hapgood@dosadi.DEC (Bob Hapgood 229-6544) (10/12/84)
Since the coming of Mario Lemieux to the Pittsburgh Penguins, I
have heard that he is the most highly regarded individual coming out
of the Junior Leagues in Canada since Guy LaFleur.
Can anyone out there tell me Gretzky's stats while in the junior
leagues. If possible a year by year breakdown would be nice.
Could you also give Gretzky's year by year stats since turning pro.
Thanks for any information,
-- Bob Hapgood
ARPA: hapgood%dosadi.DEC@DECWRL.ARPA, hapgood%dosadi.DEC@Purdue-Merlin.ARPA
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tommyo@ihuxw.UUCP (Tom O`Connor) (10/16/84)
Sorry, but whenever I hear someone use the term "The Great One" in hockey, and they use it to refer to Gretzky, I keep remembering another player who was truly THE great one, a man Wayne G. could never hold a candle to, Gordie Howe. If you ask me, Gretzky is a good player, but only would have been average back when hockey was hockey, not this 20-or so team league with good to average talent. Bring back the days when there were only 6 teams, and the players were great. And the king of them all was Howe, a man who even was playing in his late 40s (albeit in a so-called major league) along side his sons. What a thrill. What a man. Tom O`Connor ihuxw!tommyo
lake@alberta.UUCP (Robert Lake) (10/16/84)
I don't see how you can say Wayne Gretzky "could never hold a candle to Gordie Howe". In my view, Wayne Gretzky is playing in a league that is at least as demanding, if not more so, than Gordie Howe did. Players today are much faster, bigger, have better hockey skills, and better conditioning than ever before (as is true with every sport - e.g. consider the record breaking performances in the Olympics). More kids are playing organized hockey in Canada and the US than the days of the 6 team league, and the NHL has the European countries in addition to the expanded North American hockey program to draw talent from (during the days of the 6 team league virtually every player was a Canadian). Thus I don't feel the calibre of talent these days is at all inferior to what was offered in the days of the 6 team league. Gordie Howe himself has said that Wayne Gretzky makes moves and plays that he never dreamed possible. At the same time, Gretzky has stated that his ideal as a young player was Howe, and in fact wanted his number for his jersey (but settled for 99 because someone else already had 9). I feel comparing Gordie Howe to Wayne Gretzky is like comparing apples to oranges. They are both very different hockey players, with very different abilities and playing styles. Also, Howe acquired his reputation after about 25 years of play. Gretzky has been in for only 5 years. How can you compare the two? Also, compare the abilities of most of the top scorers for the 6 team league against Gretzky's abilities. Think of guys like Stan Mikita. How can you say he would have been only average in that league? Robert Lake (alberta!lake) University of Alberta
mcdonald@sask.UUCP (Shane McDonald) (10/18/84)
[] All us hockey fans can argue as much as we want about who was better, Gordie Howe or Wayne Gretzky. Let's ask someone who knows. I've got an uncle who used to play pro hockey back in the fifties. He lives in Portland, Ore. now, and a bunch of his old teammates and his old coach live there too. My uncle is Hal Tarala (World Senior Hockey Champion 1955 - Penticton Vees), his old coach is Jim Ward (played in 20's and 30's, MVP of Montreal Maroons 1928 and 1930, played in first NHL all-star game), a teammate is Arnie Schmautz (remember his brother Bobby, a recent NHL player), and a bunch of other old guys. Their collected opinion is that there has NEVER been a player as good as Gretzky. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not an Oiler fan blowing Gretzky's horn (I'm an Islander fan, so you know how I feel about Edmonton), and I've met Gordie Howe (he signed his autograph for me when I was five in the Eaton's department store downtown). I just figured I'd tell you what some guys in the know say. Shane McDonald (ihnp4!sask!mcdonald)