Quote:
Originally Posted by Enoch Root
I completely agree with this. Gretzky and Lemieux were on a different level than Crosby.
And yes, Orr was also more dominant. IMO, Orr is above Lemieux, but it is those 3, regardless of how you want to rank them. Then, IMO, Howe and then Crosby.
Saying that if you dropped Crosby into the 80s he would dominate is just silly. Yes he is faster and in better shape, but that is a product of the times - in the 80s he too would have had no dietitions, no personal trainers, heavier equipment and skates, etc.
Yes, Crosby works incredibly hard, but for those of you who can't remember, or weren't there, so did Gretzky - and so did all the greatest players. The hard work you see from Crosby is exactly the one ingredient that separates the greats from the really talented like Kovalev and countless others.
To say that he would dominate a different era because of his hard work, simply misses the mark, IMO.
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My understanding of Lemieux was that he didn't work that hard. I'm sure I've read that he used to smoke and not practice very seriously.
Really, it seems pretty silly to suggest that hard work made the greats great rather than being phenomenal talents. I think it's only the modern NHL where phenomenal talent alone is not enough to be great and extremely hard work in training has become necessary.