The question is about which accomplishment was more impressive, not who is the better player. McDavid is the best player in the league. It is not even that close. I also think that 100 pts. (he is going to do it) is more impressive than the goals, but it is closer than what people are expressing here.
- Aetherial

Always a tough debate even with Crosby/Ovi. Ovi always scored way more but Sid was always a way better complete player. Gretzky had more points than Lemieux but Lemieux PPg was higher. Orr was better than all of them lol

I don't think you can take way either Mcd's or Matthews accomplishments this year. Both are impressive. And both players are improving defensively like Ovi did to eventually start winning big series. Mcdcvid is the best player in the league easily...but has Matthews eclipsed OV as the best goal-scorer right now? Looks like it.

When Crosby was in his prime and all the hardware he was easily the best player in the league for almost a decade...but during that time Ovi scored 50+ goals per year in his sleep. It will always rage on who is better overall a as interesting a topic as the McDavid/MAtthews comparison.

Always a tough debate even with Crosby/Ovi. Ovi always scored way more but Sid was always a way better complete player. Gretzky had more points than Lemieux but Lemieux PPg was higher. Orr was better than all of them lol

I don't think you can take way either Mcd's or Matthews accomplishments this year. Both are impressive. And both players are improving defensively like Ovi did to eventually start winning big series. Mcdcvid is the best player in the league easily...but has Matthews eclipsed OV as the best goal-scorer right now? Looks like it.

When Crosby was in his prime and all the hardware he was easily the best player in the league for almost a decade...but during that time Ovi scored 50+ goals per year in his sleep. It will always rage on who is better overall a as interesting a topic as the McDavid/Matthews comparison.
- LordHumungous

I actually don't like the Crosby-Ovi analogy as a deeper look into the stats shows that Matthews maybe the more complete 200' player. Matthews/Ovi is "OK" but Matthews actually plays defense sometimes. McDavid/Crosby is not a real good comparison. McDavid is much more Dynamic and Crosby was much more of a bulldog.

The Gretzky-Lemieux analogy is a little better. Even that is somewhat flawed as, at their peak, those two were very close, IMHO they were closer than McDavid-Matthews.

People who don't watch Matthews every day are not really appreciating how dominant he can be when he feels like it. I still feel like he could be giving a more consistent effort. I am hoping that starts in the playoffs this year.

I would say it isn't even close between him and Ovi in their primes. He didn't have to be fast, he could read the ice like no one before, and I'd argue no one after.

- r8edr

I suggest going back and actually watching some of Gretzky's games in his prime and try to picture him with those skills in today's game as well as picturing Ovechkin in his prime in Gretzky's era.

Ovechkin in his prime in Gretzky's era would be a goal scoring blood bath. It wouldn't even be a contest. While Gretzky's IQ, while amazing for his time, is just that for his time. He made great plays in a much slower paced era against much weaker competition than today.

Players today are a few orders of magnitude better than back then. Only with the old rose tinted glasses can you look back at Gretzky's era and think those players are a match for even third line players today.

I actually don't like the Crosby-Ovi analogy as a deeper look into the stats shows that Matthews maybe the more complete 200' player. Matthews/Ovi is "OK" but Matthews actually plays defense sometimes. McDavid/Crosby is not a real good comparison. McDavid is much more Dynamic and Crosby was much more of a bulldog.

The Gretzky-Lemieux analogy is a little better. Even that is somewhat flawed as, at their peak, those two were very close, IMHO they were closer than McDavid-Matthews.

People who don't watch Matthews every day are not really appreciating how dominant he can be when he feels like it. I still feel like he could be giving a more consistent effort. I am hoping that starts in the playoffs this year.
- Aetherial

Good points of course. Agreed on Matthews if that kid 'decides' to be consistent all the time he will put up OV type goal counts IMO. I think we will see a better showing in PO's from the Leafs this year if the goaltending is up to the challenge. It should pretty much be an EDM-TOR div final and I would give the edge to TO slightly. But if one of those clubs meets Vegas or Colorado it will be a different story. The final four is going going to interesting to watch as no teams have played each other all year lol

Yeah yeah Connor is the best. That being said, over a career, evem though Matthews has only played 5 seasons, he and Ovechkin have roughly the same gpg. Matthews has a better shooting percentage. In his 65 goal season, he had a gpg of .79, Matthews is at .82 this season. As great as Ovechkin is, I go with Bossy as being the greatest pure sniper. Highest career gpg in history .762, and his shooting percentage blows both of them away. 21.2 for Bossy, 12.8 for Ovi. I could probably score a few goals too if took 8 billion shots on goal. I think its easier to compare players of different eras by those stats, because no matter if you played in the 80s, or now, a shot on net is still a shot in net.

