Mike vernon, ron hextall, grant fuhr, curtis joseph, dominik hasek, tom barraso, patrick roy, mike richter, ed belfour… the goaltending was just fine back in the day.
MiloGoesToTheFatFarm
Ovechkin isn’t better than Gretzky
Active-Possibility77
Remember those two lines you couldn’t pass over too
john-tockcoasten
Do Cups matter?
Porkchopp33
Era is now goalies are bigger and more athletic than ever but IMO Hasek and Broudeur are two of the best ever
TapInevitable
No, it was the technology and technique that’s does. I have used and have experienced pads and equipment form this era and they are heavy and get heavier throughout the game. The butterfly was used but goalies did not do slide’s when in the position and most goalies still used combo saves for low shots. The stand up era of goalies really relies on reflexes, desperation saves, poke checks, and strength/ conditioning. The game was also a lot slower and simpler making it more easier for the goalies as well.
Billy smith, Grant Fuhr, ken Dryden, they would not survive todays game. The wooden player sticks also made shots more predictable then today. That’s why players who were so good back then where plays who could be deceptive with there shots, like Mario and Gretz
I think ovie’s stick is made from material you can only get from an asteroid or something
Indigo-Snake
It’s not like every game in the 80’s were 8-6 and every game in the 2010’s we’re 1-0…
Chewie_i
I always love when people make the argument that Gretzky was only so good because the goaltending and such was bad at the time. If that’s the case, you’d think more people would have been as good as 99
luizmcorrea1
the game always evolves
JacksonHoled
When people ask Who’s the best player ever you gotta consider vs his era. I mean Maurice Rocket Richard wouldnt be better than any curret NHLer currently. The guy was working a second job during summers.
whyamihereimnotsure
This isn’t a valid comparison when all of these photos are taken from different angles, different distances, goalies in various states of movement, etc.
Presenting an argument like this is basically just bait and misinformation.
hotDamQc
Gretzky and Lemieux had two guys holding and hooking them all night long. Almost impossible to compare but Gretzky dominated far more the rest of the players compared to Ovi
Randy_Iam_The_Liquor
If Wayne Gretzky never scored a single goal, he would still be the NHL’s all-time scoring leader with 1,963 points.
Friggin_Grease
My argument to all of these Gretzky arguments is « why didn’t anyone else do it then? »
AssumptionSome4201
how come no one else in the 80’s scored like Gretzky? if as you say all the goalies were dust.
Mcpops1618
Now do the sticks they use
RememberThatDream
Gretzky era stick vs Ovi era stick
Gretzky era training vs Ovi era training
Gretzky era partying vs…wait nevermind
You can’t compare eras fairly in either direction
Adventurekris
I’d be willing to bet their gear weighed a lot more and probably not near as good with range of motion either .
IEC21
Cropping out the entire net also helps.
NuffinSaid
It’s like the natural competition between the Cheetah and Gazelle. As Gazelles got faster the Cheetah had to keep up and evolution runs away. Goalie equipment got bigger as sticks got better. Sticks these days produce shots never seen in those days, Goalie size and equipment had to catch up to the demand of tougher offensive power
Psychological-Stay16
I’m done arguing with GenZ who have zero knowledge of hockey outside of the last 15 yrs. you couldn’t pass over 2 lines. Yes that’s right you couldn’t pass from your own end across center frickin ice. Guys literally got run, chopped, clutched, grapped, held, you name it and no calls. There wasn’t Powerplay every other minute. It was a completely different sport and half of the 150poubd soaking wet high goal scorers nowadays would have been killed and in a hospital if they tried to play in the NHL 20 yrs ago. It’s a completely open ice zero clutch grab. Every team gets 5 power plays a game. 3 on 3 pond hockey OT. And back then there were never any calls in the last 5 mins of a game. You had to kill someone to commit a penalty. A Powerplay in OT playoff hockey!?!? Lmfaoooo never happened. Now adays a D man clears a puck accidentally over glass hey Powerplay in game 7 OT. And again if it was so easy to score back then then why didn’t everyone put up Wayne Gretzky numbers?
123blakes
Gretzky era using wooden sticks…
SeasonCertain
So, goaltending has definitely evolved. Pads etc and also technique. If you look at classic kick save goalies it’s pretty rough. The 80s was also an all time high for goal scoring. However, obviously Gretzky is Gretzky. Still don’t quite think it’s a discussion. You could argue Ovi has had more longevity as a goal scorer because Gretzky’s goal scoring went down as he got older like it does with most players not named Ovi. But that’s about it.
