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

[HurricaneFanatic]

Gretzky still scored 10 goals in 15 playoff games in 1997, after Suter affair he had issue to sustain over complete season hyper elite play but he still had streaks of it.




I think he would peak above 50 in todays nhl without much issues.

No doubt. Wayne Gretzky would carve todays NHL up man.

 

[HurricaneFanatic]

I look forward to seeing boomer reactions in the Ovi 895 thread in a couple years.

Well, i am adamant that I don't want it broken as I am a huge Gretzky fan, but if he does, I will salute him.
At some point he WILL slow down, just a matter of when.

 

[The Panther]

Prior to Europeans joining the NHL in high quantity number of elite defensemen in the NHL was low. Add to it quality of goaltending you get higher scoring. Prime Gretzky right now would have been a solid point getter but he would struggle getting anywhere close to 40 goals in his prime.

And there goes your credibility...

 

[ALLCAPSALLTHETIME]

Prior to Europeans joining the NHL in high quantity number of elite defensemen in the NHL was low. Add to it quality of goaltending you get higher scoring. Prime Gretzky right now would have been a solid point getter but he would struggle getting anywhere close to 40 goals in his prime. Prime Mario was a better scorer.

Gretzky is the greatest player of all time. His hockey IQ was head and shoulders above anyone else in NHL history. I have no doubt that he would still score 60+ in today’s game. That is if he chose to focus on goal scoring. I am sure the Great Gretzky would be able to put up 150-160 points in today’s game.

 

[VVP]

Lots of delusional people here. Gretzky was amazing playmaker but he would struggle scoring goals in today's NHL. Just review his goals on YouTube, most likely 70% wouldn't be goals currently. His shot is simply not good enough. He would still be scoring some goals because of his skating but there is no way he would have been scoring 50 goals in this era.

 

[Video Nasty]

Lots of delusional people here.

No, it’s only you.

 

[ALLCAPSALLTHETIME]

Lots of delusional people here. Gretzky was amazing playmaker but he would struggle scoring goals in today's NHL. Just review his goals on YouTube, most likely 70% wouldn't be goals currently. His shot is simply not good enough. He would still be scoring some goals because of his skating but there is no way he would have been scoring 50 goals in this era.

Gretzky’s hockey IQ was off the charts. That’s what set him apart from everybody else. It wasn’t that he was physically more imposing than other players. It was his brain.
He would have adjusted his game accordingly.

 

[VVP]

After Ovechkin is retired there will never be another consistent 50 goal scorers. You will have a 50 goal scored here and there but that is about it. You have no idea what it takes in the current NHL to score 50 goals. There is no way that Gretzky with his shot ever gets to 50 goals. NEVER.

 

[The Panther]

Lots of delusional people here. Gretzky was amazing playmaker but he would struggle scoring goals in today's NHL. Just review his goals on YouTube, most likely 70% wouldn't be goals currently. His shot is simply not good enough. He would still be scoring some goals because of his skating but there is no way he would have been scoring 50 goals in this era.

You may not be aware of this (since, judging by your posts, I guess you are under 18), but players in Gretzky's peak years did not have the super high-tech, light, whippy sticks of today, which enables bottom-pairing defencemen to whip missiles to the top corner of the net. They had hard, heavy, pieces of wood (Gretzky used the heaviest stick in the League, by preference).

So, looking at Gretzky's shot on YouTube and then comparing it to today's players is probably the single dumbest argument I've ever heard for why Gretzky couldn't be super today... and I've heard a lot.

By the way, some of us (and I'm not a "Boomer", by the way -- rather, my parents are) watched Gretzky live and today watch McDavid / Ovechkin, etc., live. So, we don't need YouTube highlights.

 

[Mulletman]

Ovechkin now has 16 seasons in a row with at least 14 goals. Not even Wayne Gretzky was able to do that.

 

[MadLuke]

After Ovechkin is retired there will never be another consistent 50 goal scorers. You will have a 50 goal scored here and there but that is about it. You have no idea what it takes in the current NHL to score 50 goals. There is no way that Gretzky with his shot ever gets to 50 goals. NEVER.

Do you think a born in the 90s with modern stick Gretzky shot look like his shot from a different time ?

Gretzky would still have one if not the most precise slap shot in the league or a much better wrist shot in 2021.

 

[HurricaneFanatic]

Lots of delusional people here. Gretzky was amazing playmaker but he would struggle scoring goals in today's NHL. Just review his goals on YouTube, most likely 70% wouldn't be goals currently. His shot is simply not good enough. He would still be scoring some goals because of his skating but there is no way he would have been scoring 50 goals in this era.

umm lol.. Gretzky would destroy todays NHL. Get real.

