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Guest9910
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 Posted - 10/09/2007 : 18:08:54
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What was Gretzky REALLY like as a player before he went to LA? I know he was obviously an amazing player, but I started watching hockey in the playoffs of 1989, his first season with LA. I remember watching him during the 1991 Canada Cup, and seeing something extraordinary. He was amazing in that tournament. I feel that may have been the one glimpse I had in seeing the real Wayne Gretzky, the one that his made him a legend. I never saw that magic again after that Gary Suter hit, though he did get close in the 1993 playoffs with some incredible performances amounting to 40 points. But by then, I think he had lost a step. His Art Ross win in 1994 was definitely not the same Wayne Gretzky I saw in that 1991 Canada Cup. He seemed to be playing more of a transitional game, playing more the odds, more with his head, and expending far less energy.
For those who saw him play for Edmonton when he averaged close to 200 points a year for 10 years, my question is this: Was he really that much better in Edmonton than he was in the early 1990s? Did he do things, physically, he didn't do in LA? Was his play on the ice much different? For those who saw him, I would really appreciate an objective answer. I wish I could have been there to see him in his prime (the Edmonton years). Was the Canada Cup in 1991 the same Wayne Gretzky?
After the Gary Suter hit, his point production dropped from around 160+ points per season to around 120 and 130. Still better than everyone else, but he seemed to have lost a step. But 200 points is so much better than the 160 point seasons he had in the early 1990s, that it seems there is more to it than simply more goals being scored in the 1980s....and better defensive systems in the early 1990s....
Would appreciate answers from those who saw Gretzky play quite a lot in the 80s and 90s. Thanks for you input....
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Guest4115
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Posted - 10/09/2007 : 20:22:17
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This will probably set up another Gretzky is ____ debate. I'll bite and try to keep any biasness out of the post.
Gretz never really relied on speed, physicality or strength. As you've indicated, his game was more cerebral, intelligence, anticipation and vision.
The Oilers Gretzky had insane talent and the style of play of the era was shoot out hockey. Defence was a minor inconvenience of the game. By the mid to late 90s, goalie's equipment was huge, defence first approach was embraced and the dead puck era began along with the clutch and grab. Sure a younger Gretz may have put up some better numbers but not much and not anywhere close to 200, maybe 130-140.
Mario was younger, faster, stronger and more physically talented and slightly less mentally gifted, if he couldn't put up insane numbers (200) during the dead puck era, who could?
Gary Suter is a hack. Gretz wasn't the only player he cheap shotted in his career. |
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Guest7100
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Posted - 10/09/2007 : 20:27:09
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| My favorite thing about one of his records, is that when he got his 50th goal in his 39th game, it was an empty netter to beat the Flyers 7-5. |
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Beans15
Moderator
Canada
8286 Posts |
Posted - 10/09/2007 : 20:38:13
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Guest 4115 said it pretty well. Just to add a few things:
Gretzky in the 91 Canada Cup was the way he played all the time through the early and mid-80's. Offensively speaking, he was so far ahead of everyone else it was not even close. Very much like Orr was in the late 60's and 70's. No one could compare.
And the reason he was so go is the way he thought the game out. And just to throw one disagreement with Guest 4115, Lemieux was not even close to Gretzky in regards to mental gifts. No one was. Not even close.
But he did have a huge benefit of Kurri, Messier, Anderson, Coffey, and Fuhr. Argueable the best 5 players of the 80's. That would be like putting Crosby, Ovechkin, Heatley, Lidstrom, and Luongo on the same team today. It was almost not fair.
Gretzky in his prime through the dead puck era is putting up 160-190 points a year. That's what I think anyway.
Offensively speaking, Gretzky is better than most people talk about. When it comes to the ability to see the game and produce offensive, he still has no equal.
If you are under the age of 15, please do some research before you make a post about anything pre-1997. |
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andyhack
PickupHockey Pro
Japan
891 Posts |
Posted - 10/09/2007 : 21:48:28
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I'd say, yes, he was significantly better in the '80s, even compared to the very high level of some of those early '90s years, and definitely compared to mid-90s years (when he still was good but not anywhere near his '80s level anymore).