26 Comments
Now do sticks.
Mike vernon, ron hextall, grant fuhr, curtis joseph, dominik hasek, tom barraso, patrick roy, mike richter, ed belfour… the goaltending was just fine back in the day.
Ovechkin isn’t better than Gretzky
Remember those two lines you couldn’t pass over too
Do Cups matter?
Era is now goalies are bigger and more athletic than ever but IMO Hasek and Broudeur are two of the best ever
No, it was the technology and technique that’s does. I have used and have experienced pads and equipment form this era and they are heavy and get heavier throughout the game. The butterfly was used but goalies did not do slide’s when in the position and most goalies still used combo saves for low shots. The stand up era of goalies really relies on reflexes, desperation saves, poke checks, and strength/ conditioning. The game was also a lot slower and simpler making it more easier for the goalies as well.
Billy smith, Grant Fuhr, ken Dryden, they would not survive todays game. The wooden player sticks also made shots more predictable then today. That’s why players who were so good back then where plays who could be deceptive with there shots, like Mario and Gretz
Bring back the « giant Vasilevskiy » memes!
[Vasilevskiy gear](https://images.app.goo.gl/pT9Y8CYKKrasrmiZA)
Gretzkys stick literally grew on a tree
I think ovie’s stick is made from material you can only get from an asteroid or something
It’s not like every game in the 80’s were 8-6 and every game in the 2010’s we’re 1-0…
I always love when people make the argument that Gretzky was only so good because the goaltending and such was bad at the time. If that’s the case, you’d think more people would have been as good as 99
the game always evolves
When people ask Who’s the best player ever you gotta consider vs his era. I mean Maurice Rocket Richard wouldnt be better than any curret NHLer currently. The guy was working a second job during summers.
This isn’t a valid comparison when all of these photos are taken from different angles, different distances, goalies in various states of movement, etc.
Presenting an argument like this is basically just bait and misinformation.
Gretzky and Lemieux had two guys holding and hooking them all night long. Almost impossible to compare but Gretzky dominated far more the rest of the players compared to Ovi
If Wayne Gretzky never scored a single goal, he would still be the NHL’s all-time scoring leader with 1,963 points.
My argument to all of these Gretzky arguments is « why didn’t anyone else do it then? »
how come no one else in the 80’s scored like Gretzky? if as you say all the goalies were dust.
Now do the sticks they use
Gretzky era stick vs Ovi era stick
Gretzky era training vs Ovi era training
Gretzky era partying vs…wait nevermind
You can’t compare eras fairly in either direction
I’d be willing to bet their gear weighed a lot more and probably not near as good with range of motion either .
Cropping out the entire net also helps.
It’s like the natural competition between the Cheetah and Gazelle. As Gazelles got faster the Cheetah had to keep up and evolution runs away. Goalie equipment got bigger as sticks got better. Sticks these days produce shots never seen in those days, Goalie size and equipment had to catch up to the demand of tougher offensive power
I’m done arguing with GenZ who have zero knowledge of hockey outside of the last 15 yrs. you couldn’t pass over 2 lines. Yes that’s right you couldn’t pass from your own end across center frickin ice. Guys literally got run, chopped, clutched, grapped, held, you name it and no calls. There wasn’t Powerplay every other minute. It was a completely different sport and half of the 150poubd soaking wet high goal scorers nowadays would have been killed and in a hospital if they tried to play in the NHL 20 yrs ago. It’s a completely open ice zero clutch grab. Every team gets 5 power plays a game. 3 on 3 pond hockey OT. And back then there were never any calls in the last 5 mins of a game. You had to kill someone to commit a penalty. A Powerplay in OT playoff hockey!?!? Lmfaoooo never happened. Now adays a D man clears a puck accidentally over glass hey Powerplay in game 7 OT. And again if it was so easy to score back then then why didn’t everyone put up Wayne Gretzky numbers?
Gretzky era using wooden sticks…
So, goaltending has definitely evolved. Pads etc and also technique. If you look at classic kick save goalies it’s pretty rough. The 80s was also an all time high for goal scoring. However, obviously Gretzky is Gretzky. Still don’t quite think it’s a discussion. You could argue Ovi has had more longevity as a goal scorer because Gretzky’s goal scoring went down as he got older like it does with most players not named Ovi. But that’s about it.