Quote:
Originally Posted by JiriHrdina
Context is important. The Gretzky comparisons largely come from that fact that if you physically created the world's best player - you wouldn't end up with Gretzky. You probably would end up with Mario. Size, speed, frame, reach, wheels, etc. He had it all
Gretzky didn't have a lot of those elite physical attributes. What he had though was off the chart hockey sense - including the ability to somehow not get hit. Similar to Johnny that was something that people were concerned about when it came to 99. It helped he had monsters like Dave Brown and Semeko watching out for him - in an era where they could actually intimidate.
Anyways, any comparisons to the Great One are dangerous. But there is something similar with Johnny when it comes to his hockey sense giving him a chance to succeed beyond what his physical limitations would dictate.
So if you try to understand the comparisons there is something there.
Or you could just dismiss it without much actual thought.
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Excellent points! With Mario, you knew what he was going to do but he did it anyway because...he was Mario and you couldn't stop him. Gretzky froze teams with his creativity: you never knew what he was going to do next, just that he was going to burn you. Johnny has SOME of that creativity, in addition to great puck skills, which is why we are so excited about him.