I'd also say that, yes, physically he was different in the '80s from the '90s. Allhough he was of course primarily a cerebral player, he was able to use the physical gifts that he did have in a much more offensively aggressive free-wheeling way in the 80s (sorry it's late and I can't think of a better way of explaining it than that sort of general comment at the moment). Obvious reasons would be the great Oilers teams he played on and also, simply, youth. And, yes, also likely the Suter thing.
I suppose it was already starting to change gradually by the mid-80s, but the other major difference is of course, goal scoring. The numbers bear this out clearly, don't they, as he goes from out of this world in the early '80s to quite impressive but in this world by '86/'87 or so. And by the L.A. years he was I suppose downgraded to just a good goal scorer, and then went down a notch more after that. I guess he was a lot more opportunistic in his early years and played with a slightly different mindset shooting-wise perhaps (I don't know - Edmonton guys have any thoughts on what changed for him goal scoring-wise in the mid 80s?).
Anyway, all very impressive indeed. For this reason I rate him so highly on my list of the greatest players ever ! |
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OILINONTARIO
PickupHockey Pro
Canada
816 Posts |
Posted - 10/10/2007 : 06:05:24
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Gretz was naturally inclined to be a set-up guy. The 92 and 87 goal seasons were almost an anomoly. These years, he had decided to shoot more, because his opposition was all expecting him to make a pass. Incredible, isn't it, how dominant this guy was, that he could tweak his game, and as a result, excell in a different area?
The Oil WILL make the playoffs. |
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Guest8372
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Posted - 10/10/2007 : 14:32:33
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quote:
Originally posted by Beans15
Gretzky in his prime through the dead puck era is putting up 160-190 points a year. That's what I think anyway.
Sorry but that's a little high for the dead puck era. Between 81-87 (5 seasons), he averaged a little over 200 points per season!!! That's ridiculous, but true.
At 190 points he would only be 10 points less than his average and only 15 off the highest all time. That can't be right because we see in general terms the dead puck era, the average goals per seasons drop by about 3 goals/game (both teams combined score from about 7 to 4). So what does that mean?
In the early-mid 80s (81-87) an average team had about 300 goals per season (the Oils had over 500 at one time). Assume that each goal had 2 people counted on the assists then you had a possible of 900 points. Gretz's total points averaged 200, so his point production is about 22% of the average team's total possible points.
In the dead puck era an average team had about 220 goals (and that is pushing it, it got so bad at one point where only like two or 3 teams broke the 200 goals per season) or 660 possible points. Taking the same 22% ratio leaves you with about 130-140 points per season. How do you come up with 160-190? |
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Guest5677
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Posted - 10/10/2007 : 18:50:58
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| Ol' Wayne played a diferent game than the rest, he was smart, and innovative. Dude, he's the one that started the 'making plays from behind the other teams net'. He did a lot of firsts, he was modernizing hockey, he wasn't stuck in the seventies like the veterns and older coaches. It was like he had ESP, he could read a play before it happened, that's why he was always in the right place at the right time. Which led to his record breaking triumph. |
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Beans15
Moderator
Canada
8286 Posts |
Posted - 10/10/2007 : 21:01:47
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Ol' Wayne's office (behind the net) was something he adopted from watching Bob Clarke play. Although Gretzky was the best at it, he didn't invent it.
If you are under the age of 15, please do some research before you make a post about anything pre-1997. |
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Guest2372
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Posted - 10/11/2007 : 07:42:18
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I had the pleasure of seeing Wayne play once as an Oiler. I got "standing room only" tickets at the old Montreal Forum back in the 80's. Honestly don't know which other players were there, because I was glued to him the entire game.
I guess what amazed me most was the way he didn't get into the play until the last moment. You could tell he was focused, watching everything, playing angles (the distance to the nearest defencemen, spotting the lane to the net, etc). But he didn't hit guys at all. Maybe he thought that might attract attention, maybe his seemingly slight frame couldn't have taken it. But then the puck would bounce out into the slot, he'd glide up and take a wicked shot. Crazy. A 5 point night, which seemed pretty normal back then.
