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Arbour wrote: ↑Fri Aug 05, 2022 3:08 pm
The pressing question was why didn't someone run him over and have done with it
Gary Suter did just that in a Canada Cup series I believe.
Course Semenko was nowhere near...
Arbour wrote: ↑Fri Aug 05, 2022 3:08 pm
I don't buy the idea that Semenko was so feared that no one would dare touch Wayne. Perhaps it was more of a situation that you don't bite the hand that feeds you.
Oh, I sensed plenty of fear in players around the league.
Everyone knew what Cement Head's job was.
I don't think there was that much concern about "biting the hand that feeds you" in that era.
Re: Semenko, Doc's right, there was legitimate fear around the league. Part of the extra room Gretzky got was because he was so adept at using his teammates, and his passing was spot on, so all it took was for a player or two to over commit or be out of position, and the Oilers had on odd man situation. With the talent and speed on that team, it was playing with dynamite.
I also remember hearing how he saw plays on the ice develop ahead of time and everything around him seemed in slow motion, yet he could process the game and execute in real time.
Arbour wrote: ↑Fri Aug 05, 2022 3:08 pm
The pressing question was why didn't someone run him over and have done with it
Gary Suter did just that in a Canada Cup series I believe.
Course Semenko was nowhere near...
Arbour wrote: ↑Fri Aug 05, 2022 3:08 pm
I don't buy the idea that Semenko was so feared that no one would dare touch Wayne. Perhaps it was more of a situation that you don't bite the hand that feeds you.
Oh, I sensed plenty of fear in players around the league.
Everyone knew what Cement Head's job was.
I don't think there was that much concern about "biting the hand that feeds you" in that era.
Well I guess we agree to disagree. How many times did you see someone set up behind the net and then get smoked by a back checker. Torres as a back checker comes to mind, amongst others. Never happened to Wayne. Or someone crosses the blue line and cut to the middle and gets nailed. It happened once to Wayne, never happened again, memory fails me as to who it was, but Wayne continued to do it with impunity. Don't nail the stars, particularly those who sell the game to the U.S. and in particular those who can't handle the contact, others could and weren't as prolific point wise and didn't have Gretsky's abilities in respect to other aspects of the game, so the "bubble" didn't apply.
Curmudgeon wrote: ↑Fri Aug 05, 2022 4:48 pmPart of the extra room Gretzky got was because he was so adept at using his teammates, and his passing was spot on, so all it took was for a player or two to over commit or be out of position, and the Oilers had on odd man situation. With the talent and speed on that team, it was playing with dynamite.
I remember hearing about teams assigning a player to shadow Gretzky, so he just stood next to another opposing player. The shadowing player followed him, so now there were two of them next to Wayne, creating an odd-man situation.
Unsurprisingly, this thread skews heavily to old, 70s/80s guys.
But if Ovechkin does the unthinkable, and beats one of Gretzky's records, in the dead pick/double-lockout/covid era, does he move into the top echelon?
I think he does, and Ovie's record will stand forever, along with the rest of Gretzky's.
Lindros was tempting, but I didn't even put him in my HM because of the leaves connection and all.
Both The Rocket and Hull with Gretzky in their primes would have averaged a GPG most seasons. I always thought, if the Canucks hadn't actually crapped the bed with Gretzky, Bure could have scored 80 quite easily with his speed and shot.