Gretzky vs. Lemieux: The Intense NHL Rivalry

In this video we discuss the intense rivalry between wayne gretzky and mario lemieux, we discuss their; playing styles, on ice show downs and underlying tensions.
[Introduction]
Welcome to a journey back in time, a tale of two hockey legends whose rivalry defined an era - it's time for a deep dive into the captivating duel between Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. Join us as we embark on a comprehensive exploration of their remarkable careers, the thrilling matchups, and the underlying tensions that made this rivalry one for the ages.
[Setting the Stage]
Hockey history is replete with tales of greatness, but in the 1980s and 1990s, two names stood head and shoulders above the rest - Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. These icons weren't just players; they were architects of the sport's evolution, reshaping the game in ways that reverberate to this day. Gretzky, with his unparalleled vision and playmaking, and Lemieux, with his exquisite skill and scoring prowess, embodied the essence of hockey excellence.
[Gretzky's Unprecedented Legacy]
Step into the realm of Wayne Gretzky, a player whose impact transcended mere statistics. The Great One's on-ice brilliance was a symphony of artistry and strategy. His ability to read the ice, anticipate plays, and orchestrate scoring opportunities was akin to a maestro conducting a symphony. Gretzky's records remain etched in the annals of hockey lore - points, assists, goals - he held dominion over every facet of the game. Yet, Gretzky's influence extended far beyond the numbers; he inspired a generation to dream, to believe in the magic of the sport.
[Lemieux's Flair and Dominance]
Enter Mario Lemieux, a virtuoso whose every move dazzled spectators and confounded opponents. Lemieux's stickhandling was a ballet of skill, his shot a thunderous ode to precision. Every stride, every pass, every goal was a testament to his extraordinary talent. Despite health challenges that would have felled lesser mortals, Lemieux's determination and sheer force of will propelled him to greatness. His impact wasn't limited to the rink; he was a beacon of hope and resilience, a living embodiment of the hockey spirit.
[The On-Ice Showdowns]
When Gretzky's Edmonton Oilers faced off against Lemieux's Pittsburgh Penguins, the hockey universe bore witness to something transcendent. Their matchups weren't mere contests; they were symposiums of skill, a masterclass in the art of the game. It was Gretzky's surgical precision against Lemieux's mesmerizing finesse, a canvas where each stroke of brilliance painted a picture of hockey ecstasy. The palpable tension, the monumental stakes - these battles were an homage to the essence of competition, etching the names Gretzky and Lemieux into the pantheon of legends.
The intensity of their rivalry wasn't confined to trophies and statistics; it manifested on the ice in electrifying confrontations. One of the heaviest clashes occurred during the 1987 Canada Cup, a tournament that brought together the world's best players. The final, often dubbed the "Gretzky vs. Lemieux showdown," saw the two legends face off in a dramatic battle for supremacy. Their contrasting styles and unyielding determination turned the ice into a battleground, with Gretzky's Team Canada ultimately prevailing.
[Trophy Hijinks]
Amidst the fervor of this intense rivalry, moments of camaraderie and playfulness emerged. The Hart Memorial Trophy, bestowed upon the league's Most Valuable Player, witnessed a delightful hijacking in 1987. Gretzky, having won the award, whimsically passed it to Lemieux during a photo op, a gesture that symbolized the recognition of a rising star. This passing of the torch was a nod to Lemieux's burgeoning greatness, an acknowledgment that the hockey world had a new standard-bearer.
The tale of stolen trophies continued in 1988, when Lemieux managed to "hijack" the Art Ross Trophy from Gretzky. Awarded to the NHL's leading scorer, the Art Ross Trophy became a symbolic representation of Lemieux's ascendancy. His remarkable performance underscored his emergence as a force to be reckoned with, a player capable of dethroning even the most dominant figure in the league.
[Underlying Tensions]
Beneath the veneer of friendly hijinks, a palpable competitive tension simmered. While not characterized by personal animosity, the rivalry between Gretzky and Lemieux was underpinned by an unspoken desire to assert dominance.
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#waynegretzky #lemieux #nhl

[@michaelgriffiths8068]

Gretzky's Team Canada ultimately prevailing over Lemieux in the 1987 Canada Cup?? They were on the SAME TEAM!! What is this narrator on about??

[@swy334]

Not sure lol

[@stooch66]

Not only on the same team, but great teammates who scored some magical goals together. I love young people putting their own histories together off of google searches.

[@michaelgriffiths8068]

@@stooch66 - exactly 😂

[@uristrauss6106]

LOL Gretzky’s Team Canada ultimately prevailing… on a Lemieux goal late in the third, assisted by Gretzky.

[@johanz1985]

ChatGPT written material, probably. Really bad.