I saw Mario play a couple times as well. He always struck me as much stronger than Wayne (willing to give & take bodychecks), but the defence always seemed more aware of him, so he didn't float into a play unmarked, like Gretzky seemed to. Mario's goals often hit the highlight reel because they were sheer speed, skill & power. Exciting to watch. But it seemed only Wayne Gretzky could have "just another 5 point night".
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Guest9726
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Posted - 10/11/2007 : 12:26:54
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After reading your comments I feel extremely fortunate to have grown up when i did. The Edmonton Oilers was my first love in hockey due to Wayne Gretzky.
I was eight years old, struggling to watch the oilers games which always started at 10:30pm et (as i live in ottawa). I was able to see Wayne play from when he was traded from the indianapolis racers of the WHA to his retirement with the rangers. He's the only player that was not allowed to be picked in my dad's office hockey pools. That's how lopsided his point totals were in comparison to the rest of the league.
If anyone wants to see video of wayne in his glory and some really nice behind the scenes of his glory years, check out the following videos.
The boys on the bus
Wayne Gretzky: Above and Beyond |
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Guest5677
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Posted - 10/11/2007 : 16:29:02
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| I was in northlands collisium when they beat the flyers...game 7 |
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fly4apuckguy
PickupHockey Pro
Canada
834 Posts |
Posted - 10/14/2007 : 22:31:31
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It was easy for him, no other way to really describe it. He was so far above everyone else in terms of intelligence, that no one could defend it.
A guy could say a lot about how things have changed, and they have. Players are bigger, better and stronger. Goalies are far better now (or at least they have far better equipment).
But the truth is, if you watched the guy play in the 80's, you knew you were watching someone play a game at a level above what anyone else was capable of playing. Kind of like watching Tiger golf, or Roger Federer play tennis.
The 1991 Canada Cup hit by Suter is bang-on. That was the beginning of the end for Gretz. He was never really the same consistently after that. He was still better than almost everybody, though, but not the same.
The 200 point seasons were deserved. There will be faster, stronger players with better shots, but I am sure I will never see someone as intelligent with his anticipation, even if I live to be 150.
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Edited by - fly4apuckguy on 10/14/2007 22:33:17 |
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fly4apuckguy
PickupHockey Pro
Canada
834 Posts |
Posted - 10/14/2007 : 22:36:05
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quote:
Originally posted by Guest9726
If anyone wants to see video of wayne in his glory and some really nice behind the scenes of his glory years, check out the following videos.
The boys on the bus
Wayne Gretzky: Above and Beyond
Sorry to double-post, but I just saw this. "The Boys On The Bus". That is a tremendous video. Not only does it give you insight into Gretz, but also to the Oiler team as a whole. I'm extremely sure we'll never see another Gretzky, but I am 100% positive we'll never have a team like that around again. Who could afford it? |
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willus3
Moderator
Canada
1948 Posts |
Posted - 10/15/2007 : 08:43:45
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quote:
Originally posted by Guest9910
[br
For those who saw him play for Edmonton when he averaged close to 200 points a year for 10 years, my question is this: Was he really that much better in Edmonton than he was in the early 1990s? Did he do things, physically, he didn't do in LA? Was his play on the ice much different? For those who saw him, I would really appreciate an objective answer. I wish I could have been there to see him in his prime (the Edmonton years). Was the Canada Cup in 1991 the same Wayne Gretzky?
After the Gary Suter hit, his point production dropped from around 160+ points per season to around 120 and 130. Still better than everyone else, but he seemed to have lost a step. But 200 points is so much better than the 160 point seasons he had in the early 1990s, that it seems there is more to it than simply more goals being scored in the 1980s....and better defensive systems in the early 1990s....
Would appreciate answers from those who saw Gretzky play quite a lot in the 80s and 90s. Thanks for you input....
Gretzky was always an absolutely phenomenal offensive player.
You ask about his production not hitting 200 points a season after 86. The single biggest factor here is Paul Coffey. Gretzky was able to achieve those 200 point seasons because of Coffey. Don't underestimate how good offensively Coffey was. When Coffey was rolling Gretz put up his 200 point seasons. Coffey gets hurt in 86-87 and has 67 points. Gretzky's total drops 20 some points from previous season. Coffey leaves the team the next season Gretzky's output going by ppg over 80 games puts him in the 180 point range again.
