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Wayne Gretzky


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It has been brought to my attention that the general feeling among NHL '94 forum users is that Wayne Gretzky had a weak and flaccid shot. Why? Because EA Sports -- an EXTREMELY mistake-prone company that doesn't know the first thing about hockey -- rated him lowly on shot power? Is that why? YIKES. If EA is the reason some people around here think Gretzky didn't have a hard shot, then you are sorely mistaken.

Back in his heyday, Gretzky had a howitzer of a slap shot! Yeah, he had uncanny precision/accuracy on his slap shot; however, he also had excellent velocity (which is apparently overlooked by the casual fan). Anybody who thinks Gretzky didn't have a great shot obviously never saw Wayne Gretzky in his prime. Heck, they probably never saw Wayne Gretzky AT ALL!

Even at the end of his career, Gretzky still had a pretty darn good slap shot. He just didn't use it as much (if I had the hip problems he had, I wouldn't wind up much either!). Watch some Gretzky highlights when he was a New York Ranger, and you'll see him going against John Vanbiesbrouck (Florida Panthers) and just RIPPING it over Beezer's shoulder. Beezer didn't have a prayer, and that shot was only a SHADOW OF WHAT IT ONCE WAS! From time to time, Gretzky would still rip a few slappers like that at the end of his career.

Another thing to keep in mind: Gretzky in his prime shot with wooden sticks that are even heavier than TODAY'S GOALIE STICKS! I know that for a fact. In fact, I used those same sticks when I was younger (I used Titan).

Most of all, Gretzky's goal numbers declined at the end of his career because his SKATING declined. He was still a good skater, but not the skater he once was. He didn't have the shiftiness that he had earlier in his career. His one-on-one game, which used to be great, was mediocre in his final years. He was still the best at seeing the game, however, and creating plays purely with his vision and tape-to-tape passing.

People who think Gretzky didn't have a great shot are probably the ones who either never saw Gretzky play, or they only saw highlights of him shooting half-assed backhands into the net after embarrassing everybody (including the goalie) with his shiftiness. Or perhaps you watched a bunch of his bank shots off the goalies from behind the net (Gretzky's office).

Before you get any thoughts of insinuating that Gretzky didn't have a great shot, or a great one-on-one game, do yourself a favor: watch footage of Gretzky in his prime (you know, the days where he was more inclined to shoot the puck instead of being so pass-happy all the time). Sure, he didn't have Mario's size or reach, but he still made people miss him with relative ease. Gretzky in his prime wasn't the fastest skater in the league, but he was the best skater with the puck. He could draw you in and then whip a no-look pass to an open man, or he could beat you himself with a subtle change of direction before shooting the puck (an art that was also mastered by Lemieux and Jagr, as well).

Once again, do yourselves a favor: watch footage of Gretzky in his prime. He didn't have a Brett Hull or Ilya Kovalchuk slapper, but it was still a great shot nonetheless (both velocity and accuracy-wise). You will be amazed and enlightened. And here's some food for thought: imagine if Gretzky had Mario's size, strength, and reach! ;)

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I actually have a game used stick of his from Edmonton that he gave my dad after they played (I'm assuming he was with the Whalers then). It is very heavy for a stick.

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You know another misconception about Gretzky was that he was better than Lemeiux.

Of which has nothing to do with this particular topic. I'd thank you to not try to start any flaming homer wars between Lemieux and Gretzky fans. After all, such wars are pointless. Secondly, anybody with a brain would concede that Lemieux himself had more physical talents than Gretzky (many players did and still do). Regardless of Lemieux's greatness (best hockey player ever, in my opinion), it doesn't take anything away from Gretzky's greatness as well. Those two were in a league of their own. I'm tired of pathetic and insecure fans who try to belittle Gretzky's greatness just to make Lemieux look better, and vice-versa. Don't even bother getting defensive, for I see right through you.

I will tell you this: the belief that many Penguins fans are moronic homers is NOT a misconception. Quite frankly, Penguins fans are some of the dumbest fans I've ever seen; however, being a homer is something you can attribute to the general populace of ALL fan bases in hockey. The problem with hockey fans is that 99% of them think they know everything, but only 10% (IF even that) have the slightest clue what they're talking about.

In the meantime, I'd appreciate if you try to start your Lemieux/Gretzky wars elsewhere. Why don't you go back to doing what you do best, and accuse your fellow gamers of cheating, yes? ;)

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Guest Wags13
Of which has nothing to do with this particular topic. I'd thank you to not try to start any flaming homer wars between Lemieux and Gretzky fans. After all, such wars are pointless. Secondly, anybody with a brain would concede that Lemieux himself had more physical talents than Gretzky (many players did and still do). Regardless of Lemieux's greatness (best hockey player ever, in my opinion), it doesn't take anything away from Gretzky's greatness as well. Those two were in a league of their own. I'm tired of pathetic and insecure fans who try to belittle Gretzky's greatness just to make Lemieux look better, and vice-versa. Don't even bother getting defensive, for I see right through you.

I will tell you this: the belief that many Penguins fans are moronic homers is NOT a misconception. Quite frankly, Penguins fans are some of the dumbest fans I've ever seen; however, being a homer is something you can attribute to the general populace of ALL fan bases in hockey. The problem with hockey fans is that 99% of them think they know everything, but only 10% (IF even that) have the slightest clue what they're talking about.

