Let me start off with this: there are 3 main offensive stats in hockey – Points, Goals, and Assists.
Points – 1. Wayne Gretzky – 2,856 2. Mark Messier – 1,855
Goals – 1. Wayne Gretzky – 894 2. Gordie Howe – 801
Assists – 1. Wayne Gretzky – 1,962 2. Mark Messier – 1,171
There is no explanation needed. Gretzky is simply just on a whole different level in terms of production. If I were to divide the three remaining main sports up, (NBA, MLB, and NFL) no other player holds the record for all three of the most important offensive stats, or defensive for that matter, in their respective sport for their career. Also, Gretzky holds 61 total NHL records, a record in its own since no one else in the other sports holds that many records for their sport.
For a complete list of his achievements, here's a good site for that.
Any athlete knows that it takes more than just records to be defined a great athlete, and Wayne Gretzky is more than just his own record book.
Simply put, Gretzky is a God against Men. Instead of talking about how he’s the definition of perfection, let me show you:“Thought of as a shifty set-up player, Gretzky was a whirling dervish, blending effortlessness and craftiness as the type of athlete the sport had never seen. He was grace under pressure, sneaky fast and dazzling on skates. He saw the entire ice the way a modern-day defenseman does. If Bobby Orr and Howe revolutionized the game, Gretzky took what became before him and molded the metaphorical clay into the perfect threat, perfect player and perfect athlete.” – Ken Klavan, Bleacher Report
I’ll admit it, choosing one greatest athlete of all time is not an exact science and there is no one true answer, but given his raw talent, the production, and the legacy, Wayne Gretzky certainly makes a strong case for the title of Greatest Athlete of All Time.
Athletes from different sports should never be compared. What's required from the athlete in one sport does not necessarily meet the needs of another. Take, for example golf versus hockey. You can't compare one versus the other to come up with the best. You have to judge each sport individually and choose the best for each.
ReplyDeleteActually, all athletes can be compared regardless whether they play the same sport. Sports are just another form of entertainment, and athletes can be compared on the basis of the impact they have on fans and the sport they play. Gretzky was clearly the greatest hockey player in history and no other athlete had the impact he did in his sport. I rest my case Stan.
ReplyDeleteI agree Gretzky was the best hockey player of all times, but the best athlete, no. How can you compare him with the decathlon athletes. He couldn't compete with them in their various sports, nor could they compete with him in hockey. You just can't pick one athlete as the best, only the best in his or her field.
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