Coffey was what pushed Grtzky's totals up over 200 in those seasons.
He did very much the same thing for Lemieux once in Pittsburgh.
Don't let anyone ever tell you that Gretzky didn't benefit from having excellent talent around him.
"You are not your desktop wallpaper" |
Edited by - willus3 on 10/15/2007 08:45:16 |
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Beans15
Moderator
Canada
8286 Posts |
Posted - 10/15/2007 : 10:21:03
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Great Point Willus. Like I said, Gretzky, Kurri, Messier, Coffey, and Fuhr could easily be in the top 10 player of the 80's. Throw in Anderson and that is sick.
It would be like Ottawa today adding Lidstrom, Crosby, and Luongo. Would it even be fair??
But Fly is right, with the economics of the game today, seeing another team like the 80's Oilers (or the early 90's Penguins, early 80's Islanders, late 70's Habs, or late 60's early 70's Bruins) will never happen again.
If you are under the age of 15, please do some research before you make a post about anything pre-1997. |
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Guest6199
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Posted - 10/15/2007 : 10:33:06
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any player that can score 70 points or more than runner up who happens to be mario lemieux is one of a kind player - i watched him play in the eighties and i dont know in my lifetime if there will ever come another player like gretzky. mario was close but still second class, everyone else pretty much 3rd class. the answer is clear of the point drop off -nhl wanted to expand to the u.s which was all about done(still struggling but better)they sent the best player to los angeles, and brought the nhl to the states. all i can say is lone wolf mccade
Player Team GP G A PTS
Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers 80 52 163 215
Mario Lemieux Pittsburgh Penguins 79 48 93 141
Paul Coffey Edmonton Oilers 79 48 90 138
Jari Kurri Edmonton Oilers 78 68 63 131
Mike Bossy New York Islanders 80 61 62 123
Peter Stastny Quebec Nordiques 76 41 81 122
Denis Savard Chicago Black Hawks 80 47 69 116
Mats Naslund Montreal Canadiens 80 43 67 110
Dale Hawerchuk Winnipeg Jets 80 46 59 105
Neal Broten Minnesota North Stars 80 29 76 105
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fly4apuckguy
PickupHockey Pro
Canada
834 Posts |
Posted - 10/15/2007 : 17:58:34
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| 163 assists. Can you even believe that? That's just ridiculous. Not too many off nights when you average 2 assists a game. Man, I watched it and it still seems unreal. |
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Beans15
Moderator
Canada
8286 Posts |
Posted - 10/15/2007 : 18:32:12
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I don't want to get into a big stats rant, but if he wouldn't have had a goal at all the year he had 163 assists, he would have had the 9th highest all time point season in history.
Only Mario Lemiuex has had a season of more than 163 points.
Gretzky had that in assists alone.
How about the fact that the most assists in one game is 7. Bill Taylor did it once, in 46-47. Gretzky did that THREE TIMES!!!
Remember, it's not the numbers that made Gretzky great. The stats were a symptom of how amazingly well he played the game!
If you are under the age of 15, please do some research before you make a post about anything pre-1997. |
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fly4apuckguy
PickupHockey Pro
Canada
834 Posts |
Posted - 10/18/2007 : 20:45:09
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quote:
Originally posted by Beans15
Remember, it's not the numbers that made Gretzky great. The stats were a symptom of how amazingly well he played the game!
This is a great quote...so true. |
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Guest0942
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Posted - 10/19/2007 : 17:46:55
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Thanks to everyone who has given me insight to my original question on what Gretzky was like in the 80s vs the early 90s. I really wish I could have been there! Well, I was, but I wish I had watched hockey as a kid! I know I haven't seen a player since who can do the same things as the Gretzky I saw in that 1991 Canada Cup.
