How Good Was PRIME Wayne Gretzky Actually?

#nhl #waynegretzky #hockey
He's known as "The Great One," a title that speaks volumes about his impact on hockey. His name is synonymous with unmatched skill and a record-breaking career. But just how good was PRIME Wayne Gretzky, actually?
Hockey has seen many legends, but none have dominated the sport like Wayne Gretzky. Born on January 26, 1961, in Brantford, Ontario, Gretzky was not just a player but a phenomenon. From the frozen ponds of his hometown to the grand stages of the NHL, his journey is nothing short of legendary. Imagine a young boy, barely old enough to tie his skates, yet displaying a hockey sense far beyond his years.

[@seaking2290]

In his prime, most hockey pools had a “no Gretzky” rule because it was the only way to keep things fair. Otherwise, whoever had Gretzky would win the pool. One variation of this was that some pools would split Gretzky into two parts: one person could have his goals, another his assists. Even then, his assist totals were so crazy it could throw the pool off.

[@quebecforce111]

@seaking2290 in our pool at the time we separe the goals and assist of Gretzky and the same with Mario Lemieux

[@iBMcFly]

“No Gretzky rule”- kurri and lemieux then lol

[@quebecforce111]

@@iBMcFly Lemieux was the second best NHL player of all time. With no injuries, no cancer and surround by better players he can maybe be the best of all time. When Mario arrive to Pittsburgh for is first 5 or 6 years he was the only good player there.

[@bigstupidgrin]

So he's the Shaq of hockey?

[@iBMcFly]

@@bigstupidgrin yeah if Shaq held all the important NBA records.

[@goalscorerlajon]

I actually had a very cool encounter with Wayne Gretzky. It was on November 21, 1998. It was the last time he played against the San Jose Sharks in San Jose. After the game, I went to the glass and asked him for an autograph. He said he couldn't sign because he had an interview. As I walked away, I heard banging on the glass. He called me over, handed me his stick AND THEN TOOK HIS JERSEY OFF AND GAVE IT TO ME. Wayne is still a classy guy. 😢

[@jimwerther]

Wow

[@c-kno6]

That shits gotta be worth thousands

[@jimwerther]

@@c-kno6 It's sentimental for one person only

[@c-kno6]

@@jimwerther lol I wasn't telling him to go to pawn stars or anything just saying

[@jimwerther]

@@c-kno6 👍

[@t.b.player7102]

What's missing is his personal life. Athletes are often caught up in drugs, arrests, infidelity, etc. The Great One was just ad dedicated to his wife, family, and overall reputation off the ice. That, people, is commendable.

[@slowery43]

maybe look into his daughters life coices, Wayne is/was awesome his daughter more than made up for his goodness

[@cygnusccott9683]

Trottier, Bossy, Messier, Coffey, Hawerchuck, Dionne, Yzerman, Sakic, Ovechkin, Crosby, Roy, Hasek.These are a few of the greats over the last forty years, none of whom I can recall getting caught up in drugs, arrests, infidelity, etc. I understand the spirit of your point, but it seems more narrative-based to me than factual. Maybe you're referring to other sports? Brodeur had an affair with his sister-in-law, and eventually married her. Kevin Stevens became a crack addict. Bob Probert got arrested for cocaine, but he wasn't exactly a great player, just a great fighter. Dany Heatley killed his friend and teammate while driving drunk. There have been a few, but it's def not the norm.

[@t.b.player7102]

@cygnusccott9683 Yeah, hockey players do have less issues like that than other sports. But when they do have issues, they really ho all out 😄. Marty with his thing, Bobby Probert with the coke, etc. But yeah, you didn't see many hockey players taking knees with American or Canadian anthems. More hockey players stood against "Pride" night than others.

[@nelsonfox3]

@@slowery43what did his daughter do? I tried looking it up but I couldn’t find anything heinous. You’re making it sound like she murdered someone lol!

[@bbbbbzzzzzzzzzz5431]

Who is the GOAT 🏅

[@kurtwpg]

In his prime, he was a point a game player. Let me clarify that: a point a game MORE than anyone else.

[@goji059]

Well played

[@JM-gj7de]

I saw this man play live once. My life is complete.

[@dwaynegamble244]

Yup same here Saw him on New year's eve in Vancouver think Oil won 9 to 1 or thereabouts And got to see Coffey skate Who is my favorite player to this day

[@migachanable]

Grew up in AB and saw him play multiple times for Oilers, Kings and once for Team Canada at Canada Cup 87.

[@Polytrout]

I'm NOT a Gretzky hater. In fact everything stated in this video is true. But as much as anyone speaks of his vision and anticipation, it still understates this aspect of his game. His point totals were in part due to a period of unprecedented goals being scored; the season preceding Gretzky joining the NHL, Bryan Trottier won the scoring title with 134 points - 47 goals 87 points. When Gretzky was setting records, other players were getting 150 points. I also believe that there are some players from his era who could play in today's NHL whereas, I don't believe he could match today's speed and skill. That being said, the GREAT ONE is probably along with Don Cherry, the greatest student of the game (people would be surprised at the similarities of these two great men). But the GREAT ONE is one of the classiest men associated with hockey (sorry Don you're one of the greatest Canadians of all-time, but Mr. Gretzky has got you beat there). I believe that Bobby Orr is the greatest player of the 20th century - BETTER than the GREAT ONE but Number 4 took much longer to adapt to life after playing the game than did 99. As many seemingly negative things I may say about Wayne Gretzky, to me he's still the GREAT ONE.