Yeah yeah Connor is the best. That being said, over a career, evem though Matthews has only played 5 seasons, he and Ovechkin have roughly the same gpg. Matthews has a better shooting percentage. In his 65 goal season, he had a gpg of .79, Matthews is at .82 this season. As great as Ovechkin is, I go with Bossy as being the greatest pure sniper. Highest career gpg in history .762, and his shooting percentage blows both of them away. 21.2 for Bossy, 12.8 for Ovi. I could probably score a few goals too if took 8 billion shots on goal. I think its easier to compare players of different eras by those stats, because no matter if you played in the 80s, or now, a shot on net is still a shot in net.
- Nashdawg2112

Amen to that. If his back hadn't given out we'd probably be talking about Ovi chasing Bossy. He was still scoring 60 a year even as the Isle's and Trottier began to fade. It's not hard to imagine another 300-400 goals beyond the 573 he scored in just over 750 games. This business brought up earlier about Matthews scoring 150 in the Gretzky era is nonsense. An AM born 35 years earlier would've trained and had the same conditioning as the players of his era. He's still an amazing player but he's still have half the points of Gretzky. Lemieux was the only guy in his sphere, and IMO it was only close because of Mario's physical gifts. Imagine if Gretzky were also 6'5" and 220#.

I suggest going back and actually watching some of Gretzky's games in his prime and try to picture him with those skills in today's game as well as picturing Ovechkin in his prime in Gretzky's era.

Ovechkin in his prime in Gretzky's era would be a goal scoring blood bath. It wouldn't even be a contest. While Gretzky's IQ, while amazing for his time, is just that for his time. He made great plays in a much slower paced era against much weaker competition than today.

Players today are a few orders of magnitude better than back then. Only with the old rose tinted glasses can you look back at Gretzky's era and think those players are a match for even third line players today.
- Izzo

How do you know he wouldn't make the same plays in a faster paced game? He made the plays he needed to make. Give Gretzky the things the players have today, and he would destroy todays players as well. Gretzky learned to play on a pond, and grew up in an era were kids hockey teams had 1 or 2 coaches. Players that are playing today at age 6 to 10 already have skating, shooting, sticking handling etc coaches. By the time they are in junior hockey they are on a workout routine, most junior teams are already educating their players on their diets and nutrition. These are things players growing up in the 60s and 70s, like Gretzky did, never even thought about.

at 37 yeas old Gretzky in the late 90s was still finishing top 5 in points against bigger, fasters players. Mario came back at 35 after missing 4 years and torched the league. These are players that it doesn't matter what era they played in. They were going to destroy their competition in either one.

I suggest going back and actually watching some of Gretzky's games in his prime and try to picture him with those skills in today's game as well as picturing Ovechkin in his prime in Gretzky's era.

Ovechkin in his prime in Gretzky's era would be a goal scoring blood bath. It wouldn't even be a contest. While Gretzky's IQ, while amazing for his time, is just that for his time. He made great plays in a much slower paced era against much weaker competition than today.

Players today are a few orders of magnitude better than back then. Only with the old rose tinted glasses can you look back at Gretzky's era and think those players are a match for even third line players today.
- Izzo

Ovi in Gretztky's era would've been a different player. A product of the Soviet system and poorly adapted to NHL style of play. Having said that, I think he would've adapted quickly much like players such as Mogilny and Bure (fewer years in the Soviet system). Imagine Makarov joining the NHL ten years sooner, he could've had a Stastny or Kurri type career if he hadn't toiled as the best player in the world outside the NHL during his first ten years or so.

Gretzky with the training and conditioning of today would still easily dominate, his talent and instincts combo still remain unmatched. He was the outlier and the model for todays modern player.

McDavid hands down. Because Matthews is creepy and has the stupidest moustache ever.
- TurdFergeson

Loser you are.

Matthews has scored around 1.05 PPG and has never scored more than 80 points in an entire season.

McDavid has scored around 1.40 PPG, has scored over 100 points thrice, and scored 96 and 97 in the other two, with the other being a shortened season.

I can see McDavid and MacKinnon contending for the scoring title, however, Matthews can't be in the same breath in terms of scoring titles.
- umcolin

The only way MacKinnon ever competes with McDavid for a scoring title, is if McDavid gets hurt.
McDavid will dominate the scoring race for many years to come. Edm will get a lot better, Colorado will not get much better, they are already a way better team then Edm

Can you imagine if McDavid ever gets consistent linemates that can actually score? Marner is 1000 times better linemate then McDavid played with for the majority of the year.
He did not play with Draisaitl 5on5 for most of the year.

At least the argument on whether CM97 and AM34 can do it in an all teams season will be answered next year.
I tend to think the Canadian division helped the stats for these 2, but next year will tell the tale.

Can you imagine if McDavid ever gets consistent linemates that can actually score? Marner is 1000 times better linemate then McDavid played with for the majority of the year.
He did not play with Draisaitl 5on5 for most of the year.

At least the argument on whether CM97 and AM34 can do it in an all teams season will be answered next year.
I tend to think the Canadian division helped the stats for these 2, but next year will tell the tale.
- ifiwasgm

Better yet, imagine McDavid gets to play against Phili, LAK, Ana, NJD, Buffalo, Sjs, ect that were actually horrible in net so he isn't facing Hellubyeck, Markstrom, Andersen/Campbell, ect all the time. Maybe get a few more freebies. Oh wait the North is the worst...