Wayne Gretzky Vs. Mario Lemieux

When talking about hockey greatness of recent past, two names usually come up Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. Their greatness was validated with inductions into the National League Hall of Fame where only the elite of the hockey world is considered. They did share some similarities; however it is some of the differences that made them each great in their own way.

What they had in common was they were born in Canada and as stated above are in the National Hockey League Hall of Fame. Both entered the league at the age of 19. Wayne Gretzky entered the league in 1979 and finished in 1999 at the age of 38. Mario Lemieux entered the league 1984 and finished in 2006 at the age of 40. The center position is where they both predominately played. The

center position allowed them to be constantly in the middle of the ice and involved in almost every play to the maximum extent as possible. They both won Stanley Cups Gretzky won four and Lemieux won two. Hockey is a team sport though, so teammate talent was a factor, although both were team captains highlighting their importance to their respective teams. Together they helped in the 80’s and 90’s to expand the sport of hockey and revitalize the individual cities they played in. Each had his own nickname “The Great One” for Gretzky and “Super Mario” for Lemieux which highlighted their different attributes and play styles.
Their sizes were greatly different which created different play styles from each.

Lemieux was six feet four inches and 235 lbs. Gretzky was six foot even and 185 lbs. Hockey is a contact sport more physical size can be an advantage for out muscling an opponent for position or even intimidation of smaller players. Bigger forwards are usually called power forwards in hockey and are expected to be stronger and use their size to their advantage and be in close proximity to the net which gives them better chances at scoring points. The power forward position was the style Mario Lemieux played. The sport also requires a fair amount of speed so being smaller can be an advantage as far as being quicker than a bigger opponent. These players are usually labeled as finesse players and are found further away from the net and are able to shoot better so they can make up for the lack of proximity to the net. These players usually have more skill as far as shooting and passing ability. Wayne Gretzky falls into the finesse style and was an excellent passer. Even with their different play styles and physical attributes some of the statistics they managed to put up are nothing short of

extraordinary.
Statistics in sports are an easy way to measure how each player did in their careers.

Wayne Gretzky played 1487 games scored 894 goals and assisted on 1963 goals for a total of 2857 points. Lemieux played 915 games scored 690 goals and assisted on 1033 goals for a total of 1723 points. These numbers are elite and some of the best all time in hockey. Although the total numbers may seem to favor Gretzky when points are divided by games played, the average points per game played are similar. Lemieux with 1.88 and Gretzky at 1.92 average points per a game played. A point per game for current players is considered elite. Gretzky had a relatively healthy career missing far fewer games, while Lemieux battled back injuries, Hodgkin's lymphoma, and eventually retired due to an irregular heartbeat. Had Lemieux been healthier and played more games the points per game shows he may have had similar total numbers to Gretzky. The style of power forward Lemieux played could have contributed to the back injury causing him to miss additional time. Yet still amazing numbers for a shortened career beset by injuries and illness. Considering where each player played during their career could affect how greatness is

observed.
Gretzky by virtue of playing for more teams and a wide range of varying market sizes and geographical locations with high regional populaces he most definitely had the advantage of appealing to more people over his career. Wayne Gretzky played for four teams in his career the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues, and the New York Rangers. Mario Lemieux played for one team in his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Gretzky is better known throughout the world and the fact that he played in two of the largest markets played a huge role in his popularity. Greatness certainly can be helped by popularity, but in the end is just another factor to be considered.
These were two players that had few similarities and great amount of differences still both careers ended with inductions into the National Hockey League Hall of Fame. Greatness in sports can be measured in numbers, play style, and even how well a player is liked or recognized. Proving there is more than one path to greatness.