100% agree.

it's a no brainer. IF mario had wayne's health and teams and wayne had mario's back problems and cancer, Today, Mario would be known as The Great One, not wayne. They both even averaged the same amount of pts in their career, despite mario always having health problems.

​@@claude878878 better goal scorer too!

@@claude878878 99 also started with a slightly better team than Mario as he was never drafted. Edmonton wasn't all that good at the time but was better than Pittsburgh. So right from the start 99 had a small boost.

This interview pretty much encapsulates why I've been a Gretzky fan since I was 11: his humility and graciousness. One could say he's just being truthful, but how many truly elite athletes do you know who are so openly honest and self-aware? But that Lemieux, what a player! Absolutely criminal how the media and casuals have anointed Crosby as the "Next One". Crosby is a helluva player, but he couldn't carry Lemieux's stick.

Lol!!

He regularly in the bag.

I was wondering if he was lit! LOL

First time I think I’ve ever heard him swear, and he still tried to catch himself lol.

And the most honest, no sugarcoating version 😅

Thats why its been sad not being able to see something like Mcdavid, Crosby and McKinnon play together.

@@wildwilie Yes, but we may get to see this soon!

@@canbest7668. Olympics?

Second one was a better hockey. In the third Hawerchuk was the best player - Mario and Gretz were exhausted

omg it wouldn't have been fair.

They would have changed the rules of the game around their talent. A healthy Lemieux with Gretzky feeding him the puck would have been absolutely batshit crazy. 150 goal season for Lemieux, 200 assist season for Gretzky. There’s just no limit.

the only way that woulda happend if there was no salary cap.......Imagine havin the oilers dynasty in todays nhl?Would never happen...7 players gettin 12 mill a year..For the record those 7 players are in the hof...

100% agree. Thoughts about Crosby, Ovechkin and McDavid? Mathews aswell

@@theodorebelmont7922 Sid is the consummate professional, holds himself accountable to improve relentlessly, even while aging and speed declines, strength and faceoffs improve... Ovie bull in chinashop, age catching up to him but lack of setups from Backstrom and Kuznetsov too. Has been incredible for long time. McJesus still optimizing his game and still a ? to me where he will end up career wise. Incredible talent and dedication, expect great things to come (duh). Finally, Matthews has potential to break Gretzky's goalscoring mark. He's started too slowly, but he's starting to find his potential. If that's 70 goals per year and lasts at least 5 or 6 years, he'll have a shot. Still, it's the last 100 that are the hardest, as Ovie's now learning...

This is the most factual thing I've read in terms of 99 and 66

@@dstevens518 *McFAlRY

I like your take

He may have got the goals record but not the points.

@Cap3299 If he had a lengthy rather injury free career , he easily would have surpassed 3000 points shattering g Gretzky's points record

@@randyhuke3773 I can see the argument for him passing the goal total but he’s not anywhere close to enough on assists to beat Gretzky on total points

The crazy thing people don't think about is...Lemieux was still putting up more than 2 points per game with a bad back. Imagine if he never had so many problems... He could have been so much better and he was already near Gretzky in terms of ppg

@Cap3299 like Gretzky just said Mario woulda beaten all his records, but hey ok...

Close 2nd best. Wayne will always downgrade his accomplishments and pump up others. He’ll say Gordie, Lemieux, Orr, etc were better. No doubt Lemieux was the most talented player I’ve ever seen play. I saw both in their prime. Gretzky was consistently better. His numbers blow Mario’s out of the water if you look at the first 10 years of their careers. Gretzky will also never mention his drop off after getting injured by the Suter hit in 91.

😮

@@NS-ie2ld Why are you judging by their first 10 years? why not their last year? Why not the last 5 years? You can't say 99 was a better player cause he had more points. Look at basketball. Michael Jordan is the best of all times. But yet isn't the one who has more points. Based on your theory your saying that Jagr was a better player than Lemieux. Which is false. But yet Jagr has more points. 99 was never drafted and started with a better team than Mario did. Not that much better but... better. So right from the start 99 had a small boost. And if you google top 10 sports dream team of all times... Oilers is on that list. Pittsburgh is nowhere near. Not saying 66 didn't had good players on his side... But 99 did with more. 99 never had to deal with a bad back and cancer.

