Badat said:
I've Seen dozens of old Orr games.
So your trying to say that gretzky had less Talent then Orr? Far be it for me to judge Talent but no player Revolutionized the Word "Offense" like gretzky.
Bobby Orr revolutionized the game far more than Gretzky did, I think, if we're looking at it on the basis of affecting hockey in general right to present-day. There were many offensive defensemen before him, like Pilote, Harvey, etc. but
the way Orr played was revolutionary. He really took the concept of the rushing defensemen to a whole new level. He acted as a fourth forward and had better offensive skills than most forwards. He really ushered in the era of the modern rushing defenseman. Gordie Howe even said the following about Orr: "Losing Bobby was the biggest blow the NHL has ever suffered."
Gretzky, if we're talking on physical abilities alone, is not the greatest player ever by a long shot. He admitted himself, "I couldn't beat people with my strength. I don't have a hard shot. I'm not the quickest skater. My eyes and my mind have to do most of the work." Both quotes are from a book, and the author even says, in talking about Gretzky, that "myriad others" were better in those areas than Gretzky.
The problem in debating the age-old "greatest ......." question is what we define as greatness. Is it talent? Influence on the game? The ability to transcend the game? Statistics? I think this is where most of the debate comes from, is how people define greatness, and how it's different for most people.
