Gretzky, Howe, Jagr, and Hull are top four in goals.
While taking way less shots. Has anyone other than OV taken over 5500 shots? Mario with 3500 and over 200 less games played...more goals(only guy near top in points who played less than 1000 games played period. Next is Stastny then Crosby...1.292 ppg.
Hull shot alot...thought for sure hed be close...but he even fell short of 5000 shots.
OV great goal scorer...but constantly remember fans of caps(analysts, etc) talking about him costing them their playoff lossses with his one and done shots...leading to odd man rushes the other way. He finally gets his one cup and now some want to put him on same level as Sid who won 3 and put up better numbers? With grinders as wingers most of his career, not Backstrom feeding him perfect passes. While also playing way less games...and having to come back from serious concussions. When everyone thought he was done. Not trying to downplay OV, but bringing this up to put things in perspective. They were Diff players...but one was a huge reason the Pens won 3(not to mention beating the 2009 Wings who were unstoppable at the time...as a 20 year old...he didn't have a stacked team...was him and Malkin. Wings had to put their top 3 players on Sid. But that aside..I dont see any other young teams like that beating a dominant team like the Wings.
Goes thru the BS injuries that ruined his peak but still came back and scored over 100 a year. Went 4 years scoring under 100..."he was done"...ends up winning 2 more cups(and Conn Smythes) along with 100 points last year.
And in this era...hes averaging 1.292 ppg
That's a great accomplishment in itself.
Btw , when I talk about OV shooting that much....I wish Sid wouldn't have been(and still is) the type that wants to be that perfect team player and passed up as many shots as he did. Hed have at least 100 more goals based on passing up a quality chance to score only to pass it over to a winger with no hands. The only thing thats ever annoyed me about him. So id love if Sid had more OV in him. Honestly think they could have both met more in the middle when it comes to that. OV a better passer than given credit for and Sid could have scored way more each year if he chose to be more "selfish". And yeah while OV did shoot too much during Caps cup runs....2018 id say he had to do that for them to win. They just messed up back when they were the top team throughout 2010-16 not going with a diff strategy. All teams did was focus on him cuz Caps didnt have many other threats to score. Backstrom could have provided more of that. But anyway, 2018 they finally got some depth scoring and OV was allowed to do his thing...couldnt be stopped even tho they knew it was coming.
Anyway look at the games played by Lemieux(915 yet the amount of pts he scored. Crazy how close he would have been to Gretzky. Not just the amount of games...but also playing injured, sick, etc....took a toll. Still averaged 1.883 ppg. Before he came back at an older age to get the Crosby era started....Mario was the only one ever to avg over 2 ppg. Higher than Wayne).
Yeah...."that doesnt matter...have to actually put up the numbers...." Is the usual excuse....which is why we always have these arguments. I bring stufff like that up cuz i wanted to see what would have happened..."IF". Same as I do with Barry Sanders and the all time rushing record. Ken Griffey Jr and his HR total if he didnt keep getting hurt.
Doesnt mean the other guys who did stay healthy dont deserve credit. Since as a Pens fan I know how hard that is to stay healthy...let alone putting up great numbers as well. Pens fans have been spoiled with having Stars...but bad luck with injuries. While others have full seasons throughout their career. Its Hockeys way of evening things out a bit...I guess.
NHL All-Time Points Leaders
Mario's totals are crazy. And as a Sid fan....Huge rival of McDavid but I still want to see him play a fully healthy career to see what he could end up with. Already a shame we didnt get to see Mario and Sid with more(tho the non pens fans Im sure couldnt care less.....the 5 cup wins do help those 2 not reaching their max total due to injuries). For me its not about arguing who is better....i just want to see Something done that stands out above the rest. And Mario would have been the only one to challenge Gretzky. Sid "could" have had 130-140 pts the year he got hurt. 40 games played with 32g 34a....I keep hearing " he wouldnt have kept that up" but he did the year before...he did the two years after. It was his peak years. So why wouldn't he have? Lets say he doesnt get those exact numbers for next 41 games...he still would have gotten close...say...28g 30a for example which still would have been 60g 64a. So that was taken away period. And Sid haters keep bringing up he only won 2 ART Rosses. When it was obvious he would have won more. Same as if OV missed 30 games and didnt win the Rocket when we all know he would have most years if he missed the time Sid did. No need to downplay what Sid could have done when we already missed out on it anyway. It obviously didn't happen...doesnt count. Pens fans just bring it up cuz it would have been great to see. And we already went thru Mario missing out on shit like that(yeah I know...Weve had it hard lol). And always hearing others knock him for "only 2 ARTs". The most ridiculous Sid argument Ive seen on here. Bound to get some snarky comments from Pens fans.