by fefn » Wed Apr 21, 2004 11:18 am
I would still argue that Wayne Gretzky is the greatest player who ever lived, but obviously it's debatable.
While Datsyuk is probably the flashiest player in the NHL right now (man can that guy stickhandle~), comparing him in his prime to a 39 year-old Yzerman with a bum knee is pretty ridiculous.
Yzerman's best season points-wise looked like this:
1988-1989 Red Wings
Games Played 80
Goals 65
Assists 90
Points 155
+/- 17
Penalty Minutes 61
PPG 17
SHG 3
GWG 7
GTG 2
SOG 388
Shot% 16.8
Yzerman has also posted 20+ points in the post season 3 times.
Datsyuk's numbers aren't even close. Shit, Bret Hull has been a member of the Wings for the same amount of time as Datsyuk, he's posted better points in all 3 seasons, and he's a fuckin 40 year-old man. Pavel's got a long way to go before he can be considered amongst the greatest Red Wings.