Quote:
Originally Posted by mikephoen
Also don't forget that in the 80s and 90s headshots weren't just allowed, they were encouraged. Scott Stevens was celebrated as one of the greatest defensemen of all time, because he ended careers. Crosby's career would have been just a crappier version of what Lindros had if he played during that time period.
And then there was the shadow. Newer hockey fans probably don't even know what that is. For those of you under 25, a shadow was a player who was deployed in a man to man situation against the other teams superstar. The rules of the day allowed the shadow to effectively drape himself over the star player and not let him move around the ice. He was legally allowed to hook, hold and interfere with the star anywhere on the ice.
|
Most of those under 25 probably know about the shadow because there was an interview with Gretzky played repeatedly over the last week talking about the shadow.
Can we stop comparing Gretzky and Crosby in such literal terms? It's almost impossible to say who would've been better if they both played in the same era with the same technology. The point is, Crosby is the Gretzky of this generation.
Both men have pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages of playing in their era. It's useless to come up with 100 different reasons why one was better than the other. Gretzky is gone, Crosby is here. He represents an entirely different level that the game can currently be played at, just as Gretzky did years ago.
I mean hell, I don't even like Crosby (not that I really like Gretzky) but you can't deny that he has talent that is far and away the best in the NHL.