[@slowery43]

no one cares Princess, this isn't all about you

[@migachanable]

@@slowery43 haters gonna hate

[@kentmartin9289]

They listed his prime as from 1981 to 1989, which I think is pretty accurate. For a sense of how amazing his prime was, outside that prime range he had seasons of 164 and 163 points, which would be the 3rd and 4th highest totals of all time (Lemieux 199 and 168) if you don't count his prime totals.

[@TheHockeyVault]

These are very true facts. Must be nice to have your offseasons still better than 99% of players!

[@user-uf3rh8kf9s]

Gretzky was a chess master on ice hockey skates.🇨🇦🏒

[@charlieb308]

Age 35 he had 100 points and age 36 97 points, that was in trap years of league where many goalies had under 2.00 GAA and a team was lucky to have 200 goals on a season. If Gretzky played today he would certainly rule a PP and I would say get at least 70 pp points a year, most creative player ever.

[@darrenmcgovern1969]

As a Canuck fan back in the day I was very nervous every single time the puck was on his stick.

[@TheHockeyVault]

Every fan was!

[@bateriayvr8988]

4 x 200 point seasons... nobody else has broken the 200 point barrier (the closest ever being Mario Lemieux, with 199); then there's the iconic 92 goal season- that season, he scored 50 goals in 39 games! Another stat that a couple of players have come close to (I believe it was Brett Hull and Teemu Selanne, both with 86)- still, nobody has ever scored 90 goals in a season. Uncanny! But my favourite part of the Great one's game that is so often overlooked-- and you had to have been watching games at the time, NOT just highlight videos years later- was the assist game; a lot of people like to say that Gretzky "slowed down" and stopped scoring goals etc. I beg to differ. If you watched those Kings games and see how many players he was setting up, he wasn't merely passing the puck to the open player for the "perfect pass'.... he was literally banking the puck off of their sticks into the net..! So in essence, he was scoring goals off of their sticks and giving them the goals. I guess he figured "I got called a puck hog for long enough, so these guys can score. As long as we win, I'm good- I still get points (assists)"..! Just un-freaking-believable and you had to have been alive and watching at the time to really get a feel for just the type of player he actually was. Truly the greatest scorer in every sense of the word and the fact that his number is retired league wide, is a testament to that.

[@danferguson2724]

As an Oiler he had 158 4point+ games.

[@g99se9]

The only complaint I have about this videos is context between his points and goals vs other players. SHOW me how much better he was, don't just say it.

[@danferguson2724]

@@g99se9 Read some of the other posts with stats. The ones that stood out are !) a player with 14 200pt seasons won't catch him. Or 17 50goal seasons falls short too. You can check seasonal nhl stats for season margins. example: 1983 - Gretz 205pts Next PCoffey 126

[@g99se9]

@@danferguson2724 I think he's the most dominant player on a team sport in history. I was commenting on the actual content of the video for people who don't realize this.

[@HankyPanky44]

Selanne got 76, not 86

[@danstaneckyj7854]

i used to visit his father once a year in brantford a wonderful man. he told wayne, go to where the puck is going, not where it is. great advice.

[@badmanskill1112]

My dad told me something similar. He told me to go where the girls are going, not where they are. So many men went to bars and wasted money to pick up women while I just waited in a dark alley. Thanks dad. 😂

[@flufychickens]

​@@badmanskill1112absolute legend

[@daviddavidson4496]

Does this rag smell like chloroform eh?

[@MrZeh617]

​@badmanskill1112😂 I know when a woman says no , she really means yes .

[@lycurza]

Gretzky to Lemieux Canada Cup 1987...shivers...The 2 undeniable best players ever. It is worth noting the era allowed for such high scoring which is only being seen again now in 2024 - but still, compared to his colleagues, he still is a living legend.

[@swavekbu4959]

Gretzky and Lemieux on the same line, that's scary good.

[@berryscott3590]

Even on one leg, Bobby Orr was the best ever, at his peak, imo... Better than a goal a game better than opposition ... only D man ever to lead NHL scoring... Not once, TWICE...

[@ml.2770]

99 is the only number nobody should wear in hockey anywhere in the world at any level. Unless of course you are Wayne Gretzky.

[@ajpdeschenes]

You did one on Gretzky and one on McDavid. PLEASE do one on Mario Lemieux. The only other player who approached the 200 pts mark in a single season.

[@Hockey_Fren]

2nd best player of all time, and he wasn't far behind Gretzky in that regard.

[@toedrag-release]

Hes not just the goat of hockey but the GOAT of ALL team sports.

