

The most likely reason Gretzky didn't hit 1000 goals is partly because of that but also his own choice. He was always a playmaker but even by 1986 he focused more of his energy on passing. If he wanted to just keep leading the NHL in goals I have little doubt he still could have.

 

[The Panther]

Regardless of whether Ovechkin catches Gretzkys absolute goal number or not, he is already the greatest goal scorer of all time.

The thread is about Ovechkin catching Gretzky's absolute goal number.

 

[RorschachWJK]

The thread is about Ovechkin catching Gretzky's absolute goal number.

It is. However, I was responding to holymakinaw's post above. Failed to use the quoting feature.

 

[Mick Riddleton]

Depends on his health and if he stays away from injuries that bring down players over 35.

 

[Northerner]

Catching goal scoring records from 40 years ago isn't realistic to start with.

How so?


Do you think it was harder to amass high goal seasons back in Gretzky's era, or today?

 

[Confused Turnip]

How so?


Do you think it was harder to amass high goal seasons back in Gretzky's era, or today?

It's much harder today and how is this even still a conversation? When's the last time you saw a random 70 goal season? Or 10 people finishing the season with 50?

 

[Slapshot Sultan]

LOL! Only??

He is 35 years old so he will need to score at a 50+ per year clip to age 39 to over take Gretzky.

Is this possible? Maybe.

Is it likely? No.

Yes, if he's going to catch him within the next three seasons, it will take 50+ per season. I don't think anyone has made that claim?

If he plays 5 or 6 years after this one (around 41 yo), you know it will be pretty damn close if he don't make it. With 6 years, the odds are that he makes it.

 

[Slapshot Sultan]

There is no doubt that Gretzky would have hit 1,000 goals and 3,000 points if he would have stayed healthy, yeah.

If you play almost 1500 games, I dont think you can use the injuries as an argument. Mario can use that excuse.. Gretzky was pretty healthy all his career, of course not ovechkin healthy, but no one is..

 

[DCRedhawk21]

After how the past 18 months have gone, I think he ends up at #2 in the low to mid 800s. I don't think he wants to play forever to chase the record.

 

[shtorm2005]

Depends on his health and if he stays away from injuries that bring down players over 35.

If he avoids fighting lunatic youngs who don't even know the word respect.

 

[Mick Riddleton]

If he avoids fighting lunatic youngs who don't even know the word respect.

So like a young Wilson

 

[Confucius]

He'll be lucky to pass Jagr as the best European goal scorer to ever play in the NHL

 

[RuthlessLieutenant]

He'll be lucky to pass Jagr as the best European goal scorer to ever play in the NHL

you dont think he has 50 left in his career?

 

[Confucius]

you dont think he has 50 left in his career?

He may have if he plays, certainly not impossible. Lucky to walk away with 3rd overall and top European. Another 83 to catch Howe, he would be extremely lucky. But again not impossible.

 

[ALLCAPSALLTHETIME]

I remember when Ovie was at 450 goals and halfway to Gretzky, there were posters on here telling me that he'd be lucky to reach 600 goals. Lol.

 

[Northerner]

It's much harder today and how is this even still a conversation? When's the last time you saw a random 70 goal season? Or 10 people finishing the season with 50?

Gretzky. and every true sniper back in the day would get hacked to death when they played.


So I don't know if it's harder to score today. Maybe the players of today aren't as good as the greats of yesterday?


Granted the goalies and their equipment are bigger today, the game was much more brutal ack in the day.

 

[ALLCAPSALLTHETIME]

Gretzky didn't get hacked too much. Ol' Cementhead made sure of that.

Ovie gets hacked at a lot. They have tried to cut down on slashing and stick work but it is still an issue in the NHL.

 

[Confused Turnip]

Gretzky. and every true sniper back in the day would get hacked to death when they played.


So I don't know if it's harder to score today. Maybe the players of today aren't as good as the greats of yesterday?


Granted the goalies and their equipment are bigger today, the game was much more brutal ack in the day.

So just to be clear, your argument is essentially that Luc Robitaille would pot 63 in any era? And perhaps more because it was so much harder in his day?