 

[VVP]

umm lol.. Gretzky would destroy todays NHL. Get real.

He could probably be close in total points to McDavid but there is no way he would have been a better scorer than McDavid, forget about Ovechkin.

 

[kicksavedave]

He could probably be close in total points to McDavid but there is no way he would have been a better scorer than McDavid, forget about Ovechkin.

You're just completely wrong, uninformed and disrespectful.

 

[MadLuke]

He could probably be close in total points to McDavid but there is no way he would have been a better scorer than McDavid, forget about Ovechkin.

I think he would be a not large but clear step below Ovechkin (or Lemieux) at is peak in is goal scoring prime with today goaltender and system and he would have a more normal amount of time goalscoring prime instead of a ridiculous amount like Ovechkin. But he would have probably find a way to have 4-5 season in which he would have been among the best in the league goal scoring virtually any era, he was such a gifted athlete (he was gifted at lacrosse, hockey, baseball, even running...). A bit like Crosby has 2 rocket despite not being an obvious all time goalscoring talent, Gretzky would be a clear step above him (Gretzky having one of the best slapshot if not the best of all time, making him a legit all time great goalscorer without even taking is hockey IQ and control of the ice into account).

 

[HurricaneFanatic]

He could probably be close in total points to McDavid but there is no way he would have been a better scorer than McDavid, forget about Ovechkin.

We will just agree to disagree there. Give a prime Gretzky the same training, equipment, and rules as todays players? Cmon haha

 

[VVP]

You're just completely wrong, uninformed and disrespectful.

Why am I disrespectful? Gretzky is an amazing, one of the best players ever and just as great individual? I am just stating the obvious on how the game and scoring has changed. It used to be more based on creating scoring chances and beating inferior D, now it is a much more difficult task. Beating goalie alone is so much harder.

 

[VVP]

When Gretzky scored 92 goals most of the goalies he played against had about 0.870 save rate. Every 7.5th shot was a goal. Add to this that half of defensemen of that NHL skated slower than current elite bantam players you get the point. Completely different era and by today's standard Gretzky could not have possibly been an elite scorer.

 

[MadLuke]

Why am I disrespectful? Gretzky is an amazing, one of the best players ever and just as great individual? I am just stating the obvious on how the game and scoring has changed. It used to be more based on creating scoring chances and beating inferior D, now it is a much more difficult task. Beating goalie alone is so much harder.

So you think one of the best player ever in is peak would struggle to get close to a 40 goal season in this current high scoring environment ? the game and scoring changed a lot during Jagr, Sakic, Selanne or Pavel Bure career (not mentioning Lemieux), they were scoring as much in the 2000s than they did in the early 90s and Gretzky was better than all of them. Bure & Sakic did not score less in early 2000 in the deepest of the DPE than they did in the early 90s even if everyone would have predicted that to be the case, it is not an automatic.

 

[VVP]

So you think one of the best player ever in is peak would struggle to get close to a 40 goal season in this current high scoring environment ? the game and scoring changed a lot during Jagr, Sakic, Selanne or Pavel Bure career, they were scoring as much in the 2000s than they did in the early 90s and Gretzky was better than all of them.

Yes I do. How many years did McDavid not struggle to get to 40? Why would you think that Gretzky would have done better?

 

[illpucks]

Lots of delusional people here. Gretzky was amazing playmaker but he would struggle scoring goals in today's NHL. Just review his goals on YouTube, most likely 70% wouldn't be goals currently. His shot is simply not good enough. He would still be scoring some goals because of his skating but there is no way he would have been scoring 50 goals in this era.

best slapshot in NHL history

 

[MadLuke]

Yes I do. How many years did McDavid not struggle to get to 40?

Not sure I get the question McDavid score 41 goals is third and 4th season and had a 43 goal by 82 games last year and is current pace is around 50. McDavid outside is first 2 season always scored above a 40 goal a season pace, maybe the answer is 2 ? The negatives is getting me mixed up.

I think Gretzky peak would have been a bit better than that has I think McDavid peak will be a bit better than that and will be for both at least Crosby like of a 50+ goal season or at least would be if they stay healthy 80 games during a good year for them. Both of them should be a bit above Crosby goal scoring wise in their peak season, say 55 or so. Considering how much he would dominate 3v3 and him superior to both of those I guess he could do 60 in a season the puck goes well for him.

 

[ALLCAPSALLTHETIME]

Goatsky.

 

[VVP]

best slapshot in NHL history

Probably most of these goals are not goals in today's NHL. But nice try

 

[illpucks]

Probably most of these goals are not goals in today's NHL. But nice try

I think Gretzky in today's NHL would be like this goal X 1000 times