why would they trade essentially a 2019 and 2020 1st round pick for a nearly 35 year old defenseman who hasn't played in 9 months?
- BINGO!

hope Buff can be best version of himself for this years playoffs and do us a solid

Ovi's accomplishments are great and he's tops in this era and deserves serious consideration in the all-time conversation. However, can you be called the greatest pure goal scorer ever if a kinda large % of your goals are scored from the same spot in the same way?
- doublechili

If it was easy, everyone would do it.

Absolutely.

Ovechkin, Crosby, Stamkos... etc would score triple digits if the goalies were equipped like they used to be.




- Aetherial

Would that not depend on whether or not the twigs these guys are using are like the old Kohos or Titans Gretzky used to use? Their shots wouldn't be the same at all with those pieces of crap.

Mike Bossy.

Let's add a wrinkle to this debate: who was the bigger beast, Ovi or Wayne:

No he is not.
Still doesnt hold a candle to Lemieux
Put Mario in a game with today's rules regarding hooking/holding/interference and see how many goals he scores.

Let's add a wrinkle to this debate: who was the bigger beast, Ovi or Wayne:




- Atomic Wedgie

Thanks a lot - now I can't "unsee" that.

It's subjective towards the factors you use to get the answer.

Short answer it's that it's always gonna be between Bossy, Lemieux, Gretzky and Ovechkin. From all time goals to GpG. I'd go with 1 - Ovechkin, 2 - Bossy, 3 - Gretzky and 4 - Lemieux.

The best way to compare players of different eras to to compare them to their peers.

In Gretzky's best year, he scored 92 goals. The next closest guy was Bossy, with 64. Gretzky was 44% better.

In Ovi's best year, he scored 65 goals. The next best was Kovalchuk, with 52. Ovi was 25% better.

Gretzky was so far better than any one of his peers - at least until Mario came along.

That's why they are considered #1 and #2 best forwards of all time.

Sorry, Ovi.
- Atomic Wedgie

Comparing No. 1 to No. 2 is far less reliable than comparing No. 1 to overall league scoring, since the ratios can be significantly skewed on the basis of injuries, whether or not there are multiple players with historically great seasons just so happening to be occurring at the same time, etc.

Adjusted to league average scoring Ovi's 65-goal season in 2007-08 is better than any single season mark of either Gretzky's or Lemieux's, and in fact is behind only Brett Hull's 86 goals in 1990-91 on the all-time list.

If you drop 1983 Wayne Gretzky into the NHL in 2017 he's barely a 3rd line player.

People talk about how watered down the league is now but the truth is just that the talent gap between players is a LOT smaller than it used to be. It's a different level entirely from the one Wayne had to play in.
- BINGO!

SMH ...Winner of most ridiculous post of all time.

According to NHL.com OV is already #3 all-time in shots taken (5,455) with a very average 12.6 shooting percentage. Lemieux is one goal ahead of him and only took 3,633 shots (19.0%), Gretzky is about 200 goals ahead of OV but did so only taking 5,088 shots. I know it's a different era, and yes OV does have a great shot, but calling him the "greatest goal scorer ever" - no way! He is a one dimensional player who gets fed a ton of shots - and a lot of those goals have come on the power play - about 37%.

"One of the best", sure but not "The Best". One could easily make the argument that any of the following were better goal scorers: Gretzky, Lemieux, Bossy, Howe, Jagr, Richard, Hull, and Esposito.

I knew the hb community was stupid but (frank) some of these arguments are on the spectrum.

According to NHL.com OV is already #3 all-time in shots taken (5,455) with a very average 12.6 shooting percentage. Lemieux is one goal ahead of him and only took 3,633 shots (19.0%), Gretzky is about 200 goals ahead of OV but did so only taking 5,088 shots. I know it's a different era, and yes OV does have a great shot, but calling him the "greatest goal scorer ever" - no way! He is a one dimensional player who gets fed a ton of shots - and a lot of those goals have come on the power play - about 37%.