[@RaineriHakkarainen]

Not true! Orr and Lemieux were better than Gretzky! In 1980s Gretzky's time 8 goals per game! So easy to score! Goalies were bad and small! Ovechkin ERA only 6 goals per game! So difficult to score! In 1980s Gretzky's time 90% of the NHL players were from Canada! Now under 60% NHL players from Canada! Much tougher league now! The Soccer Game 250 million players! Gretzky's Canada only 650000 players! That means The Soccer All Stars would beat Gretzky easily 100 game series 93-7!!

[@toedrag-release]

@@RaineriHakkarainen Gretzky has the record for Assists Goals (likely will be passed soon with ovi) points His records have stood the test of time for nearly 4 decades....I don't believe any other sport has 1 player that has all those records and have stood for 4 decades nobody was as dominant. You can argue it was easier to score but defence was also a lot tougher there was the 2 line pass rule which made it much more difficult to actually cross into the offensive zone. If it was so easy we would see alot of players in that generation also put up similar numbers...we don't, nobody is even close.

[@icelandicat68]

I saw him play a few times. He was so good you never took your eye off of him. He had a sixth sense. He could anticipate a play and make it happen. When he was in his office, you were probably doomed.

[@davebasch5995]

I saw, in person, Gretzky score goal number 802 to break the record!!

[@poopsebeb]

My favourite Gretzky moment is the assist to Mario Lemieux in the Canada cup game

[@canadiantraveller281]

I have watched hockey, regularly since 1978. Nobody in my 45 years of viewing, all thru the different eras is even close to Wayne's vision and how much he got out of the talent he was given.

[@blainewatkinson4315]

You forgot about Bobby Oar

[@myou004]

Another stat that's mostly overlooked. The L.A. Kings in the 87/88 season had the 4th worst record in the league. For the 88/89 season (after acquiring Gretzky) they had the 3rd BEST record.

[@thebigpicture2032]

I watched all the games that first season. He was constantly making perfect passes to his teammates only to have them miss because they weren’t expecting it. The first couple months were crazy. He would make shot passes through traffic and his teammates were so surprised they couldn’t even react to tip it in an open net. Eventually they learned to always expect the puck.

[@dannycarlow8204]

They had the fourth best record in his first year with LA. While they did have the fourth worst record the season before he came, they were the fifth highest scoring team and then slotted into first in his first season in LA.

[@thebigpicture2032]

@@dannycarlow8204 It’s truly amazing how he elevated players around him. Look how Lemieux took off after playing in the 87 Canada Cup with him.

[@PowerPlayProfiles]

Great video! Gretzky is a superstar in Canada and means so much to us. Thank you for sharing his greatness and continuing on the legacy

[@TheHockeyVault]

You're welcome! Let me know if theres anyone else you want me to cover :)

[@projektkobra2247]

Im Canadian. I hate his guts. The only player I loathe more is Messier.

[@davidhogenmiller248]

They changed the rules on coincidental minors just for him. He was so good at 4 on 4 that they kept 5 a side to make it fair. After he retired they switched the rule back. If he played today they couldn’t keep the 3 on 3 overtime. He’s the most dominant team sport player of all time.

[@jays1752]

In others sports, like basketball for instance, they unofficially changed the rules to BENEFIT the best player (looking right at you Micheal Jordon). In the NHL they essentially had to handicap this guy because he was making a farce out of their league.

[@Harbringe]

Once saw Guy Lafleur , Larry Robinson and Bob Gainey all Hall of Famers chasing Gretzky in a corner trying to get the puck from him and they couldn't , it was unbelievable to see.

[@henrikhirsimaa]

Stanly cup ?

[@dwaynemcallister7231]

I don't ever recall Wayne getting injured when he was with the Oiler's, he had protector's and many opponent's said he was hard to hit. He was amazing to watch in his prime it was truly insane, never seen anyone so far above the other player's and he always led the scoring race, it was like there was the rest of the league and then Gretzky . a once in a life time talent.

[@blowstuffup1]

he missed 16 games in his final season with the Oilers, still broke 100 assists in the season and was only behind Lemieux for Art Ross.

[@dwaynemcallister7231]

@@blowstuffup1 I missed that . He was a better athlete than he is given credit for. If you search KZbin there is video of him in a 60 meter sprint race 1982 against other top athlete's from different sports he beat them all easily.

[@rolieg81]

4 200+ point seasons is greatest nhl record ever!

[@PowerPlayProfiles]

Facts. While I'm not saying Gretzky isn't the GOAT, what are your thoughts on the comparisons to players today? Obviously, it's substantially harder to get these kinds of records as the game has changed, so would Ovechkin getting close to breaking Gretzky's scoring record be considered a harder feat than what Gretzky did, given the evolution of the sport and the differences in the eras they played in?

[@rolieg81]

So much harder to put up those numbers these days. 3rd and 4th line guys have become so much better on average not being just checkers/fighters, everyone can shoot and skate!

