Question for those who are knowledgeable about hockey.
Darin
Posts: 6,813 ✭✭✭✭✭
I had noticed that Connor McDavid is very popular and I believe one of the best players in the NHL?
Was considering buying a rookie card so of course looked at his stats.
I noticed that he led the league in points a couple years with somewhere around 100 points or a little more.
Also noticed that two of the all time greats Gretzky and Mario Lemieux used to score a lot more
with Gretzky going over 200 points several times and Mario going over 150 quite often.
So is it a lot harder to score points now than when Wayne and Mario played?
I understand that assists and goals both count as points but don't know much after that.
Wondering if the game has changed maybe the defenses are better so there's not as much scoring?
Was looking at some of McDavid's highlight plays and he had a goal the other day where he took the
puck the length of the rink and wove his way through the defenders and scored. It looked really impressive.
Worth maybe buying a rookie card? How good is he? Is he the best player in the NHL?
Any comments would be appreciated.
Comments
I believe it was June 2020 that this rookie card sold for $135,811. It's numbered to 99 copies.
If you're in a reading mood, here's a little piece about how good he is.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/nhl.nbcsports.com/2021/01/15/connor-mcdavid-reminds-us-that-he-might-still-be-the-best-in-the-world/amp/
I don't collect cards.
I remember the year leading up to his being drafted, he had no player close to him in terms of McDavid going #1.
So his rookie card was going to be coveted at least a year before he was drafted. For those that follow the juniors, I'm sure they knew way before that.
Scoring is down from the days of Gretzky and Lemieux.
Nice article.
So he's great on offense, terrible on defense. May not want a rookie card if he's one dimensional.
I have it on good authority that what caused the big increase in scoring in the late 70's and the 80's was that Tom Brady was born on August 3, 1977 and his presence in the world elevated everyone in the NHL. At some point Brady's elevating effect stopped, probably so the cosmos could start storing elevation energy for Tampa Bay.
dallas that's a pretty good theory but I had always heard that Wayne Gretzky and the top scorers' of the
late 70's and 80's were so inspired by the level of play Gene Tenace was displaying in baseball that it
elevated their play on the ice to incredible levels never seen before or since. It was such a blow to hockey
when Tenace retired that the level of scoring in hockey has never returned to those halcyon days.
We'll call that Theory B; Tenace was a superstar, but he wasn't a deity like Brady.
The game has changed so much. 100 points is a big deal these days. In the 80’s and 90’s it was common place. David is a major talent
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Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
One of the reasons is the goalies are all huge now. Many are 6'4" or so.
The only way to beat them is a hard shot to the upper corner of the net, a shot that can easily go too high or too wide.
I didn't see enough of Gretzky, but in the 1991 finals against the North Stars, he simply took over the game when he wanted to.
It was amazing now he would come into the defensive zone take the puck away from an opponent and then lead a rush into the offensive zone resulting in a goal or a good scoring chance.
He did this over and over again, seemingly at will. The North Stars had a 2 games to 1 lead and Mario just took over in games 4 and 5. Game 6 was a blowout. Seemed like Minnesota realized they couldn't play with the Penguins.
Like @JoeBanzai said , afaik it is the goalies. They are all huge and they all are athletic.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't they have to make the goalie's pads smaller at some point to facilitate scoring?
Connor McDavid is a generational talent and the best player in the NHL. If he was playing in 1984, he would be putting up 200 points a year.
Scoring is down for several reasons in the NHL but it all boils down to two things:
1) Goaltending. Goaltending now is soooooooooo much better than it was in the 1970s and 1980s. Part of this is that goaltending equipment is both better AND lighter so goalies are able to move quicker and cover more ground. But a lot of it is that technique is better. Goalies cover the bottom part of the net in ways previous generations didn't. And, finally, goalies are better athletes AND they are larger than before. It all adds up to a lot less net being available to shoot at.
2) Defense. Teams are a billion times better defensively now than they used to be. The old days of guys like Gretzky never playing any defense are long gone. Pretty much every guy checks. Pretty much every guy blocks shots (or at least sort of does). And EVERYONE can skate. It all adds up to there being far fewer quality scoring chances than there used to be.
Speaking of cheap hockey hits. Old article with good video of some nasty, career ending hits.
https://www.straight.com/blogra/310796/steve-moore-didnt-deserve-dime-todd-bertuzzi-hit?utm_source=vancouver is awesome&utm_campaign=vancouver is awesome&utm_medium=referral
Agree on the goalie differences from the day to today. But, the same thing can be said for the top scorers - different equipment, different practice routines, etc.