"One of the best", sure but not "The Best". One could easily make the argument that any of the following were better goal scorers: Gretzky, Lemieux, Bossy, Howe, Jagr, Richard, Hull, and Esposito.
- pier6687

for comparison; Mario's ratio: 34%

According to NHL.com OV is already #3 all-time in shots taken (5,455) with a very average 12.6 shooting percentage. Lemieux is one goal ahead of him and only took 3,633 shots (19.0%), Gretzky is about 200 goals ahead of OV but did so only taking 5,088 shots. I know it's a different era, and yes OV does have a great shot, but calling him the "greatest goal scorer ever" - no way! He is a one dimensional player who gets fed a ton of shots - and a lot of those goals have come on the power play - about 37%.

"One of the best", sure but not "The Best". One could easily make the argument that any of the following were better goal scorers: Gretzky, Lemieux, Bossy, Howe, Jagr, Richard, Hull, and Esposito.
- pier6687

Thanks for your unbiased opinion...

32%.

for comparison; Mario's ratio: 34%
- Blackstrom2

258/689 = 37.4% check your math

My whole point is that OV is one dimension, and yes Mario had a lot of points on the PP, but Gretzky had only 22.8% on the PP - both were much more complete players...

258/689 = 37.4% check your math

My whole point is that OV is one dimension, and yes Mario had a lot of points on the PP, but Gretzky had only 22.8% on the PP - both were much more complete players...
- pier6687

this is going to be a wild revelation for you, but you can pump a player up without having to come up with complete bullpoop about the other players.

258/689 = 37.4% check your math

My whole point is that OV is one dimension, and yes Mario had a lot of points on the PP, but Gretzky had only 22.8% on the PP - both were much more complete players...
- pier6687

(frank) you’re stupid

Eklund: Buzz Debate: The Greatest Goal Scorer EVER? Buzz@1
- Eklund

Yes.

He will re-sign for a 4year deal on July 1st 2020 so him and Backstrom can retire together. Based on conversations and public statements him and Backstrom have given. This WILL happen. Including the last year of his current deal, that will give him five years total to reach 894 goals.

Lets pretend he finishes this season with 50 (why not). That puts him at 708. Aka 186 Behind Gretzky

He would need to average 37.2 over the next five to catch Gretzky or 46.5 over the next four.

Honestly we should be talking about whether or not he decides to go for 1000 goals. If he played into his early to mid 40's, he could easily do it

Yes. OVI IS THE GOAL SCORING GOAT

Dougie Hamilton breaks leg. Where do the Canes turn to for help?
- ward30nhl

Jeff Petry

Imagine a goalie in the 80's getting hit with an Ovie one-timer from the face-off dot..wouldn't end well.
- jake020881

Imagine Ovie playing with a wooden stick

I never watched bossy, but i watched Hull, Mario, Bure and Selanne who were all amazing in their own right. OV is better than all of them when it comes to scoring goals. Better goalies, higher talent pool and it still hasn’t mattered.

Comparing No. 1 to No. 2 is far less reliable than comparing No. 1 to overall league scoring, since the ratios can be significantly skewed on the basis of injuries, whether or not there are multiple players with historically great seasons just so happening to be occurring at the same time, etc.

Adjusted to league average scoring Ovi's 65-goal season in 2007-08 is better than any single season mark of either Gretzky's or Lemieux's, and in fact is behind only Brett Hull's 86 goals in 1990-91 on the all-time list.
- Sven22

So... that makes Brett Hull the greatest then?

Gretzy won the Art Ross 10 times. Ovi... once?
Gretz would have won it more but he had Hull, Bossy, Mario and Jagr as his goal-scoring peers.

(frank) you’re stupid
- Feds91Stammer

thanks for your unbiased opinion...

Imagine Ovie playing with a wooden stick
- 77emac77

Ovi would have ended Wayne’s career if they played against each other.

Ovi would have ended Wayne’s career if they played against each other.
- Feds91Stammer

That's one way to make sure you become #1... take out the competition.

Mind you... Gretyz playing days overlapped with Scott Stevens...