Who is the best hockey player of all time?

Question

This question has been asked before, but without much defense.

Don't just consider these last couple generations, but tell me, in your opinion: Who was the most talented all around hockey player in the last, 97 years or so?

Answers that are not based upon evidence that has also been provided will not be considered (Don't just give me his name, tell me why)

Oh, and there is a correct answer, so good luck, and cheers ;)

Answer 1

Maurice "the Rocket" Richard... in his early years he was always getting injured and nobody will gave him that chance but something happened to him that he only knew that would make him stronger and better every year.. the other teams tried to injure him and he still kept getting back up and would score a goal. one night he scored 5 goals and he was name 1st star 2nd star and 3rd star...sure Wayne Gretzky was a great player but he wouldn't last 2 Min's back in the 40's.

Answer 2

Bobby Hull was the best ever and Gordie Howe was a very close second

Hull had five 50 goal seasons before expansion really was big and he also had the hardest shot at 118 mph and he was the fastest skater at 33 mph.

He was the most spectacular player ever and could go end to end like no one else.

He did all of this in just 16 NHL seasons and then he jumped to the WHL because Wirtz was too cheap to pay him $100,000 per season.

He got 3 million over 5 years to play for the Winnipeg Jets and this opened the door for other players to start making some decent monet instead of being ripped off by tight owners like Bill Wirtz who by the way has ruined the Blackhawks franchise.

Answer 3

I've said this before on a different question but Gretzky had a lot of help in the 80's to get to his god-like status. That said, Gretzky is a hockey stud, no mistake. However, I have to go Super Mario for greatest of all time. Had he played the same number of games as Wayne, he would have fell a tinge short of the all-time scoring record. But Mario, barring a couple of years around 1991, didn't have nearly the amount of talent helping him in Pittsburgh as Wayne had in Edmonton or even L.A.

Honorable mention--Gotta be Bobby Orr. A defenseman shouldn't have that much offensive skill. A +/- rating of +124 in one year? What the hell? That's crazy. Had Orr not had injury problems, we'd probably be talking about him and his records more than Wayne.

Answer 4

Who has the highest points per game average in his career, but for the greatest part played with pathetic teams? Who played with a back so bad most average people would be off work on disability? Who scored ,I believe, a goal and an assist the same night as having his final chemo treatment in the morning? Who led Canada to Olympic Gold, while needing hip surgery and was probably only at 30-40%? Who after all the medical problems and retirement could come back and at 40 years old, with another pathetic team, still score at a point a game pace, till the heart problems? Who is tied with ""99" as the leading Al;-star game point leader, though only having played about 1/2 as many games?


Mario The Magnificent

Answer 5

Gretzky - he has more records than anyone else, more goals than anyone else and more points than anyone else. He not only brought hockey to another level while on the ice, he brought it to an entire region of America. It is only due to the exposure the Kings got after he arrived did they make any money - and then within the next few years you had the Stars move from Minnesota to Dallas and the San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, and Phoenix Coyotes all join the league. Howe, Orr, Lemieux... John Davidson - they're all people who will live in hockey lore forever, but Gretzky will be forever The Great One.

Answer 6

Unfortunately I never saw some the great players before 1960 or so, but in my lifetime, without question, it has to be Bobby Orr.When you take into consideration his knees, no one comes close. He controlled the ice with his speed, accurate passing and no defenseman has ever come close to winning a scoring title, let alone winning it twice. Mario Lemieux and Mike Bossy had the most natural talent, Gretzky, had the best ice sense, Howe had the strength,Gilbert Perrault, the finesse. Jean Belliveau was the greatest leader and the greatest goaltender in my lifetime is a toss up between, Terry Sawchuck and Glenn Hall.

Answer 7

First off, I would venture a guess that nearly everyone that answers Bobby Orr or Gordie Howe haven't even actually ever seen them play a game.

So I'm going to answer with best I've ever seen.

Mario Lemieux and here is why... He wasn't just a cherry picker like Wayne. He was physical. He could take a hit and dish one out as well. You can toss at me as many numbers as you want, but Wayne never had to beat caner or a back injury. In spite of all of that, he STILL dominated the game. If it wasn't for all of that, there is no doubt in my mind that any record that Mario hasn't already taken from Wayne, would have been his.

Answer 8

i have to say Wayne Gretzky not only the most dominant hockey player but possibly one of the most dominant athletes when considering what he has done.
he hold over 60 nhl records he won the cup hes been an mvp won scoring titles leads all time goals assists scoring most points in a season most goals in a season most assists in a season.He scored 50 goals in 39 games one season that will be his hardest record to break.
he was alwys the first one on the ice and last one off for practice he always has and always will respect and love the game like no one else.
Anyone who doubts he is the best go out and pick up a copy of the dvd THE GREAT GRETZKY its got all the highlights and story of his career from the time he was a kid scoring 300 plus goals a year to the day he retired.

Answer 9

You people are so misinformed.

Did I actually read somebody say that Mario Lemieux DID NOT CHERRYPICK???

He was easily the biggest cherrypicker of all-time. He literally sat at center waiting for the puck. Gretzky is no Bob Gainey but at least the man backchecked...

Did somebody also say that Bobby Orr played before expansion???

Yeah, he started one year before the biggest expansion period in the history of hockey began. No player has ever benefitted from expansion like BOBBY ORR...

Pavel Bure??

Mark messier??

WHAT?

It's Gretzky.

Orr is second, Howe is third and Lemieux is fourth...

Answer 10

1. Wayne Gretzky-greatest scorer ever
2. Bobby Orr-revoluitonized the defense position
3. Gordie Howe-one of the first big men who could score
4. Mario Lemiuex-pure leader and goal scorer
5. Rocket Richard-best player from the blue line in

All these men were true leaders for their teams and all them changed the game

Answer 11

Mario Lemieux was the best in amatuer and professional hockey player. He dominated everyone, even Wayne Gretzky. Without other players on the Oilers, Wayne would have been nothing. Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey and others.