[@PowerPlayProfiles]

@@rolieg81 Its hard to compare greatness across different eras but imagine a prime Ovechkin, Crosby or McDavid in the 1980s-90s. Man that would be scary

[@TheHockeyVault]

Ya you can't really compare different eras, although it can be tempting. Too many changes made across the years and the game is way different today

[@nocrtname]

led the league in assists 16 times. That transcends eras.

[@ajmuzz22]

No question. Best ever.. No debate..

[@TheHockeyVault]

Goat baby

[@dannycarlow8204]

He was only captain of the Rangers when Leetch was injured. He wasn't their actual captain.

[@F4llenGrizz]

Great video, I'm liking this series. Would love to see Lemieux and others!

[@TheHockeyVault]

Thanks man, I will add that to the list

[@ajpdeschenes]

@@TheHockeyVault Yes, we want Lemieux!

[@dpistone10]

I coached two of Wayne’s kids in youth hockey Ty and Paulina. One of the most amazing players I have ever know. One time at this youth game a scorekeeper didn’t show up. Guess who said I’ll keep score. Yes Wayne kept the scoring for both teams. One amazing man with total humility unsurpassed by anyone else I have ever known and I have coached my NHL players kids.

[@19snips]

He has more career assists than the 2nd place all time player has points. Think about that. If a player played 14 seasons and got 200 points each season, he would still be 57 points short. 17 seasons of 50 goals and you are still not catching him, Ovi is close but not there yet. I've never seen anything like it in any sport, ever.

[@ninjacrumbs]

I used to work with this guy at a veal processing plant. Awesome dude, Brian, best mullet ever, and he told me over lunch one day that his dad`s backyard connected with Walter Gretzky`s backyard in Brantford. They - the dads - would always chat when out mowing the lawn, or having beers in the back, or whatever. Brian had met Wayne many times, but what he found most remarkable, when they were doing a BBQ and shooting shit, Wayne was waaaay more interested in what was going on in their lives, instead of talking about his own. Wayne`s humbleness humbled him. Like how fucking lucky are you to have the BEST hockey player EVER, drinks beers and chew hamburgers together, all-the-while the GOAT is taking a personal, natural interest in your life!?

[@mikelliteras397]

Starting high school in ‘81, and being a big sports fan until kneeling started, I got to see Gretzky, Lemieux, Jagr, Bird, Magic, Jordan, Maddux, Ryan, Marino, Montana, Sanders, Barry & Deion, Rice, Moss and a bit of Bo. Didn’t suck, but looking back I didn’t realize how amazing a time that was.

[@fredbmurphy]

Jagr referred to Gretzky as a Ferrari built 30 years ahead of his time. Gretzky and Lemieux were the 2 that he truly respected.

[@blowstuffup1]

Speaking of Jagr, I sincerely believe he was far better than his final ppg of 1.11. Almost his entire prime was playing in the worst era ever(the dead puck, stupid amount of clutch and grab and the trap. I would honestly put him in the top 5 behind Gretzky, Orr, Lemieux, Howe. I know this might piss off Crosby and McDavid fans, but it's just my opinion.

[@douglasstemke2444]

Funny story. My family moved from Pittsburgh to Edmonton in the early 70s. The WHA was just getting started a few years later and there was an exhibition game between Edmonton and Pittsburg when Edmonton was a the new WHA team. I was there to see Pittsburgh (as a fan of the Penguins) when Gretzky skated up to me and talked to me where I was next to the team's box. I could care less though because I thought of NHL as 'real' hockey (the WHA as an amateur league), Pittsburgh was my team, and had no idea who Gretzky was at the time (remember, I was a kid). That is one moment in time I wish I could take back!

[@slowery43]

not even a little "funny" not even a little interesting at all

[@merdadrezai1195]

I feel so blessed to have been able to watch him throughout his brilliant hockey life.

[@TokyoAlex]

Just checked. Gretzky wasn't drafted into the WHA. In 1978, the WHA draft broke down, and any team could scout any unsigned players as free agents.

[@skeyzie]

But he had a contract that held him to Poklington and his businesses. Meaning he couldn't be signed to any other team bar the Oilers.

[@TokyoAlex]

@@skeyzie Um. Gretzky's first team wasn't the Oilers. It was the Racers. The point I was making though was that Gretzky was never drafted into the NHL or the WHA.

[@DavidTupper-li5ju]

Working 3-11 shift in the 1980's i would come home turn on the tv & find replays on the usa network of hockey games - almost always edmonton oilers - most exciting & entertaining team ever in my book - rarely watch the nba & mlb anymore as the nhl is now my favorite - thanks to glenn anderson , mark messier , marty mcsorley , wayne gretzky , jari kurri etc, etc, for showing me the light

[@vaughnnelson4608]

0:11 Went to see the legendary Wayne with my mother. We had end zone seats and he scored the only two goals at the other end. But did see him rush the net on one play and his skating speed was amazing. On ice he has the eyes of an eagle, laser focused on the goalie and net. It was my mother's first ever NHL game. What an amazing night just to see the Great One. He did not disappoint.

