ExiledInIllinois Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 I see that Crosby is the 2nd NHL teenager to score 200 points. Gretsky did it while getting hip checked, boarded, roughed, cross-checked, speared, tripped, gloved, etc. I am calling bullsh*t on you Cincy! Ya... Right... If a player did that to Gretzky... The only one getting "hip checked, boarded, roughed, cross-checked, speared, tripped, gloved, etc." was that player... Remember what MMc did to Donald Brashear? Nice when you can have a potential felon protecting you! You didn't touch Gretzky without McSorley getting you back... While playing for the Oilers, McSorley served as one of the team's enforcers and protected Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, and Mark Messier. Gretzky, in turn, refused to allow the trade that sent him to the Los Angeles Kings on August 9, 1988 unless McSorley was included. Nice to be traded with your bodyguard... I have always said, the "new rules" are not "backwards compatible" (somebody will get killed or paraylized) with old-time hockey mixed in with these "new rules"... On the other hand, old-time hockey is compatible with anything! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Well, I certainly don't have perfect memory. I do recall a number of hits on Gretsky before he was declared off-limits, ala Michael Jordan. Fights ensued when the Edmonton team stuck up for him. On that account, I've no specific recollection, but Gretsky was a tough enough player IMO, and I assume when there was a general melee he didn't shrink away. Gretzky was a wuss. He had one major penalty in his career, getting the crap kicked out of him by Neil Broten of the North Stars. Fights ensued whenever anyone touched the guy. No player was hit less in the history of hockey. But I cannot agree with you that the game is better than ever. A sport so intense by its nature, and one that can make an icer just...plain...angry, the usual 3 minute shift still on the ice causing considerable fatigue - and now with the powers that be, blowing a whistle at a frown. Too many rules. Let 'em play...IMO. Dude, no offense but no one has taken a 3 minute shift in 25 years. The game is way too intense for that. You see a guy out there past a minute and a half and he's standing still praying for a whistle. These guys are world class athletes and that's the biggest change in the game. The problem with the "let them play" mentality is it gave us the "Left Wing Lock" and "Neutral Zone Trap", which all but killed the game. The officials do let them play now more than ever, as witnessed by guys like Briere and St Louis being allowed to work their magic without getting tackled, hooked, face washed, etc. You know, things Wayne Gretzky took for granted while he was winning Lady Bing trophies for not getting his skirt wrinkled. BTW, you might want to try and find a copy of Hockey Digest from February of 1990, it's the one where Gretzky all but begs for fighting to be abolished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Gretzky was a wuss. He had one major penalty in his career, getting the crap kicked out of him by Neil Broten of the North Stars. Fights ensued whenever anyone touched the guy. No player was hit less in the history of hockey. Dude, no offense but no one has taken a 3 minute shift in 25 years. The game is way too intense for that. You see a guy out there past a minute and a half and he's standing still praying for a whistle. These guys are world class athletes and that's the biggest change in the game. The problem with the "let them play" mentality is it gave us the "Left Wing Lock" and "Neutral Zone Trap", which all but killed the game. The officials do let them play now more than ever, as witnessed by guys like Briere and St Louis being allowed to work their magic without getting tackled, hooked, face washed, etc. You know, things Wayne Gretzky took for granted while he was winning Lady Bing trophies for not getting his skirt wrinkled. BTW, you might want to try and find a copy of Hockey Digest from February of 1990, it's the one where Gretzky all but begs for fighting to be abolished. I agree! So what are you saying AD... "The Great One" was "Euro" before "Euro"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CircleTheWagons Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Suter nailed him in the '91 Canada Cup. It's probably on Youtube somewhere. Here it is Thanks. It's at the 6:00 mark of Coach's Corner. Not really a clean hit, but Suter was probably taking out his frustration from the old Oiler - Flames rivalry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justnzane Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Here it is Thanks. It's at the 6:00 mark of Coach's Corner. Not really a clean hit, but Suter was probably taking out his frustration from the old Oiler - Flames rivalry. yeah that was dirty as hell and then showed how suter f***ed up kariya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taterhill Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 I am calling bullsh*t on you Cincy! Ya... Right... If a player did that to Gretzky... The only one getting "hip checked, boarded, roughed, cross-checked, speared, tripped, gloved, etc." was that player... Remember what MMc did to Donald Brashear? Nice when you can have a potential felon protecting you! You didn't touch Gretzky without McSorley getting you back... While playing for the Oilers, McSorley served as one of the team's enforcers and protected Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, and Mark Messier. Gretzky, in turn, refused to allow the trade that sent him to the Los Angeles Kings on August 9, 1988 unless McSorley was included. Nice to be traded with your bodyguard... I have always said, the "new rules" are not "backwards compatible" (somebody will get killed or paraylized) with old-time hockey mixed in with these "new rules"... On the other hand, old-time hockey is compatible with anything! Dave Semenko protected Gretzky as an oiler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Dave Semenko protected Gretzky as an oiler Him too!... Nice to see that WG had two "bodyguards"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taterhill Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Gretzkys fights.