[@venom7558]

At least for myself.Gretzky had the better career,but Mario is a better player. I know this is always a "what if" senario,but if Lemieux had been healthy his whole career,not only would he own a few more records but I really believe he would've scored over 1,000 career goals.

[@spud2727]

66 didn't have 99's drive, that was the difference

[@integrity101]

66 > 99

[@chizorama]

@@spud2727 Didn't have his drive? He played in games where he couldn't even tie his skate laces & came back from Hodgkins, immediately after his last treatment, & dominated the league. He had the same drive, but playing through injuries & health issues hampered his career...

[@spud2727]

@@chizorama I watched Lemiux live, he was a floater even when his health was good, you must be a you tube highlight watcher. Lol

[@chizorama]

@@spud2727 Didn't see him play live but I watched him play, but I get that. Saw the same thing when I saw Jagr live, was kind of a disappointment. Don't recall Gretzky being in the Selke converstation either though.

[@michaelgriffiths8068]

This video is all fluff. Where are the highlights and stats? Gretzky and Lemieux played on the same team in the 1987 Canada Cup. They were not "rivals" on that team lol.

[@kevinmong6782]

My first nhl game as a kid was lemeuix vs Gretzky still to this day remember seeing that #99 was life changing so glad I got to see the greats

[@ghouston6950]

Gretzky faced off against Lemieux in the 1987 Canada Cup? Seriously?????

[@billssportsandwrestlingchan]

Literally did no research on the Canada Cup eh? Sad.

[@todd4317]

Their rivalry was intense, particularly in their prime years. However as they got older, they developed a great deal of mutual respect, and actually get along quite well. Crosby and Ovechkin are in a similar place as their careers wind down.

[@ripapa6355]

Felt like an essay where you were trying to get your word count. Also, Gretz and Lemieux were on the same team for Canada Cup, that whole section made no sense. Did you just get a thesaurus for your birthday?

[@darrenforseille641]

There are 2 factors that makes Wayne Gretzky stand out from the other legends and it has to do with Gretzky size, and his genius vision on the ice to dodge injury for most of his career. This was a gift most other greats did not have like Bobby Orr, Mike Bossy, Mario Lemiuex, etc with their careers cut short, but Gretzky under normal circumstances should have been tossed around like a tennis ball in the rink, but his visual instinct kept him from major injuries. This in itself sets him apart and most other greats just did not have that prowess. #2, I never thought it was fair to compare players that play an entire 80 games or close to 80 games and players that only play half or more than half a season. Most players including Gretzky slow down and get fatigued usually in the last half of the season and their PPG reduces a bit. i never thought it was fair to compare players that play only 2/3 a season like Lemieux and then get injured their body was not in full fatigue factor like Gretzky was and had Gretzky played the exact same amount of games as Lemieux during a season his PPG total would be significantly higher. The fatigue factor makes a huge difference on points total and Lemieux took advantage of that.

[@jbellflower83]

What helped Gretzky was he played from behind the net alot. He controlled the game from down low. He studied Bobby Clarke who played down low and in the corners. Bobby was also on the smaller and slender side. It made it so Gretzky could use the net as a buffer to protect himself from the beating he would have otherwise taken. Combine that with world class vision and hockey IQ and you have a tough matchup to deal with.

[@aneilsen]

1987 canada cup they were on same team....that mistake makes this video illegitimate.

[@jbellflower83]

I dont remember their being a real intense rivalry between the two. They were the 2 best players in the league (Gretzky was already the best player in the world when Mario came into the league and had been for a few years) and maybe tried to one up each other stat wise but there was no hatred there at all. Really Gretzky's best years were before Mario came into the league and then a few after Mario came on the scene. Gretzky wasn't quite the monster in LA he had been in Edmonton. And Mario was a monster himself though he started to miss more and more games after that 89/90 season. Its really amazing to think what Mario could have accomplished stat wise if he was healthy in the 90s.

[@chizorama]

Gretzky brought hockey to the desert & Mario saved a city. Wayne was the ultimate ambassador or the game, only rivaled by Gordie(Howe played in the era of lesser media though, but his influence on Gretzky helped pass the torch on the league's growth). Two different styles, both equally awesome, just a shame that injuries & Hodgkins shortened the game count for Mario, just like Bobby Orr(who I still have as the best complete player to lace em up).

[@earlviney5212]

I paid hard earn money to be entertained nobody did it like mario. Greatest show on earth. Thats how i rank the goat.

[@BruceAChristie]

Great footage of masterful hockey, especially of Lemieux (as there seemed to be more of his plays). Your title and picture are so off base. These two players carried huge admiration for each while remaining highly competitive about their game and team’s progress. Try a new title and picture and you’ll find more agreement about how they competed with each other.

[@JAYJason6666]

Wayne no doubt had the greatest career of em all, Mario however was the most lethal player to have ever laced up a pair of skates. A super young Lemieux dethroned 99 as the game's best player when Gretzky was right smack in the prime of his career..