[@Mik-xq2co]

In the history of team sports, three players have shown such utter dominance versus their peers that they belong on the Mt Olympus sports immortals. Babe Ruth Wilt Chamberlain Wayne Gretzky The stats these three put up vs their peers is just unworldly. They were head and shoulders better than their peers of their day!

[@slowery43]

Bo Jackson Magic Johnson

[@JayCail]

Absolutely correct. But be careful as you'll get the Jordan fanboys mad at you.

[@dannycarlow8204]

Well, Babe was better than his white peers. We don't know how he stacked up to everybody.

[@Mik-xq2co]

@@dannycarlow8204 I can only compare to who he played against in his day, and he was head and shoulders above all of his peers. Gosh Gibson would be his only equal in his era, but he too only played against his black peers. However, Josh came roughly 12+ years after Babe came into the league, so that also is not a straight up comparison.

[@hookseybaby]

@@dannycarlow8204 Babe Ruth was also 1/4 african american

[@kinnstreamz]

Awesome videos. Been keeping up with the series. You should do Henrik Lundqvist for one of these videos! Keep up the great work. Love from CT

[@TheHockeyVault]

I'll put it on the list!

[@HydraMods]

I'm not trying to reach here, but I swear I see some Bedard in certain angles and mannerisms from Wayne in this video

[@richardkrilljr.8711]

215 points is just ridiculous. Gretzky was just so much better than everyone else. What a joy to watch. The NHL has seen some great players since but nobody has even come close to 99.

[@BrianPeloso-ln4ry]

He and I are weeks apart in age so I was massively jealous and yet realistic in recognizing him as something special. His highlights were something to see...EVERY DAY! Just like Jordan...come to think of it I have been blessed to have witnessed it.🙏🇨🇦👍

[@chexlemeneux8790]

Never had the pleasure to meet Wayne but I did get to meet Walter at Gretzky's in Toronto. Shame that place is gone now.

[@James-nv1wf]

Walter signed a poster I made at Gretzky's, the poster had Wayne on it, it was for a competition when Scotia Bank Arena just opened in 99 to win tickets to see a playoff game, the Leafs vs Philly in Philly, it was a great game!

[@chief3619]

Let’s get real here: it was the Jofa helmet and gloves. They are OP and anyone who wears them is immediately granted God-tier skills and abilities which is why the league eventually had to ban them.

[@huddeemane]

Gretzky was so good in his prime, I found out the LA King years when I was a young kid were not his prime and couldn’t understand how that was possible

[@huddeemane]

Gretzky in his prime was so good, he was in a cartoon with Bo Jackson and Micheal Jordan…iykyk

[@DPSARAUJO]

He is truly the greatest of all time

[@user-ri2yh1ce7y]

My father now 84 watched hockey religiously - even when company was over- he would sneak away and flip on a game- didn't matter the team. Naturally, names like Neely, Messier, Coffee, Bourque and of course Gretzky were all you heard coming from the TV. It was a golden era - a better vanished time I miss so very much and was happy to be alive to see those games live and have my old man and his love of hockey to thank.

[@hypnotizedmind4174]

Loving how your old man sneaked away to turn on a hockey game 😂 great times

[@MVuke84]

Gretzky never wanted to be the team captain. It took his teammates to convince him that it was needed for him to do it. That alone says so much.

[@EchoesDaBear]

Great video...of The Great One! My hometown (Kitchener) is near Brantford...I'm a child of the 80's (born '78) - so you'd better believe Gretzky was a household name! We all wanted to be/play like him! To all those detractors that called him a selfish player, then HOW do you explain, if he was so selfish and a puck hog, that if he never scored a goal in his career, he'd still have more points than the next highest player had total!! (Jaromir Jagr), and by a hefty 42 points ahead! He was the ultimate opportunist - if any teammate had a better chance at scoring, you better believe it would make it to their stick! THAT was his hockey sense & read of the game! His vision was certainly unparalleled! He was truly The Great One!

[@rockerrock328]

Wayne Gretzky is the most dominant athlete of all time. No one in any sport will ever accomplish what he did. His records will never come close to being broken.

[@Conn30Mtenor]

We love his goal scoring ability but his incredible hockey sense, situational awareness and the unerring accuracy of his passing. He saw the ice in a way nobody ever matched.

[@wyattschneider8817]

If Lemieux played a full 20 year career I think the goat discussion would be a huge debate between the 2. Lemieux was the most skilled Gretzky was the smartest in my opinion.

[@Kinger1625]

I loved his dedication to his teammates, especially Grant Fuhr! Said he was the worlds best goalie(Fuhr is my all time favourite goalie), and even at the last alumni game he told Fuhr who has knee replacements and cannot play , that if he didn’t go..none of them would! Of course, Grant showed up…just like when needing to keep the other team from scoring that last goal. Such a great player #99 Wayne Gretzky was! Most of those records would stand. The two line pass was removed in 2005, but had it been done in 1980…his totals would /or could be much bigger imho. Thank, enjoyed this, and liked and subbed! ❤

[@CousinPaddy]

Greatest statistical sports star of all time.