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taterhill Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Him too!... Nice to see that WG had two "bodyguards"... Semenko passed the baton to McSqirrely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Gretzkys fights.... He also kind of fought Phil Sykes of the Kings but Jari Kurri was jumping on top of the 2 of them so there weren't (m)any real shots thrown. It was actually pretty hilarious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Dave Semenko protected Gretzky as an oiler And Lee Fogolin. And Kevin McClellan. And Mark Messier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Gretzkys fights.... Telling quote by the TSN Commentator: "In a rare example of taking matters into his own hands..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 While Wayne is certainly as money grubbing and two-faced as anyone I can think of, he's still not wrong about where he'd fit today. He'd still possess his vision and game acumen but he'd get hit a hell of a lot more than he ever did when he was playing and his talent margin from his era wouldn't extend to today. I don't know what games you're watching but there's still plenty of physical play in the NHL (though the stuff in front of the net has cut down). It's funny that you think it's ice follies with sticks but point at Wayne Gretzky, a player who never got hit in his NHL career. Ever. If you had said Mario Lemieux, you'd have somewhat of an argument. Though Mario never complained about being hit, only the clutching, grabbing and hooking that ruined the game for over a decade. The game is better today than ever. Now that they've loosened up on the instigator rule (a clear admission that the rule should never have been imposed in the first place, but like all bureaucracies can't go all out and just get rid of their mistake), we're already seeing an increase in fighting. Now if they'd just encourage the occasional line brawl while getting rid of clowns like Boogard... I say get rid of the helmets. That'll wipe the toothy grin off their faces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 I say get rid of the helmets. That'll wipe the toothy grin off their faces. I agree... I drive A LOT safer when I don't buckle up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Gretzky was a wuss. He had one major penalty in his career, getting the crap kicked out of him by Neil Broten of the North Stars. Fights ensued whenever anyone touched the guy. No player was hit less in the history of hockey. Dude, no offense but no one has taken a 3 minute shift in 25 years. The game is way too intense for that. You see a guy out there past a minute and a half and he's standing still praying for a whistle. These guys are world class athletes and that's the biggest change in the game. The problem with the "let them play" mentality is it gave us the "Left Wing Lock" and "Neutral Zone Trap", which all but killed the game. The officials do let them play now more than ever, as witnessed by guys like Briere and St Louis being allowed to work their magic without getting tackled, hooked, face washed, etc. You know, things Wayne Gretzky took for granted while he was winning Lady Bing trophies for not getting his skirt wrinkled. BTW, you might want to try and find a copy of Hockey Digest from February of 1990, it's the one where Gretzky all but begs for fighting to be abolished. If hockey was politics, AD, you would be a progressive libertarian! But, this ain't politics! I agree with everything you have said in this thread. Not sure where exactly you stand on the shoot-out, but I actually like it quite a bit. I really don't think of it as gimmicky at all. To me, as Bluefire pointed out, beyond being entertaining as hell (that 8 round shootout the Sabres lost to Boston a few weeks ago was a blast), it adds a whole new strategy to the game. The problem with ties in the past was that there was very little motivation for teams to try to win them, once they had locked up a point. I had a personal streak, at one point, of going to Buffalo 4 seasons in a row, in the mid-90's, and taking in a Sabres game. Each of the four ended in a tie...you walk out of the arena feeling a little gyped. Now, with the shootout, a lesser talanted team going up against a team like Buffalo, will have more motivation to pour it on during the 5 minute OT. It just makes for a better game. I have never been a huge fan of rampant fighting in the game (though I have no problem with physical play, it is hockey after all), precisely because it leads to, eventually, the boring hockey we had in the late 1990's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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