[REALfootballRulez]

For those of you who know hockey Lemieux and Gretzky are considered as the 2 greatest players ever or at least the 2 greatest in the last 30 years. Only Orr and Howe are mentioned with them.

I've always said Lemieux was better an Gretzky agreed with Orr when Orr said Lemieux is the most talented ever.

Here is an interesting take on why Lemieux is better so check it out:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/4...reater-than-99

[Forza_Totti]

Absolutely, Super Mario was the best. The sky was the limit if he didn't suffer from such healthy issues. If i had to build a team around either Wayne or Mario...i would pick Mario. He was marvelous!!! Pits fans should be grateful that he was their leader and face of the franchise. A true inspiration to us all.

[REALfootballRulez]

Originally Posted by Forza_Totti

Absolutely, Super Mario was the best. The sky was the limit if he didn't suffer from such healthy issues. If i had to build a team around either Wayne or Mario...i would pick Mario. He was marvelous!!! Pits fans should be grateful that he was their leader and face of the franchise. A true inspiration to us all.

Well said my friend. That is why I'm not as much of a hockey fan as I used to be because I grew up watching Lemieux and Gretzky and I got SPOILED!

No doubt Ovechkin is great and Crosby is good to but overrated. However neither of them can compare to Super Mario. Look at how Mario dismantled the Soviets in Canada Cup 87 which are still considered 3 of the greatest hockey games EVER played!

Keep in mind he outperformed arguably the greatest hockey line ever, the KLM line and one of the greatest hockey players of all time in Sergei Makarov.

Add to that how Lemieux was on pace for a 310 pt. season the first 10 games into the 88-89 season and the fact he blew by and weaved through defenders like NO ONE ever has makes him the greatest EVER.

When ESPN did a promo in the late 80s about what it would take to score 100 goals in a season it was MARIO who did the promo, NOT Gretzky. Now THAT should tell you something!

[juvefe2]

i disagree with you guys. having watched both, i still believe gretzky was the best hockey player of all time. mario was tremendous and was easily the 2nd best hockey player to ever live but he was never on gretzky's level. from 1981 to 1986 gretzky was untouchable. nobody in the history of the NHL will ever have a 5 year period like that. 4 200 point seasons and he scored close to 400 goals! you can talk about who he played with all you want but the fact is that he performed like no other.

And it's not like Lemieux played with scrubs when he won his 2 cups. Hall of famers in Ron Francis, Bryan Trottier, Paul Coffey and soon to be Jagr. Plus Larry Murphy, Rick Tocchet, Joe Mullen, Mark Recchi and Kevin Stevens were all great at the time.

[REALfootballRulez]

Originally Posted by juvefe2

i disagree with you guys. having watched both, i still believe gretzky was the best hockey player of all time. mario was tremendous and was easily the 2nd best hockey player to ever live but he was never on gretzky's level. from 1981 to 1986 gretzky was untouchable. nobody in the history of the NHL will ever have a 5 year period like that. 4 200 point seasons and he scored close to 400 goals! you can talk about who he played with all you want but the fact is that he performed like no other.

And it's not like Lemieux played with scrubs when he won his 2 cups. Hall of famers in Ron Francis, Bryan Trottier, Paul Coffey and soon to be Jagr. Plus Larry Murphy, Rick Tocchet, Joe Mullen, Mark Recchi and Kevin Stevens were all great at the time.

Sorry but you are not putting in proper context. Gretzky played on the greatest offensive team EVER full of hall of famers like Messier, Kurrri, Coffey, Fuhr, Lowe, etc.

AFTER Gretzky left the godly Oilers he didn't come NEAR 200 points or 90 goals and could only muster up 68 goals his first year in L.A. It was all downhill from there.

You forget that when Lemieux got his 200 point season(199) he was only playing with ONE hall of famer (Coffey) and many of the rest were a bunch of MINOR leaguers like Rob Brown who couldn't even stay in the NHL without Lemieux to feed him the puck!

Plus every Team Canada Lemieux was on Canada won gold including the 2002 Olympics and 87 Canada Cup but WITHOUT Lemieux and only Gretzky in 96 Canada lost to the USA in the World Cup.

Lemieux also scored more goals and assists in a season at 35 and older than Gretzky did which is an indicator of pure talent. Gretzky got his big numbers by playing on the greatest offensive team in NHL history while Lemieux got his mainly because he was SO talented he could make lesser players better.

By the way, in Gretzky's autobiography Gretzky agreed with Orr saying Lemieux is the most talented ever and could win scoring titles with a broken stick. In the preview for his Ultimate Gretzky DVD Gretzky again said Lemieux was more talented that he was.

Lemieux put up BIG numbers NO MATTER WHO he played with while Gretzky only did it with the Oliers and his output went WAY down after that.

Look at it again and you'll see Super Mario is the greatest offensive force to ever play the unique and beautiful game of Ice Hockey.

[crazypete13]

That article was brutal, for starters Lemieux played with Jaromir Jagr, Ron Francis, Mark Recchi, Joe Mullen, Larry Murphy, Paul Coffey and Tom Barrasso, hell they even had Bryan Trottier for their first two cup seasons. Both had strong supporting casts, to say Lemieux did more with less is ridiculous.

Lemieux' career was hampered by injuries (and disease) for sure, and Gretzky benefitted from a rather injury free career to put up the biggest numbers the NHL will likely ever see. The fact that they compare post retirement hockey achievements is laughable too. Lemieux is the best and Gretzky is the greatest, leave it at that, unless you're taking about Bobby Orr...

[aerez]

Mario had potential to be greater than Gretzky, but he wasn't.

[REALfootballRulez]

Originally Posted by crazypete13

That article was brutal, for starters Lemieux played with Jaromir Jagr, Ron Francis, Mark Recchi, Joe Mullen, Larry Murphy, Paul Coffey and Tom Barrasso, hell they even had Bryan Trottier for their first two cup seasons. Both had strong supporting casts, to say Lemieux did more with less is ridiculous.

You are mistaken. Lemieux did not have ANY of those players you mentioned when he had his 200 pt.(199) point season except for Coffey I think. He may not have even had him.

You take all those hall of famers away from Gretzky and the best he ever did was 168 points and that was his first year with the Kings and with a 70 goal scorer like Bernie Nicholls yet Gretzky still couldn't come close the numbers he put up in Edmonton.

It was all downhill for Gretzky from there on eventhough he played with a hall of famers like Brett Hull and Al Macinnis.

Lemieux scored 200 points(199) with a bunch of minor leaguers while Gretzky couldn't come close without the hall of famers he had in Edmonton.

Everytime Team Canada had Lemieux they won it all but without Lemieux they couldn't win in 96 eventhough Gretzky was there. Lemieux was there in 2002 when Team Canada won gold and did it without Gretzky but Gretzky couldn't do it without Lemieux.

There is NO DOUBT that Lemieux is the better player and the most talented player to ever lace 'em up like Orr said and Gretzky agreed!

[Cascarino's Pizzeria]

I'm a bigger Gretzky fan myself. But it's almost a Pele/Maradona argument. Everyone wins...HURRAY!

[Lemieux]

Lemieux's the best player ever. I'm not baised.

Seriously though, if I had to take either Lemieux or Gretzky at the peak of their careers, I would choose Lemieux. His talent was unworldly. Sidney Crosby, Malkin and Ovechkin can't even hold his jock strap.