[@robbostamas5551]

Correction: In his second season he scored 55 goals and 109 assists with a total of 164 points. It was in his third season he scored 92 goals and 120 assists and totalling 212 points.

[@iambiglucas]

Conner just turned 26 and Wayne has over a 100 four-point games on McDavid.

[@bb-gc2tx]

you cant compare the level of goaltending mcdavid faces compared to the beer league goalies gretzky faced early in his career

[@bmac5989]

There are only a handful of players that could be said in the same paragraph (not sentence) as Gretzky. Lemieux, Howe would be in there. McDavid is not one of them.

[@dannycarlow8204]

​@@bb-gc2txActually you can, because as the level of goalie talent has gone up through the progression of the game, so has the player's talent, just as equally. Gretzky shooting on an average 80's goalie is the same as McDavid shooting on an average goalie of today. Unless you're saying that players haven't progressed as much as goalies have since then. In 30-40 years, people will be saying the same thing about today's goalies that you're saying about goalie's from the 80's and 90's.

[@bonstad]

Don't give me this goalie crap. When you watch highlights, you only see goals. Some of the best GAA came before 2000All skills increase over time.@@dannycarlow8204

[@bobsyoruncle4583]

I was fortunate to have watched Gretzky play from when he first joined the OIlers in the last year of the WHA, and watched that team rise to domination in the NHL. Tickets in those days were so cheap I went to many games over the years at Winnipeg arena while working low paying jobs. What I recall most about him was how he saw the game as if he were high on the arena catwalk looking down on the entire ice surface - he seemed to know where everyone was, where they were going, and made passes and maneuvers that seemed almost impossible - time and again he would make a deek or a pass that literately made the entire crowd gasp, and when he got the puck near the net the goalie had little chance to survive.

[@user-ez9zq3ny8m]

it was gien to him, players knew not to hit him...a total joke. just watch the reruns now...slow motion joke

[@Hoovie9596]

I grew up in Winnipeg too. I remember you could go to 7-eleven and get a $7 Jets ticket on game days if you bought a slurpee or Big Gulp

[@Ace96x10]

Well said Bob.

[@dwaynegamble244]

​@@user-ez9zq3ny8momg There is still one of you around That hates him for how great he was That's so insecure 😢😢😢

[@user-ez9zq3ny8m]

Nope. Just watch the highlight reels, total joke. No one was allowed to touch Wayne, he had all day to set up plays and wind up in the slot for a slapshot, it's laughable.@@dwaynegamble244

[@user-bs4ym2zo4g]

What made Gretzky so great and helped him score so many goals on brakeaways than anyone.i. History he wasnst around the puck ,he was always where the puck was going to be

[@moosemagic3429]

Most viewers will have heard of this anecdote, but for those that have not, here goes: Oiler Shaun Van Allen got hit and the trainer reported to the head coach.(Ted Green) that Allen could not remember who he was. Green said: "Tell him he's Wayne Gretzky". :p

[@Mat-ss8uw]

One more season he would have reached two significant milestones: 900 goals and 2000 assists.

[@jays1752]

There was a five year period in the early 80's when he could've stopped playing halfway through the season and still won the scoring title. Just a little perspective. Until Mario came along, nobody was even in the same universe.

[@user-em6wc4pw4j]

My favorite moment is after accepting the Cup, he gave it straight to Smith to get the party started. Smith took a lot of heat from the press that year. Great leader.

[@DavidTa2]

So good that he doesnt need goals to be the all-time point leader.

[@bobbertee5945]

Gretzky would have been great in today's NHL, I feel fortunate to have watched him play, being a Ranger fan and him playing mostly on the west coast, we didn't see him often so u couldn't get an appreciation for how good he was. When he came to the Rangers it was a big eye opener, his vision and passing skill was other worldly, I remember his ability to avoid big hits was another highlight, back in the 90's the league had many great players and even an older Gretzky stood out, he could have easily played another 3-5 yrs when he finally hung them up....

[@nikolaivista920]

The Hockey Vault needs to do a video on PRIME Bobby Orr!!! To me, Orr is the absolute GOAT of hockey! Dominated on defense, dominated on assists and dominated on goals all in the same season!! While players dove at his knee for the only way to slow him down! Orr did it all! He even fought like a champ and was never afraid to throw punches with the best of them!

[@TheHockeyVault]

Should be up tomorrow or day after ;)

[@jays1752]

what the hell does fighting have to do with hockey? idiotic part of the NHL ive never understood.

[@nikolaivista920]

@@jays1752 Oh sweetie, you are butt-hurt because Orr was better than Gretzky! Don't get mad at me. Get mad at Orr!! And yes, fighting has a lot to do with NHL hockey. Always has and it always will. If you have a dislike with NHL fighting in the rink, then change the channel and watch something else like the WNBA (which is much more suitable for you!).

[@dmc009]

9:42 absolutely not. Never ever gonna happen. Jordan may be the goat of hoops and brady may be the goat on the grid iron... .. wayne is the goat of team sports.... ... period.