In the meantime, I'd appreciate if you try to start your Lemieux/Gretzky wars elsewhere. Why don't you go back to doing what you do best, and accuse your fellow gamers of cheating, yes? B)

Wow talk about getting defensive.. maybe someone has a secret man-crush on the Great One that you'd like to share?:)

I think most intelligent people who can read do not think that by saying Mario was better than Wayne, that this makes Wayne Gretzky a bad player.. he was the greatest scorer in hockey history, period- but not the best player. He wasn't as great a passer as Mario, and wasn't as great on the defensive end as Mario.

I also take offense at your indirect bashing of Penguin fans, which you want to lump me into a category with. I am not a moron and most Pens fans are not morons.. sure there are idiots in every crowd but Penguin fans are some of the best, most knowledgeable hockey fans, period. They are incredibly loyal as well- as evidence by them sticking by the Pens pre Crosby, and by the thousands of fans who sat outside Mellon Arena during the 2008 playoffs.. sure we didn't turn cars over and burn the city to the ground celebrating a 7 game opening series win against the worst team in the playoffs, but we aren't Montreal..

So in conclusion TruePensFan1981- if that is your real name- your opinion of me is of little concern to me.

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Wow talk about getting defensive.. maybe someone has a secret man-crush on the Great One that you'd like to share?:)

I think most intelligent people who can read do not think that by saying Mario was better than Wayne, that this makes Wayne Gretzky a bad player.. he was the greatest scorer in hockey history, period- but not the best player. He wasn't as great a passer as Mario, and wasn't as great on the defensive end as Mario.

I also take offense at your indirect bashing of Penguin fans, which you want to lump me into a category with. I am not a moron and most Pens fans are not morons.. sure there are idiots in every crowd but Penguin fans are some of the best, most knowledgeable hockey fans, period. They are incredibly loyal as well- as evidence by them sticking by the Pens pre Crosby, and by the thousands of fans who sat outside Mellon Arena during the 2008 playoffs.. sure we didn't turn cars over and burn the city to the ground celebrating a 7 game opening series win against the worst team in the playoffs, but we aren't Montreal..

So in conclusion TruePensFan1981- if that is your real name- your opinion of me is of little concern to me.

B) That's a good one, really. There's a small fraction of the fan base who actually know what they're talking about and actually comprehend the game; unfortunately, it's a VERY small percentage of the entire fan base (that can be said for all organizations, though). Like I said before, only 10% -- IF even that -- of all hockey fans even have the slightest clue what they're talking about.

Furthermore, my opinion of complete tools like you matters so little to you, that you got offended and decided to defend yourself and the mindless masses known as "Penguins fans". :) Fact: there's very few Pens fans who are intelligent about the game of hockey; furthermore, there's VERY FEW hockey fans in ANY organization that are intelligent when it comes to hockey! I never questioned the loyalty of Pens fans; I merely pointed out the glaring stupidity of the general populace of that fanbase (the random Penguins fan is much dumber than the random fan of most teams, if not all).

You brought this on yourself, bub. Trash-talking tool that you are, you're the one who clearly tried to start a Lemieux/Gretzky war, which has NOTHING to do with this topic whatsoever. I've seen your type on the internet for years. I can see trolls coming from a mile away. It was clear what your intentions were with your post, as all trolls are alike. I merely blew out the match which you were holding before you could light the fire.

Now, do you have ANYTHING to say which ACTUALLY PERTAINS TO THE TOPIC THAT I CREATED? If not, then you might as well just stop posting and quite while you're still waaaaaaaaaaaaay behind. I would appreciate that you don't even bother responding to this topic again unless what you post pertains ONLY TO THE TOPIC I CREATED. I will not waste my time arguing with a complete fool like you. This is the last post in regards to your idiocy.

If you post anything that pertains to your trolling and my calling you out for trolling, then you just prove what a troll you are. Hmm, quite the conundrum for you!

So, my good friend, I recommend that you take the following course of action: just go hide in a corner with your tail between your legs, and accuse some poor NHL '94 gamer of cheating. It's what you do best!

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:) That's a good one, really. There's a small fraction of the fan base who actually know what they're talking about and actually comprehend the game; unfortunately, it's a VERY small percentage of the entire fan base (that can be said for all organizations, though). Like I said before, only 10% -- IF even that -- of all hockey fans even have the slightest clue what they're talking about.

Wow cool... where do you get this statistical information? 10%, that seems to be a pretty precise measurement there.

Sarcasm aside.... I think it is laughable to make the assessment that only 1 out of every 10 fans of hockey actually knows what is going on. Who would continue watching a game they don't understand?

I think what this boils down to is you feel superior to general hockey fans. Well this really isn't the place to get up on your soap box, because 92.315% of the people that read this board probably "comprehend" just as much about hockey as you do.

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Guest Wags13
Wow cool... where do you get this statistical information? 10%, that seems to be a pretty precise measurement there.

Sarcasm aside.... I think it is laughable to make the assessment that only 1 out of every 10 fans of hockey actually knows what is going on. Who would continue watching a game they don't understand?

I think what this boils down to is you feel superior to general hockey fans. Well this really isn't the place to get up on your soap box, because 92.315% of the people that read this board probably "comprehend" just as much about hockey as you do.

Oh no Matt, don't challenge him on this- he is a "TruePensFan".. and he knows..

I guarantee most of us here know way more about hockey than he does- he is just half a DrPizza

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The misconception derives from Ice Hockey for NES.. Every one knows "skinny guy" had a flaccid limp shot, and EA being the experts they are couldn't overlook this.

The resemblance is uncanny...

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