⁠@@crushit9576first 10 is typically the prime of a players career, but by any metric Gretzky was better taking into account everything. And this is from someone who thought Lemieux was the 2nd best of all time and accomplished amazing things with all his health problems. I even won hockey pools because I had Lemieux on my team. I could even have a bias towards Lemieux over Orr, who I never got to see play during the prime of his career. Orr’s career was also cut short by injury. He only played 10 years which also is why I like to use the first 10 as a comparison between the 3 best of all time. What he accomplished as a defence-man was incredible. But nobody took the league by storm to the degree Gretzky did from the first year his stepped on the ice. Not only was he competitively miles ahead of the rest of the league, but also the other players on his own team year after year. He made the players he played with better. Messier was very average the first few years until he became a star after getting motivation from Gretzky’s example. He even recounts a time he went over to Gretzky’s house and saw Gretzky’s point total goals for every game on their schedule for the week ahead. He knew he had to elevate his own goals seeing that example from the best ever. And guess what, even Lemieux admits playing with Gretzky during their first Canada cup was an inspiration for him seeing how incredibly motivated Gretzky was game in and game out every day. Lemieux was great before but took his game to another level after playing with Gretzky. He was often accused of being a floater before but very rarely after. Gretzky was self motivated from day one entering the league. He was competing against his own goals trying to exceed them time and time again. If Lemieux had the same motivation from day one, and yes, didn’t have all his health problems, I could see a serious case where he would have surpassed Gretzky. The same could also be said of Orr’s career cut short by injury. Btw, people often discount the impact injuries had on Gretzky as well. After the Suter hit in the Canada cup he was never the same super human player again. He never had fewer than 130 points in a season before that hit and only hit 130 points once after that hit. He was never a minus player before that hit, including the first couple of years on a bad Oilers team, but was only a plus twice after that hit. If it wasn’t for that injury his points totals would have been well into the 3000’s and his goal scoring record would have ballooned even out of Ovie’s reach. Unfortunately injuries happen and you have to evaluate what you’re left with. We can play woulda coulda shoulda all day long but nobody did it better than Gretzky ever.

@@NS-ie2ld So you are saying that after 99 was injured he didn't do as well afterward... But when 66 had most of his career with back pains you should say the same. And the cancer part also. Oilers had such a great team that even when 99 left they still won the cup.66 payed 50% of capacity most of his career. When all things put together,, 66 is/was the best of all times. I could also say that if you put a healthy 66 today in the NHL and a healthy 99. 66 would win. As he was big , fast and skilled. That's why to me 66 is the best of ALL times.But hey that is my point of view. I get you. You are in the majority of the people here. But also the majority of people will say that Ovy will be the best goal scorer ever if he beats 99 in scoring. But that will also be false. It's not cause you gonna have more goals at the end of the day that makes you the best of all times.

Yep size Speed strength & great hands! Total package!

Healthy Austin Matthews will get 1000 goals

🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂@@007Hutchings

@@007Hutchings He would need to play SIXTEEN more seasons (until he’s 42) scoring at the SAME PACE he’s at now. Youre one of those delusional Leaf fans aren’t you?

@@niceguy91320 I've never heard of Mario being good for his speed as that wasn't one of his assets, unlike McDavid. But, everything else you said is correct though. Don't think there's been a more talented player than Lemieux. He was probably the best in game stick handler ever.

Yeah poor Mario, had to play with those chumps Jagr, Francis, Tocchet, Recchi, Stevens, Coffey, Trottier, Murphy, Mullen lol

@@daveherman4546 The point was “in the 80s”. Do you need the inference explained to you?

@@daveherman4546 Yeah and if not for injuries he still would have broken Gretzky's records on a team that scored less goals in the early 90's.

Lemieux was drafted in 1984, so he played most of his career until the trap came into the game. Lemieux had 199 points in 1988-89 so he was playing in the heyday of 1980’s NHL scoring. As for injuries to Lemieux and what if, that’s what makes Gretzky’s records even more remarkable because of his durability. He led the league in assists at age 37 so he was still great when he was playing for the Rangers in the late 90’s. Gretzky changed his game from a goal scorer to a play maker. In saying all that, I feel fortunate to have watched Gretzky and Lemieux’s full career as it would be like growing up watching Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell.

@@daveherman4546 The first 7 years of Lemieux's career the Penguins were awful. Lemieux is more talented then Gretzky that is not even debatable. Gretzky has other skills though like great passing and hockey IQ but you have to be able to apply context to a discussion and not just look at stats.

I’d say Wayne Gretzky was an all-round better player, but Lemieux was without a doubt the most naturally gifted goal-scorer.