[@cohenkane2148]

History has treated these two Gods differently, no?

[@moody9442]

how?

[@pilbomags488]

Lemieux was more unstoppable than Gretzky and it's almost like Mario moved in slow motion but was unable to be beaten.

[@patrice5976]

Lemieux is the no1 pick all time

[@WarioSaysSo]

Both men are legends and both are hockey royalty! While Wayne Gretzky is important for exportin the sport of ice hockey to the wider USA and had great sucsess, Mario Lemieux will in the end of the day be the overall better player in overall performance. Gretzky had player inteligence, but Lemieux had some to rival, but more so he was a greater skill of stick handeling and score toucher that proved great in 3 VERY different decades of professional hockey that started in 1985- and ended in 2006! While Gretzky steadily degraded in the middle 90's, Lemieux proved he was a scoring champion and could not only win games with weaker squad(s), but somehow make them play better then they in practical reality ever was (!). Lemieux never had the over-protection Gretzky had in Oilers & Kings as he had to take some uggly hits and dashes from all teams an no one to back him up - yet despite chronical back-pains and cancer that stole several houndreds of point worthy games from his career, Lemieux still was THE force on ice. Mario Lemieux is the TRUE greatest NHL player of all-times. He not only had the scoring touch over all, but the skills and adaptation to last beyond limitations.

[@michaelmcdermott5372]

That's good writing Dickie!

[@WarioSaysSo]

@@michaelmcdermott5372 Thank you so much !!!

[@michaelmcdermott5372]

@WarioSaysSo You're welcome! Seriously tho, that was an excellent take on the both of them. I appreciate a well written opinion these days. I also think that you nailed it on the head. They were 2 completely different kinds of players in 2 completely different situations. It would be tough to say you would be wrong taking either of them. I do feel that if teams were switched and Mario was healthy, he would have put up even bigger numbers. Not sure Gretzky could have taken the abuse the NHL allowed Mario to take. I am very happy with Mario being my guy!

[@WarioSaysSo]

@@michaelmcdermott5372 - Ueah cxredit should be where it belongs and I agree that if switched, hard to say it would have turned out the same.

[@MichaelThomas-ll1hw]

Dude they were teammates on team Canada wtf are you talking about

[@sagan7585]

This whole video is a dumpster fire of wrong information. Get away, search a better source.

[@tarikbey-we6oq]

Give me lemieux all day long!!! Over Gretzky the golden boy of the NHL! Gret's was protected by the league! Players couldn't touch him or there would be hell to pay!!!

[@Wanderlust598]

This is bs, they respected each other and won the world cup together

[@tarikbey-we6oq]

Give me lemeau

[@Insignia6]

Too much talking and not enough showing.

[@jogendron6320]

Click bait

[@SMC01ful]

Two different players, two different styles. One big, one small. Matter of preference. Moreover, whats this bullshit about Gretzky'S Team Canada? Mario was playing for Team who? Marv's Shitty Underpants?

[@earlviney5212]

1989 was a travesty no way Gretzky should won the hart trophy. Lemieux won the scoring race by 30 points (199 that year) what a joke

[@Mike-mc5ll]

And Lemieux did receive his Art Ross for points. Gretzky got Hart for making LA a top-4 team. The previous year they were bottom-4.

[@moosejawt]

The only reason Lemieux won his first scoring title was because Gretzky got hurt with knee injury missing almost 2 months.Gretzky is the goat

[@Keeboy96]

Gretzky had the best career and he deserve to be consider the goat. But Lemieux was the best player in the world from 1988 to 2003. Everytime he was healthy in that time period he had more point per game than Gretzky.

[@moosejawt]

@@Keeboy96 I would disagree Lemieux was better from 1991 when he won his first Stanley Cup,it helped him having former Oilers playing on his team

[@Keeboy96]

@@moosejawt The fact is in 88 Lemieux won the Art Ross, Hart and Lester B award. He was defnitely the best in the league. In 89 Lemieux got 199 points in 76 games. Gretzky had 168 in 78 games. In 1990 Lemieux only played 59 games. People don't take the health of Lemieux into consideration. When he was healthy he was definitely the #1 from 88.

[@JAYJason6666]

Yet the next season Mario played 2 fewer games then 99 and still finished with 31 more points then Wayne.. Despite 99's insane 163 assist 215 point season in 85/86 it was the 20 year old Mario (not Wayne) who was voted the game's best player that season (Ted Lyndsay award)... In 91/92 Mario spotted Gretzky 10 games and still finished with 10 more points then the Great One that season. In 92/93 Mario missed 24 games and still won the scoring title by 12 points...