I remember being naive and impressionable during that tournament, watching Gretzky totally confuse the opposition in incredible ways. Against (was it Sweden?), taking the puck into his office while killing a penalty, and holding it there for about 60 seconds, I kid you not. Holding the balance of an entire game, an entire arena captivated by a puppetier on skates, while everyone just stood waiting for something to happen, waiting for whatever play would materialize into a goal like it had so many times before. During the same penalty kill, watching him skate circles around the neutral zone without even being touched, everyone just being mesmerized, and then watching him dipsy into the offensive blue line and, instead of heading in to try and score, curling back to the neutral zone, still puck on a string, and doing another skate around the neutral zone. Right then, after that penalty kill, I understood why he was arguably the best player in the world, and he hadn't even scored a goal or an assist. |
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nashvillepreds
PickupHockey Veteran
Canada
1053 Posts |
Posted - 10/19/2007 : 18:08:49
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I was young during the Canada cup but i remember watching one game with my grandfather and he told me to watch for Gretzky. It wasn't very hard to find him because he was always the guy with the puck deking around eveybody. I've never ever seen another player who can even come close to his standards and how he controlled the game
GO PREDATORS GO |
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Beans15
Moderator
Canada
8286 Posts |
Posted - 10/19/2007 : 19:59:42
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Interesting, the Gretzky I clearly remember was the guy you never noticed. He was the one who would touch the puck once in the neutral zone, setting up the break in. Then, he would dissappear. Next thing you know, he would re-appear, normally uncovered, and either scoring a goal or setting up a goal.
That was the Gretzky that was amazing to me and was the most effective. The nights he was deking around everyone were his off nights.
And if you think the 91 Canada Cup was sick, find a video of the 87 Canada Cup. Gretzky in his prime and Lemieux coming into his own. Setting the historics of 72 behind for a second, the 87 Canada Cup, in my opinion, is the most impressive piece of offensive hockey ever. It was basically all Lemieux and Gretzky.
If you are under the age of 15, please do some research before you make a post about anything pre-1997. |
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nashvillepreds
PickupHockey Veteran
Canada
1053 Posts |
Posted - 10/20/2007 : 06:21:29
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During the Canada cup though, he was all over the place. the announcers and cameramen always caught him sneaking in for a good scoring chance.
GO PREDATORS GO |
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willus3
Moderator
Canada
1948 Posts |
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kingwoody2
Top Prospect
72 Posts |
Posted - 12/16/2007 : 18:41:25
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Dude: I was lucky enough to watch Gretzky in the 80's and no one is better. Just watch this and you will be impressed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFX0dVXNDXw&feature=related
Still impresses me to this day. The guy was in the right spot all the time and knew where to put the puck. He would still win the scoring race today. |
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hockster
PickupHockey Pro
Canada
437 Posts |
Posted - 01/10/2008 : 17:31:58
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I have seen him but not in person
He was great
The way he played was spectacular like magic.
LOL
It looks like he is a pretty good coach too. |
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hockster
PickupHockey Pro
Canada
437 Posts |
Posted - 01/10/2008 : 18:19:34
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Yes i thought he was a terrible coach last year
i thought he should step down
But this year he truly is the great one
He has got my vote for coach of the year so far |
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leumas
Top Prospect
Canada
10 Posts |
Posted - 01/16/2008 : 17:53:18
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I grew up in Edmonton during the Oiler glory days. Watched every game I could. Read about Gretz in the paper every day. Went to a couple games with my Dad. Hell, me and my buddies used to pretend we were Gretzky whenever we played road hockey. Which was a lot back then because the entire city was crazy about hockey and Gretzky. His face was everywhere. Everyone talked about him. Chicks wanted him. He was God-like!
My memories of him playing are much like the youtube vid. ( I wish they would've shown a bunch of his assists too.) There were some beauties.
People talk about how Gretzky's stats were padded by the likes of Messier, Kurri, Coffey, etc. and I really have to disagree. He was the spark plug of that team in so many ways. He changed the way those guys played the game bigtime. He changed the way everyone played! He opened people's minds.
However the most amazing thing about that team was their ability to feed off of each other and especially the crowd. I can remember it was almost common place to watch games where the Oilers were down 2 or even 3 goals and then suddenly they would make a lightning comeback. It would be 3-1 for the other guys in game 7 with only 5 minutes left and you just somehow "knew" that they would get it done.