[@yeltsin6817]

His parents lived 10 houses away from me. All amazing and gamble beyond your imagination. They never bragged. My dad knew Walt for approx 5 years and Walt never once brought it up. I had to tell my dad who he was

[@HankyPanky44]

He scored 92 goals in his third season in the NHL, not his second. And he was 18 when he debuted in the league, not 17.

[@user-pw4he3sr4n]

My favorite moment and I believe his best skill was his skating. I don't remember the particular game or who the Oilers were playing, but I remember they were shorthanded by 2. Gretz went out on shift, intercepted a pass and proceeded to evade the opposing team and kill both penalties single-handed! He just kept stickhandling the puck, and weaving back, back, back and then forward - often between the attacker's legs, evading him all the way back to center ice, then starting all over again. He never used the same pattern twice and always evaded the attackers - they could never catch him or even lay a glove on him! He had an awareness of his surroundings that nobody could match, then, before, or since.

[@annobalan6878]

It was funny to hear my dad talk about Gretzky, he had season tickets to blackhawks games from 84-94 and it was crazy to me how much he used to hate him back then. Oilers always ended up meeting the hawks and next thing ya know they’re Eliminated by the Oilers. Afterwards he definitely grew an admiration and respect for Gretzky, he found himself lucky he got to see the great one play as much as he did.

[@RockerFinland]

Kurri's exceptional skill and chemistry with Gretzky played a significant role in Gretzky's extraordinary hockey performances. Gretzky won all of his Stanley cups (4) when he played with Kurri

[@henrikhirsimaa]

Se on just niin !

[@henrikhirsimaa]

Exactly.

[@jays1752]

Kurri was a very good player. Look at his totals without Gretzky, though. And then look at Gretzky's without Kurri. Not comparable.

[@raybo780]

lol naw.

[@stevengraham3138]

He’s was amazing his good scoring but his passes were even better made everyone better

[@kfishhypnotist]

I was an actor in 1993 and Wayne Gretzky had a video game out called everyone's Gretzky. I just happen to be 510 175 pounds like him so I was at the photo shoot and he came up behind me and asked me if all this equipment was mine and I just I froze I said I can't believe the great one is actually speaking to me

[@glenncurley680]

Saw him in Detroit. As with many young hockey players, he was my Son's favorite!

[@ORagnar]

Man I would have loved to have seen him stay with the Blues for at least a year. He and Brett Hull would have been a great combo. 4/20/24, 8:23 p.m.

[@chargerdave2046]

I met him at a charity baseball game in Edmonton as a kid, I did get an autograph... But long gone. I do have Messier's a couple times, He would talk to me in the parking lot of the Coliseum, when the had the black Porsche 911, I even gave him a drawing of his car that I drew, he put it on the seat. I wonder if he kept it? It was really good

[@chrisfehr3164]

I was lucky enough to watch a lot of the oilers dynasty games at the coliseum as a kid. Didn’t know what I was actually watching at the time!

[@rolldadice5766]

I’ll never sell my Gretzky Rookie card… Legend

[@TheHoodSaiyan]

This man is a inspiration Wayne Gretzky is a living legend

[@Obi1to1]

I watched him live in the 80s... Nobody at any given time had the separation from No. 1 player to the 2nd best player!

[@BigDawgzOnly]

As someone who is relatively new to hockey, could someone say what a normal player scores during a season?

[@johnshields6852]

I watched his entire career, 213 points in a single season, insane, will never happen again.

[@dannycarlow8204]

He had seasons of 205, 208, 212 and 215, but no 213.

[@petert834]

The interesting thing to me about Gretzky is that unlike many other dominant scorers, he often looked pretty inconspicuous on the ice aside from when he set up behind the other team's net. No Hull-like slapshot. No Ovechkin-like deadly one-timers. No McDavid-like speed. No Mario-like combo of size with puckhandling skill deking defenders out of their shorts. None of these really obvious things. He just always seemed to be where the puck went to, somehow his shots seemed to go exactly where the goalie wasn't, and somehow he was able to always find the open teammate to get a them a good scoring chance. It was ridiculous. When the game was over you would just be asking yourself "How the heck did he get 5 points that game?" because he didn't dominate the play or do much flashy at all.

[@kpk33x]

Gretzky's prime lasted through the 90-91 season. It ended with Gary Suter's cheap shot to the back that flung him awkwardly to the boards during the 1991 Canada Cup in September and started his back problems. He wasn't the same player after that (but still won a scoring title, had a couple more 100 point seasons, and still led NHL in assists annually). I got to see him play live in 1995.

[@henrikhirsimaa]

bla bla bla. We talking about stanley cup with Finnish sandwich !! Kurri, Tikkanen, Summanen and Ruotsalainen 1984, 85, 87 and 1990 !

[@danpro4519]

It's always interesting to think how Gretzky would perform in today's NHL if he were born in, say, 1998. Assuming he had modern training/conditioning, how would would he score head-to-head against McDavid? I think McDavid would have him beat in pure speed/skill, but was Wayne's talented vision and sense something that would still give him the edge in today's game? My sense is that Gretzky's skill was far beyond what he had on paper, and even today he'd be probably be tops in the league.

