Throughout the history of the National Hockey League, there have been a plethora of great hockey players. Maurice “Rocket” Richard, Bobby Orr, Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky - the list goes on and on. So many amazing talents have blessed the ice surface.
Back in the 1970’s and 80’s, the game was strikingly different. There was more open ice, bigger hits, more frequent fighting, etc. Now, it has all changed, but it is still a great sport to watch and follow. Yet the one burning question always arises, “Who is the greatest player of all-time?”
There is no right answer as everyone has their own opinion, but many narrow it down to two players from a more recent era; Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. Both were born in Canada, and they were both born …show more content…
For quite some time now, he has been considered the greatest hockey player of all time, thus earning him the nickname “The Great One”. He played his first full season in 1979-80 for the Edmonton Oilers and for the next 20 years, he dominated the sport and shattered many league scoring records (biography.com). He led the league in points five times, led the league in assists 16 times (13 years in a row), won 11 scoring titles, nine MVP awards and four Stanley Cups (quora.com). He also holds the four highest single season point totals in NHL history (quora.com). In simpler terms, he was one of, if not the greatest, player to ever step foot onto an ice surface. He took the league by storm at a young age and only continued to grow. His legacy will last for many years to come, and most likely there will never be another player of his caliber …show more content…
They each fought their own battles, and went on to have enormous success in the NHL. However, it is entirely possible to make a case and say Lemieux was better than Gretzky. While playing with the Oilers, Wayne had a great amount of skill playing alongside him, which made it easier for him to score goals and rack up points. It wasn’t the same case for Mario in Pittsburgh, for he had to do much of the work individually, which made his achievements that much more remarkable (quora.com). Lemieux was also astoundingly better on a game-to-game basis than Gretzky. Mario averaged more points and goals per game than “The Great One” did (quora.com). There is one fact that remains which strengthens the comparison. On January 12, 1993, Lemieux was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease, which was treatable, but still required a ton of work and chemotherapy to defeat (bleacherreport.com). He was put through radiation treatments and stayed off the ice for over a month (bleacherreport.com). However, he never let the cancer beat him or keep him down. He fought hard and got back out on the ice, and continued his production. His courage and strength could not be matched, which puts forth a strong case in arguing that he was better than Gretzky, given the unfortunate circumstances he had to deal
Back in the 1970’s and 80’s, the game was strikingly different. There was more open ice, bigger hits, more frequent fighting, etc. Now, it has all changed, but it is still a great sport to watch and follow. Yet the one burning question always arises, “Who is the greatest player of all-time?”
There is no right answer as everyone has their own opinion, but many narrow it down to two players from a more recent era; Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. Both were born in Canada, and they were both born …show more content…
For quite some time now, he has been considered the greatest hockey player of all time, thus earning him the nickname “The Great One”. He played his first full season in 1979-80 for the Edmonton Oilers and for the next 20 years, he dominated the sport and shattered many league scoring records (biography.com). He led the league in points five times, led the league in assists 16 times (13 years in a row), won 11 scoring titles, nine MVP awards and four Stanley Cups (quora.com). He also holds the four highest single season point totals in NHL history (quora.com). In simpler terms, he was one of, if not the greatest, player to ever step foot onto an ice surface. He took the league by storm at a young age and only continued to grow. His legacy will last for many years to come, and most likely there will never be another player of his caliber …show more content…
They each fought their own battles, and went on to have enormous success in the NHL. However, it is entirely possible to make a case and say Lemieux was better than Gretzky. While playing with the Oilers, Wayne had a great amount of skill playing alongside him, which made it easier for him to score goals and rack up points. It wasn’t the same case for Mario in Pittsburgh, for he had to do much of the work individually, which made his achievements that much more remarkable (quora.com). Lemieux was also astoundingly better on a game-to-game basis than Gretzky. Mario averaged more points and goals per game than “The Great One” did (quora.com). There is one fact that remains which strengthens the comparison. On January 12, 1993, Lemieux was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease, which was treatable, but still required a ton of work and chemotherapy to defeat (bleacherreport.com). He was put through radiation treatments and stayed off the ice for over a month (bleacherreport.com). However, he never let the cancer beat him or keep him down. He fought hard and got back out on the ice, and continued his production. His courage and strength could not be matched, which puts forth a strong case in arguing that he was better than Gretzky, given the unfortunate circumstances he had to deal