It was a very exciting team to watch.
One memory sticks in my mind and is quite funny.
During the Gretzky hey day in Edmonton when everybody was "Gretzky crazy " you would hear all kinds of terrible rumours about the guy. Everyone would be buzzing about how Gretzky got injured a car accident, or he was on drugs, or he was dead! We would be terribly relieved when we found out these rumours weren't true. It was almost like the newspapers and radio shows were the ones starting these rumours because at this point, everything you could possibly write or say about Wayne had been said a million times. They needed some doom and gloom news to get attention.
There was this one game in particular on TV, where Wayne gets clipped as he's skating out of his own end and he slides "apparently" unconcious right into the center ice circle. He's basically lying right on his back on the center ice button! Knocked out! Unconcious! Dead! Everyone is in a tizzy. My parents are relatives are panicking as we watch the horror. They even dimmed the lights and had a spotlight of him lying there by himself at center ice for Godsakes! As a kid I was completely traumatized by this event. I often wonder if it was a set-up? It seems so obvious but I've never heard or seen anything about that game ever again. Sometimes I wonder if I dreamed it. Maybe it's just an embarrassing memory of Waynes and they've never shown it out of respect. Who knows. If anyone else remembers this game I'd love to hear it.
Anyway I may be out of line but think if a young Gretzky played in today's NHL, he might not get 200pts, but he would find a way to dominate. He was that good!!!
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Beans15
Moderator
Canada
8286 Posts |
Posted - 01/16/2008 : 18:42:22
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Wow, living in Edmonton my whole life and being one of the biggest Gretzky fans I have ever met, this is the first time I have even heard of this story.
And I don't recall a single time where there were rumors of him on drugs or dead or anything.
I wonder if one of us lived in some kind of Alternate Universe Edmonton???
Wayne or Bobby?? How about both!!! |
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Guest0596
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Posted - 01/16/2008 : 19:27:34
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| Having lived in Edmonton for the first 30 years of my life, I think I can confirm that there were no rumours implying that Gretz was dead. Peter Pocklington, on the other hand..... |
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Antroman
PickupHockey Pro
Canada
537 Posts |
Posted - 01/16/2008 : 20:55:34
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| If Gretz is dead, who is that guy behind the Coyote's bench? That is a great story for sure. Does anyone else remenber this? It sounds like a child's nightmare that has come to life. |
Edited by - Antroman on 01/16/2008 21:05:43 |
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Guest4609
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Posted - 01/17/2008 : 06:07:21
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| i figure this is a good spot to input this. wayne gretzky in my opinion is MR HOCKEY. what amazes me is for his whole career and up til now, he has maintained that angelic poster boy personna. he is hockey for canadians. all through his career he always put hockey first, never in any sort of trouble, with all that money and fame, wow. that is what amazes me , along with his out of the world, never to be matched skills, you wont see a player like this ever again. |
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PuckNuts
PickupHockey Veteran
Canada
2414 Posts |
Posted - 01/17/2008 : 06:37:32
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The hit heard throughout the NHL was on Jan 14, 1981.
Bill McCreary Jr. is a US born defenseman that was drafted by the Leafs in the 6th round #112 in 1979.
Gretzky took a pass in the forbidden danger zone as he cut across the blue line, McCreary thought to himself wow what an opportunity, so he laid a shoulder into his chest, and down went Gretzky. He sat up for a second, and then rolled over on his back. The lights never dimmed, and there was no spotlight, but Bill McCreary never played a game in the NHL ever again.
You can see the hit here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EahfnX8LGUU
Of coarse you know that this means war!
- - Bugs Bunny
http://www.maldesigns.ca/top50since1967.htm
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willus3
Moderator
Canada
1948 Posts |
Posted - 01/17/2008 : 11:16:24
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To add a little fuel to the protection provided to Gretzky fire, here is an excerpt from an article in the Boston Sunday Globe:
Edmonton policeman laid down the law to Laidlaw
Tom Laidlaw, the defenseman-turned-agent, is among the many who would like to see the NHL dial back on the rules and penalties that govern fighting and aggressive play in general. Way back when, recalled Laidlaw, the players did a pretty good job of policing the rough stuff themselves.