 

[Northerner]

So just to be clear, your argument is essentially that Luc Robitaille would pot 63 in any era? And perhaps more because it was so much harder in his day?

I don't know. Biggest difference I see today are the NBA Center-sized goalies in every team, so maybe not. But the players back in the day were hacked WAY more than today's players

 

[filinski77]

Gretzky. and every true sniper back in the day would get hacked to death when they played.


So I don't know if it's harder to score today. Maybe the players of today aren't as good as the greats of yesterday?


Granted the goalies and their equipment are bigger today, the game was much more brutal ack in the day.

What a terrible take lol. Scoring overall was way higher in the 80's.

For example, Ovechkin won 5 rockets where he scored between 49 and 53 goals (full seasons) between 2013/2014 and 2018/2019. He had 5 of the 6 highest goal scoring seasons in that spa, and 80% of the 5x 50-goal seasons in that span (6 years)

80/81: 8x 50-goal scorers - including Maruk, Babych, Kehoe, Simmer
81/82: 10x 50-goal scorers - including Messier, Middleton, Stoughton, Vaive
82/83: 7x 50-goal scorers - was Lanny McDonald's 66 goal season really better than Ovi's peak?

This could go on forever. There are nobody's that scored 50 goals back then.

You can do the exact same argument with points and compare Crosby and McDavid etc (who have never scored more than 120 points in a season. Just to quickly skim through the 80's, did the following players have better seasons than Crosby or McDavid ever had (simply because they had more points?: Nicholls, Maruk, Kurri, Coffey, Yzerman, Stastny, Hull, Savard, Hawerchuk, Trottier, Messier, Goulet.

Half of Ovechkins career (10/11 to 16/17) was played in a time where there were only 5x 100-point seasons (SEVEN YEARS). Here's how many 100-point seasons there were per year in the 80's: 12, 13, 11, 12, 16, 13, 7, 12, 9, 13. You'd have to be dense to actually believe that there were 15x as many 100-point seasons in the 80's than from 10/11 to 16/17 simply because there were more great players.

 

[Confused Turnip]

Granted the goalies and their equipment are bigger today, the game was much more brutal ack in the day.

This isn't true anymore btw, goalie equipment is fairly comparable to '70s now with all the revisions.

 

[Northerner]

What a terrible take lol. Scoring overall was way higher in the 80's.

For example, Ovechkin won 5 rockets where he scored between 49 and 53 goals (full seasons) between 2013/2014 and 2018/2019. He had 5 of the 6 highest goal scoring seasons in that spa, and 80% of the 5x 50-goal seasons in that span (6 years)

80/81: 8x 50-goal scorers - including Maruk, Babych, Kehoe, Simmer
81/82: 10x 50-goal scorers - including Messier, Middleton, Stoughton, Vaive
82/83: 7x 50-goal scorers - was Lanny McDonald's 66 goal season really better than Ovi's peak?

This could go on forever. There are nobody's that scored 50 goals back then.

You can do the exact same argument with points and compare Crosby and McDavid etc (who have never scored more than 120 points in a season. Just to quickly skim through the 80's, did the following players have better seasons than Crosby or McDavid ever had (simply because they had more points?: Nicholls, Maruk, Kurri, Coffey, Yzerman, Stastny, Hull, Savard, Hawerchuk, Trottier, Messier, Goulet.

Half of Ovechkins career (10/11 to 16/17) was played in a time where there were only 5x 100-point seasons (SEVEN YEARS). Here's how many 100-point seasons there were per year in the 80's: 12, 13, 11, 12, 16, 13, 7, 12, 9, 13. You'd have to be dense to actually believe that there were 15x as many 100-point seasons in the 80's than from 10/11 to 16/17 simply because there were more great players.

So if the Gretzky of. 92 goal season played a season today, what do you think he would put in the net?

 

[Chimpradamus]

How so?


Do you think it was harder to amass high goal seasons back in Gretzky's era, or today?

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

Ovi with two tonight.

 

[kicksavedave]

Ovi with two tonight.

Both from about 4 feet. Dirty greasy goals. Where is that thread where he was standing still in his office? It aged so well (less than 12 hours.)