Phil Kessel

[BlueWhiteBlood]

To each their own... I'd probably go with Bossy in his prime over anyone named "Hull" in theirs but again, its just personal choice.

Well, personal choice/Bossy's best season being Hull's 4th best season.

Didn't Bossy have like 8 or 9 straight 50 + goal seasons or something like that? They were both great players, but if I have that correct, it is quite impressive in it's own right.

EDIT: Yeah it was 9, incredible.

 

[Kin]

Hey, it's a fair argument to go with Hull if you want. - It doesn't do much to change my opinion though.

I was just saying it's not so much a matter of personal choice for me as it is going by the numbers. I never entertained that those numbers would change your opinion though, not to worry.

 

[Kin]

Didn't Bossy have like 8 or 9 straight 50 goal seasons or something like that? They were both great players, but if I have that correct, it is quite impressive in it's own right.

EDIT: Yeah it was 9, incredible.

It's very good. Hull had 5 50 goal seasons in a row and was on pace for a sixth when the season was interrupted by the 94-95 strike. Then Hull came back to a Blues team where outside of Gretzky for 18 games he didn't have a lot of high-end talent to work with and they were smack in the clutch and grab era.

 

[hockeyfan1]

This stands in stark contrast to Phil Esposito, whose goals were
angrily excreted into the back of the net by a diseased Moose.

I used to follow Esposito, too.  What got me interested in Espo was the fact that he was born in the same birthday month and nearly identical birthdate as I.  That makes him a Pisces. 

His brother, Tony Esposito, tended goal for the 'Hawks at the time.  Two Italo-Canadian brothers playing for different teams.  There hadn't  been too many Canadian-born players of Italian descent in the NHL at that time, which made Esposito (Phil more than Tony)  stand out amongst that breed of players.

 

[BlueWhiteBlood]

Then Hull came back to a Blues team where outside of Gretzky for 18 games he didn't have a lot of high-end talent to work with and they were smack in the clutch and grab era.

I think that is the biggest difference in these players, is that Hull didn't play in the high scoring era that Bossy did, or at least as much as Bossy did. Clutch and Grab killed hockey for a while there.

 

[Kin]

Now that we're firmly miles away from the topic, I'm a little startled by how, looking over the numbers, Mario Lemieux kind of stands head and shoulders above everyone else in the discussion.

If Mario had played the same number of games as Gretzky, decline phase and clutch and grab era taken into account, he'd have scored 1121 goals. At the age of 35 he scored 35 goals in 43 games. He's also significantly ahead of Bossy, Gretzky and Hull in terms of playoff GPG.

 

[BlueWhiteBlood]

Now that we're firmly miles away from the topic, I'm a little startled by how, looking over the numbers, Mario Lemieux kind of stands head and shoulders above everyone else in the discussion.

If Mario had played the same number of games as Gretzky, decline phase and clutch and grab era taken into account, he'd have scored 1121 goals. At the age of 35 he scored 35 goals in 43 games. He's also significantly ahead of Bossy, Gretzky and Hull in terms of playoff GPG.

I actually have always thought that Lemieux was a better all around player than Gretzky was IMO. I'm sure a lot of people would disagree with that, but had he been healthy, as you say, I think Lemieux would have come close to the numbers that Gretzky put up. Lemieux was an awesome player to watch as well and probably makes it ahead of Gretzky on my all time list of favorites.

 

[hockeyfan1]

Now that we're firmly miles away from the topic, I'm a little startled by how, looking over the numbers, Mario Lemieux kind of stands head and shoulders above everyone else in the discussion.

If Mario had played the same number of games as Gretzky, decline phase and clutch and grab era taken
into account, he'd have scored 1121 goals. At the age of
35 he scored 35 goals in 43 games. He's also
significantly ahead of Bossy, Gretzky and Hull in terms of
playoff GPG.

As a matter of fact, Canadian Business had a series of articles under the title of "Puck Money", (which I had
posted in another thread), that took into account how
players from another era would stack up against today's
stars, making adjustments to several factors... Lemieux
came out at the top of the list, with Gretzky second,
Bossy was fourth and Crosby fifth.  (Can't remember
who was third). 

 

[Corn Flake]

*attempts to bring thread back on topic*


Phil Kessel is good.

 

[Number 5]

Who?

 

[Joe S.]

Now that we're firmly miles away from the topic, I'm a little startled by how, looking over the numbers, Mario Lemieux kind of stands head and shoulders above everyone else in the discussion.

If Mario had played the same number of games as Gretzky, decline phase and clutch and grab era taken into account, he'd have scored 1121 goals. At the age of 35 he scored 35 goals in 43 games. He's also significantly ahead of Bossy, Gretzky and Hull in terms of playoff GPG.

