This Statistic Explains Why Gretzky is Called “The Great One”
I have seen a lot of stats about sports.
Everyday when you wake up for breakfast and turn on TSN you will read, on average, a kabagillion stats.
Stats about powerplay proficiency percentages, stats about minutes played, stats about coaches, stats about other stats.
Stats are our eyes and ears. They are what we regular folk, without the time means and salary incentive to watch every damn game on a nightly basis, use to gauge the success of our teams and our favourite players.
In a week you will forget more stats than a hockey fan from the 1980’s would ever have read in their entire lives.
Had Gretzky played today, entire computer servers would’ve crashed trying to back up all the number crunching and stat turning these sports broadcasters and their companies algorithims would’ve been compiling and dissesembling.
After every game Wayne would’ve sat down with the press to the tune of questions like,
“Wayne, you’re the first person in X many years to score Y many points in Z period of time since J player on Q team did it, K many years ago. What do you have to say to that?”
In hindsight, it’s probably a good thing that he played when he did.
It was a different time in the NHL. To the dismay of advanced analytics, box scores were barren of the key pieces of intel that make the stats keepers lives hell these days.
Ice time. Neutral zone turnovers. +/- ; all spotty and inconsistent. If they were even existent.
That didn’t stop Wayne from breaking the records that were around.
50 goals in 39 games.
Most points per game in a season. Twice.
4 Stanley Cups.
I could literally go on and on.
But you’re not here for that.
I didn’t just bemone the analytics communities constant jabbering to stroke em off. I’m actually here to shut them up.
The next time you think you need 11 varied statistics all spread out over the course of a half-hour broadcast, to explain why a guy is good at a sport, remember this stat about Wayne Gretzky.
Remember that stats don’t have to be complicated.
Remember why we need them in the first place.
Stats are supposed to be about clarity.
Allow me to lend you some.
Wayne Gretzky scored more goals in his NHL career than anyone in the history of Hockey.
Wayne Gretzky accumulated more assists in his career than anyone in the history of hockey.
Wayne Gretzky scored more points in his NHL career than anyone in the history of Hockey.
Check. Check. And check.
But…
Let’s pretend the greatest goal scorer in the history of hockey … never scored a single goal.
All his goals. Gone. Erased. Poof.
What would Wayne’s career look like?
More assists than anyone else in the history of hockey?
Still true.
What about points? How far on the ladder would he fall?
Turns out, he wouldn’t. He’d still be the all time points leader.
That’s right.
Wayne Gretzky is the NHL’s all time points leader with his assists alone.
That isn’t a type O.
You read that correctly.
This means that Wayne Gretzky has more assists than anyone else has points.
HAS POINTS
As in goals and assists combined.
So the next time you’re at Ale House and some Cape Bretoners are giving you flack, telling you that “Crosby’s the only player at age F to score W points in M playoff games”.
Or, “Crosby’s U points in T many years are the most by any player before the age of V”
Or even, “Mckinnon’s the first player to reach L points in …”
And sometimes, “Brad Marchand is by far…” (Na I’m just kidding).
Be calm.
Sip your Schooner.
And remember,
Why they call Gretzky “The Great One”.
