If Wayne Gretzky played today, is he better than Sid? Is 99 the GOAT?

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by transplant99

I would imagine a trio of Gretzky/Kurri/Coffey would do some damage 3 on 3...no doubt.

and then scotty bowman would trade coffey off the team and they'd win the cup that year.

[Boreal]

Originally Posted by transplant99

No.

Yes there were a few guys like that, but for the most part they were all still professional athletes and best in the world at what they did. Some of you make it sound like guys couldn't skate or shoot or anything at a high level.

Unequivocally false.

Also i have seen it mentioned a few times that there wasnt the same talent pool as there is now, and that is true. Its also true that there werent nearly as many jobs available back then either. When Gretzky scored 215 pts, there were only 21 teams in the league so the battle for jobs was just as fierce as it is now and there was not a lot less talent proportionally than we see today.

Go back to the original 6 era and it was even that much harder to be good enough to make the NHL, which makes the accomplishments of guys like Howe, Richard, Belliveau etc all that more impressive.

When Mike Keenan took over the Blackhawks in 1988 the first thing he did was have the ash trays removed from each locker stall.

Mario smoked for crying out loud. Beer was a post game ritual. If you think the level of consumption of these products is anywhere near what it was in the 1980’s when Gretzky put up 215 points, you’re out to lunch.

[Johnny Makarov]

Sergei Makarov is better than Gretzky.

Yes i'm still bitter. And thank you Steve Smith and Peter Pocklington.

One thing is for sure though. Gretzky would be the whiniest player in the NHL today if he were playing.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by nobles_point

When Mike Keenan took over the Blackhawks in 1988 the first thing he did was have the ash trays removed from each locker stall.

Mario smoked for crying out loud. Beer was a post game ritual. If you think the level of consumption of these products is anywhere near what it was in the 1980’s when Gretzky put up 215 points, you’re out to lunch.

False dichotomy. The claim transplant99 was responding to was that the general run of NHLers in the 1980s were chain-smoking alcoholics. Not everyone is either (A) a chain-smoking alcoholic or (B) a nonsmoking teetotaller. There was never a time when most hockey players were A's, and it is still not true that most of them are B's.

[blender]

Ever seen a dude in their mid-twenties who smokes and drinks beer who is really fit and good at a sport? Stuff like that really starts to catch up to you later on in life.