What about Mike bossy? He had the highest gpg ​@@tylerdude1982

@@tylerdude1982 😂😂😂

If Wayne was 6'4 he'd be Mario

@@tylerdude1982 mike bossy

He really is a modest guy, and always has been.

He doesn't need to be anything else. His respect is eternal.

Gretzky and prime Micheal Jordan were great examples of players that moved with such agility and grace out there

@@theodorebelmont7922 Absolutely, beautiful to watch.

I did that in the NHL video games...pretty cool

Good ole Canadian boy

Be humble like Wayne. MJ was the man and so was Wayne. MJ was plenty humble, you just want to see it your way.

It’s so hard to compare them for many reasons. But Mario Lemieux was the best goal scorer ever. Many of hockey’s greats are on the record saying that Mario was the best player they ever saw, including Bobby Orr and even Wayne here. There was nothing more awesome to watch on the ice than a healthy Mario. I miss that guy.

@@blackphilip8936 I would say Mario was the most naturally talented. Had all the physical tools. For me the difference is Waynes work ethic especially early on in his career, hockey IQ, and the smart things he could do on the ice that very few even try. He changed the game in so many ways. And the passes he made were on another level. For me its Wayne then Mario but he wasnt that far off.

@@blackphilip8936 Mario may have been the best goal scorer, but Gretzky scored 92 goals in 1981-82 and 87 in 1983-84, the two highest goal totals for a year. He actually did it. Brett Hull is at number 3 with 86 in 1990-91, then Mario at 85 in 1988-89. 1/20/24, 12:46p.m.

Mario Lemieux had the highest peak Hockey has ever seen. It may have been short lived but still...

I’d put Mario at #1 still. Gretzky had the benefit of better teammates during an era where goals were much easier to come by. Mario was later surrounded by talented teammates but it was already a different era in the NHL. Those early years were some really bad Pittsburgh teams.

Mario had a hell of back pain and cancer when he was at his best. Gretzky is not alone about this opinion. And Gretzkys peek was the 80´s, pretty much a dream decade to make points.

Mario hit 199 points with scrub players & was on pace for 200+ a few times but had injuries

He's had a few

He put up 160 pts in 60 games thats a pace of 218 points he absolutely could have if not for the back injuries.

Wayne was not just being nice. Back then Mario in 1988 was considered the No.1 player in the NHL. Mario beat him from 1989 onward in ppg. It wasn't Gretzky.

​@@jowjo3799But in 83-84, Gretzky was on pace for 240 pts until he missed some time with injuries.

@@chelious1973 PPG by age 19 1.73 Wayne 1.37 Mario -> Wayne wins 20 2.05 Wayne 1.78 Mario -> Wayne wins 21 2.65 Wayne 1.70 Mario -> Wayne wins 22 2.45 Wayne 2.18 Mario ->Wayne wins 23 2.77 Wayne 2.62 Mario -> Wayne wins 24 2.60 Wayne 2.08 mario -> Wayne wins 25 2.69 Wayne 1.73 Mario -> Wayne Wins 26 2.32 Wayne 2.05 Mario -> Wayne wins 27 2.33 Wayne 2.67 Mario -> Mario wins 28 2.15 Wayne 1.68 Mario -> Wayne wins 30 2.09 Wayne 2.30 Mario -> Mario wins 31 1.64 Wayne 1.61 Mario -> Wayne wins 35 1.28 Wayne (80 games) 1.77 Mario -> Mario’s wins (46 games) 36 Wayne 1.18 82 games vs 1.29 Mario 24 games Wayne (played a full season) wayne wins on games 37 Wayne 1.10 vs marie 1.36 Mario -> Mario wins 38 Wayne .89 70 games vs.90 Mario 10 games played Wayne (nobody is taking a player who played 10 games over someone who played 70) -> Wayne wins 12-4 for Wayne by pace by age Out of 16 years that they played at the same ages Wayne beats Mario in 75% of the time Mario was only better at age 27, 30, 35 and 37. Wayne was better at 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 31, 36, 38

@@thebullfighter6733 In the early 1980s ppg in the league was at a record high. Mario entered the league in 1984-1985. Mario missed alot of time. Since 1989 when Wayne was still in his prime Mario was the best in the world in that time. You are comparing them by their ages. I was not as both were not in their primes at the same time other than 1988 onward. What i stated was accurate and correct. Your numbers are quite a bit off as well. Gretzky was 18 in 79-80, not 19. In 87-88 Mario averaged 2.18ppg. Not 2.05.

looks like plastic surgery

Looks like a facelift………and a bad one