In my last post, I came to the conclusion that Alexander Ovechkin was worse than Wayne Gretzky. But I compared Gretzky in his prime to Alex Ovechkin outside his prime. For the record, I'm not saying "Ovi" is over the hill, I'm just saying that this season probably isn't his best season. He's on pace for an impressive 51 goals, but that's a full 13 goals behind his career best.
In 2007-08, Alexander Ovechkin scored 65 goals in 82 games, becoming the last hockey player to score more than 60 goals (though Steven Stamkos came close in 2011-12 with 60 goals). How many goals would Wayne Gretzky score in 2007-08?
The answer is 66 goals. For those keeping score at home, that's just one more goal than Ovechkin. 1981-82 Wayne Gretzky is just two saves away from being worse than 2007-08 Ovechkin when adjusting for the era in which he played.
I know I did state quite confidently that Ovechkin was worse than Gretzky, but it wasn't a fair comparison. Looking at both of them during their best seasons, their numbers are surprisingly close. I wouldn't say Ovechkin is better than Gretzky, but he's pretty close.
In 2007-08, Alexander Ovechkin scored 65 goals in 82 games, becoming the last hockey player to score more than 60 goals (though Steven Stamkos came close in 2011-12 with 60 goals). How many goals would Wayne Gretzky score in 2007-08?
The answer is 66 goals. For those keeping score at home, that's just one more goal than Ovechkin. 1981-82 Wayne Gretzky is just two saves away from being worse than 2007-08 Ovechkin when adjusting for the era in which he played.
I know I did state quite confidently that Ovechkin was worse than Gretzky, but it wasn't a fair comparison. Looking at both of them during their best seasons, their numbers are surprisingly close. I wouldn't say Ovechkin is better than Gretzky, but he's pretty close.