[@JAYJason6666]

In 91/92 Mario spotted a 30 year old Gretzky 10 games and still finished with 10 more points then the Great One that season for another scoring title win... When Mario was 30 he missed 12 games and still led the NHL in goals, assists & points... Wayne was 27 years old at the start of the 88/89 season when Mario won his 2nd scoring title. Mario destroyed 99 in the scoring race by 31 points that season with a career minor leaguer and a career bottom 6 forward as line mates. When Mario was 27 he missed 24 games and still won the scoring title by 12 points....

[@bb-gc2tx]

if i was starting a team and needed an all around center to win in playoffs im talking not just scoring but winning face offs getting dirty in the corners leadership and all around toughness it takes to win im taking bryan trottier over both of them

[@zprodigalson]

😂

[@bondjames652]

Lemieux is French. You know what that means?

[@cornpipe]

He was born in Quebec?

[@Keeboy96]

@@cornpipe Yes, he is from Montréal

[@Keeboy96]

People say Lemieux mean "the best", but I'm from Québec & the accurate translation would be "the better" wich is pretty good too.

[@1Yh8HH]

Lemieux is not french, he is quebecois. It's like saying you're English when you come from can. or the u.s

[@MrChristryon]

I’ve meet both of these players: One of them was so great, and so humble about it. The other was a giant prick... That’s why I never root for the Penguins.

[@zprodigalson]

“The other was a giant prick”? Can you share your experience? I always thought both were humble.

[@edwardjjanzen23]

both lemieux and gretzky were great players. the difference here was 'drive'. gretzky was intense as a player, dominant, smart with the puck; lemieux was lazy, indifferent, strong, and every bit as talented, but he lacked ambition. this was true also of lemieux in his junior career. coming out of junior, many scouts questioned his 'heart', never his talent. lemieux would have likely outshone gretzky otherwise, and be spoken of as 'the greatest forward/player who ever played the game.' lemieux didn't care. he just wanted to be paid as if he was the 'greatest of all time.'

[@babouska5985]

You now him ? you play with Mario Otherwise close your mouth Gretzky lovers

[@Keeboy96]

Lemieux won 2 cup, 2 playoff MVP...1987 Canada winning goal... He won the gold medal in 2002 when he was the captain of team Canada... In 1992 Lemieux cameback the day right after he finished radiation treatement from cancer. Won the scoring title even despite missing 24 GAMES that year. Not so bad for a lazy guy 😂... Just wanted to be paid... The franchise was so poor they coudn't even paid him the remaining of his contract. Instead of trying to get the most money and leave...Lemieux literaly saved the franchise of Pittsburgh when he bought the team with a group of investor...Back problems, irregular heartbeat and CANCER didn't help Lemieux, not his heart for the game.

[@edwardjjanzen23]

@@Keeboy96 his talent was never questioned. the question was his heart. this was the question of scouts during his junior years, and this continued to be the question throughout his nhl career. if lemieux had the drive of gretzky, who also wanted to be paid, there is little question he would have elevated past gretzky as to who was the goat. lemieux did not have the heart of rocket richard, gretzky did. lemieux was not sought after by other teams for this reason, and in selecting lemieux, the penguins opted for his talent, and wondered if he would be good in the dressing room. super mario wore the 'c' for 8 seasons and didn't for 5, and in the 8 seasons he shared the captaincy for 2. lemieux was not the leader he could have been. even so, he ranks 2nd behind gretzky with the best all time points per game. lemieux will be and is remembered as the greatest player of all time who didn't live up to his potential. lemieux ranks 4th among the greatest of all time, behind bobby orr, wayne gretzky, and gordie howe.

[@Keeboy96]

@@edwardjjanzen23 I saw one all time ranking lately and Lemieux was placed 2nd just behing Gretzky. The "Heart" thing was only the Scout in the junior. Later on in his career Lemieux was never questioned about his heart again. Only haters would still say something about his heart. Watch the NHL 100 video of Lemieux on KZbin. Coffey said in the video "Lemieux never got enough credit for his competitive level". And guess what ? Coffey played with Gretzky too. Your argument is delusional. The oilers were able to win the cup even after Gretzky left. I think Messier for the oilers was more the "heart" of the oilers. Gretzky was never a big defensive or physical guy.

[@edwardjjanzen23]

@@Keeboy96 i have seen lemieux ranked 6th in some places. the bleacher report ranks him as 4th all time. i have never seen him ranked 2nd, and in the bleacher report howe is ahead of gretzky. coffey was right 'lemieux never got enough credit for his competitive level' because it was generally agreed that lemieux was playing below his potential. agreed that messier played with a lot of heart, as did bobby clarke. agreed that gretzky was never a big defensive or physical guy; and with this you are making the point for me, that will all this skill and size, lemieux is never ranked ahead of gretzky; and the question has to be asked ... why?