For example, said Laidlaw, there was the night in Edmonton when, working the blue line for the Rangers, he put a decent hit on the untouchable Wayne Gretzky.
"So the whistle blows, and the place is almost dead silent," recalled Laidlaw. "It was always that way in Canadian rinks -- no music blaring or Jumbotron blasting. Just silent. And there's [Oilers coach] Glen Sather, standing up on the bench, and he points right at me on the ice.
"And for everyone to hear -- me, the Ranger bench, the Oiler bench, and the whole crowd -- he yells out, 'Laidlaw, you are going home in a [expletive] body bag.' Kinda got my attention, you know?"
As a follow-up to the promise, Sather rolled Gretzky's policeman, Dave Semenko, over the boards. Heavy of foot and heavier of hand, Semenko made a living just being around as No. 99's space-maker.
"Here comes Semenko," said Laidlaw. "And I mean, boy, he's got that wild look in his eye, and his hair is all over the place, like he just came in from the bush, you know? I'm figuring, 'Oh boy, this is trouble.'
"He comes up to me and says, 'Tommy, are you going to be doing that to Gretz anymore?' I mean, like I say, everyone is watching this. I think for a second, and I know this sounds chicken, but I said, 'You know, Dave, I don't think so. Think I'm all set, thanks.' "
And the game played on. Without incident, said Laidlaw.
"Last time I went to the movies I was thrown out for bringing my own food. My argument was that the concession stand prices are outrageous. Besides, I haven't had a Bar-B-Que in a long time."
-- Steven Wright |
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Beans15
Moderator
Canada
8286 Posts |
Posted - 01/17/2008 : 13:22:47
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I don't think anyone ever argued Gretzky getting protection. It was, in my opinion, a player on his team and not the league who protected him. Semenko and McSorley for the most part.
And on wonder what this Laidlaw guy's opinion would have been if he was a player for the Oilers and got some Rings on his fingers off the stick of the Great One???
The Bodybag comment was mint. Something I think is definately missing in today's NHL.
Wayne or Bobby?? How about both!!! |
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leumas
Top Prospect
Canada
10 Posts |
Posted - 01/18/2008 : 12:33:43
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Thanks for posting that video PuckNuts. I'm not sure if that is the hit that I remember but watching it now I almost blacked out so its possible that my memory of the lights dimming could've been me fainting. :D For some reason I remember it as some sort of publicity stunt or something. Weird?
As far as Oilers rumours go I can't believe that several of the Edmontonians on the forum don't remember any of these. These guys were huge celebrities. What celebrities don't have gossip flying around? I'm sure all these guys were partying and holding their own at the bar and club scene. You would have to expect that they were getting into some kind of trouble. :)
Anyhow I figured I would call up some of my extended family in Edmonton to see if they remembered any of these rumours and specifically the game where Gretz got hit.
It was pretty cool reconnecting with some of my cousins. We talked alot about how our parents would send us downstairs where all the cousins and siblings would pile up on the couch and watch Oilers games. We were huge fans and always had a blast.
First cousin didn't remember the hit but remembered rumours about certain players having an alternate sexual preferences :). (Anderson, Messier, Gretz, Semenko!) Who knows.
The second cousin remembered several drug rumours (coke) and also something about a player getting pulled over for drunk driving. Other rumours about players getting caught with other player's wives, bar fights, etc.
The third cousin didn't remember any of the rumours specifically but he remembered that another older cousin of ours was good friends with a chick who was apparently dating one of the lesser players on the team. I guess its possible that some of these rumours were generated thru that connection with the team. This cousin also told me he wouldn't be surprised if it was just our older brothers and sisters making a bunch of this stuff up just to see our little brains go loopy after hearing that Gretzky was on drugs, or dead. Which when thinking back makes alot of sense considering all the mean stuff our big brothers and sisters used to do to us. I guess if I was in their shoes it probably would've been pretty funny.
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For those who saw Gretzky play for Edmonton... 