[@thinkforyourself5672]

I've always wondered that. How would the star player's from the 90's perform now? Watching highlights they're slower, don't shoot as hard, don't skate as well and the Goalies were less skilled. Would the greats still be great? Or would some of those skills needed today not translate? Too slow? Not a good enough skater? Super interesting to think about

[@SteveN-qo5uv]

I think all the great skilled players of the 80s and 90s would be monsters in today’s game having had the same development as the players of the last 10-15 years. I think Gretzky would dominate in todays more skilled game. Think about it: Less physical, no goons, less hitting, smaller players than his era, no 2-line pass rule and no holding. He’d have 100 pts a season just in assists. Bossy, Dionne, Yzerman, Lemieux, Jagr, Sakic, Forsberg etc would be elite players in todays game coming up the same way players do now.

[@christophereverett2353]

If Mcjesus had to play back then he would be out concussed. All Those tropes you said those folks grew up with. The sissy one hand slash didn't exist. The hooking you could literally ski behind someone with your stick. Then hitting somebody with a shoulder or forearm to the jaw was legal beagle baby. Not to mention the rule changes that allow this generation to score more. remember the two line pass went away, the neutral zone shrank, and goalies can't play the puck outside a trapazoid that didn't exist then. Just to clarify they made the O zone bigger and shrank the neutral zone to make it harder to trap. All this to say if those players had the new training and equipment of today with the shit they dealt with back then...... they would be deadly today!

[@bmac5989]

He would do even better now than then, More open ice. More space behind the net. The "trap" era would have reduced his tallies.

[@danpro4519]

@@bmac5989 I think you guys are overlooking how much better goalies are today. I think your average player and coaching systems are better too.

[@Damic_Damic]

My favorite fun fact is that Wayne and Brent Gretzky are the point leader brothers in the NHL. Brent contributes only 4 points to that.

[@russellburgess684]

The Henry and Tommy Aaron of hockey

[@BufordTGleason]

He broke records like Babe Ruth and Wilt Chamberlain. 100 points was of a great season before this guy came along and doubled that. The distance that he created between next best player in the league was extraordinary

[@WhoDissGuy]

Gretzky retired in 1999 and the two line pass was eliminated in 2005. Not sure why that was mentioned.

[@GIVEMESN1PE]

Not even watching the video but I can tell you for a fact some of the goalies he played against couldnt stop a beach ball

[@henrikhirsimaa]

Who was his assistant in Edmonton ? Jari Kurri from Finland.

[@swavekbu4959]

Look at the all-time point totals of all players to ever play. Gretzky is in a league of his own, nobody even remotely close. What is the spread, like 800 or more points? It's insane.

[@im.waldo.]

Was there ever another 99 in the nhl? Or in hockey in general?

[@ericsaxon5736]

Loved Gretzky when he played but I was just a kid back then. I wish I could compare McDavid and some of the others today to him but they are playing a different game of hockey. And if you're not sure what I'm talking about, have a look at that tape again and look at the goalies who only cover 25% of the goal instead of the pads that cover 80% of the goal today. So I'd love to see McDavid perform against the same goalies today, and then compare numbers. Currently, we're watching two different sports.

[@The_Zilli]

Even compared to Jordan, Lebron and any other superstar from other leagues, Gretzkys accomplishments compared to the rest of his peers shows that there is no equal. And never will be.

[@falmark187]

100 assists in a season has only been done 14 times in NHL history 11 of those by A prime Gretzky so i would say he was damn good in his Prime.

[@michaelmoore946]

"Easily slipping away from opponents," shows Fedorov stealing the puck from him from the famous "Gretzky had it, lost it" moment where Yzerman scored from the blue line and eliminated the blues from the playoffs on that same play.

[@isaakb4442]

It's a bit weird how @5:57 you say "It was as if he had a sixth sense, always in the right place at the right time".... but show a clip of the Oilers getting scored on by the Islanders. How does that clip illustrate that statement? I can't even see Gretzky on the ice in that clip.

[@TheHockeyVault]

Thanks for the feedback. Only my second video I ever made, piecing it along as I go

[@kevieboy420]

That's my cousin that doesn't know I exist lol. Truest 🐐 of 🐐

[@michaelgriffiths8068]

The two line pass off side rule was not eliminated during his career as it incorrectly states in this video. It was changed in 2005 (6 seasons after he retired).

[@hahshsdh4646464]

Really really good...best field vision/intellegence of any athlete ever

[@charlieb308]

He was so good that the year he scored 92 goals only 9 other guys in the league even had 50, a league of 500 guys…he was so good he’s the only guy age 35-36 to get 100 points and that was during the low scoring trap league years that allowed hooking and holding.

[@bmac5989]

The "grunge era" of hockey.

[@dannycarlow8204]

Howe had 103 points at age 40.

[@charlieb308]

@@dannycarlow8204 that’s right, I forgot about Howe