I actually have always thought that Lemieux was a better all around player than Gretzky was IMO. I'm sure a lot of people would disagree with that, but had he been healthy, as you say, I think Lemieux would have come close to the numbers that Gretzky put up. Lemieux was an awesome player to watch as well and probably makes it ahead of Gretzky on my all time list of favorites.

I may have said this before, but I've read a quote from Gretzky saying that if Lemieux didn't smoke (I guess a reference to his health) he would have beaten all of his records...

I'm a bigger Gretzky fan, but Lemieux's numbers are just ridiculous. IMO, he is the most talented hockey player I've ever seen play...

 

[maplesyrup]

Now that we're firmly miles away from the topic, I'm a little startled by how, looking over the numbers, Mario Lemieux kind of stands head and shoulders above everyone else in the discussion.

If Mario had played the same number of games as Gretzky, decline phase and clutch and grab era taken into account, he'd have scored 1121 goals. At the age of 35 he scored 35 goals in 43 games. He's also significantly ahead of Bossy, Gretzky and Hull in terms of playoff GPG.

I actually have always thought that Lemieux was a better all around player than Gretzky was IMO. I'm sure a lot of people would disagree with that, but had he been healthy, as you say, I think Lemieux would have come close to the numbers that Gretzky put up. Lemieux was an awesome player to watch as well and probably makes it ahead of Gretzky on my all time list of favorites.

I may have said this before, but I've read a quote from Gretzky saying that if Lemieux didn't smoke (I guess a reference to his health) he would have beaten all of his records...

I'm a bigger Gretzky fan, but Lemieux's numbers are just ridiculous. IMO, he is the most talented hockey player I've ever seen play...

Yeah, I'd be hard pressed to come up with a better one talent-wise... That I've seen anyway.

 

[BlueWhiteBlood]

I may have said this before, but I've read a quote from Gretzky saying that if Lemieux didn't smoke (I guess a reference to his health) he would have beaten all of his records...

I'm a bigger Gretzky fan, but Lemieux's numbers are just ridiculous. IMO, he is the most talented hockey player I've ever seen play...

I didn't know that Lemieux smoked, I thought that was just Guy Lafleur. Anyway, yeah, Lemieux was as talented as they come for me. He could take over a game like nobody and I think what separated him from Gretzky for me at least, was that he could bring the physical game as well. He could fight, hit and get through tight checking to use his natural abilities to score the goals or set up the goals.

I'm a lover of the power game, so that is why he ranks higher on my list, but I won't take anything away from Gretzky, as he was probably the best set up man the game ever saw.

 

[maplesyrup]

With that said though, Gretzky's hockey sense? Forget about it! There's him and then 12 oceans and then everyone else.

 

[Corn Flake]

Who?

PHIL THE THRILL KESSSSEEEEELLLLLLLLL

 

[Leaflifer]

I may have said this before, but I've read a quote from Gretzky saying that if Lemieux didn't smoke (I guess a reference to his health) he would have beaten all of his records...

I don't know if Wayne specifically said "smoked".

Wasn't the quote more like, "If he took better care of himself..."

 

[Kin]

With that said though, Gretzky's hockey sense? Forget about it! There's him and then 12 oceans and then everyone else.

I'm not sure about that. Gretzky probably tops it out but Orr and Lemieux knew their way around the rink. Lemieux letting the puck go through his legs to Kariya may be the best play in that regard I've ever seen.

 

[maplesyrup]

I may have said this before, but I've read a quote from Gretzky saying that if Lemieux didn't smoke (I guess a reference to his health) he would have beaten all of his records...

I don't know if Wayne specifically said "smoked".

Wasn't the quote more like, "If he took better care of himself..."

He's French Canadian... Of course he smoked! Jesus, they smoke in church for crying out loud! 

 

[Joe S.]

I may have said this before, but I've read a quote from Gretzky saying that if Lemieux didn't smoke (I guess a reference to his health) he would have beaten all of his records...

I don't know if Wayne specifically said "smoked".

Wasn't the quote more like, "If he took better care of himself..."

Could be - I'm going on memory here.

 

[rdowdall]

I forget who said it, but someone once said that Gretzky's game was to just out-think everyone on the ice.  I think that Lemieux had more in terms of raw talent.

One guy that I always thought would be in this sort discussion was Bryan Fogarty.  Too bad about his demons.

"Mats Sundin told me this: 'Bryan Fogarty could skate faster, shoot harder and pass crisper drunk than the rest of us could sober.'" - Max Offenberger