Gretzky dusting the shyt outta Sugar Ray, Pele & Bjorn Borg

[RhodyRum]

Impressive. Gretzky was never even considered to be one of the fastest hockey players in the NHL.

A lot of that "Gretzky wasn't the best at (insert individual skill here)" was used to trump up his legacy and basically became a lazy narrative that just kept following him throughout his career. It didn't help that he didn't look like much of an athlete either, thus allowing the masses to believe that he was a weakling but a massive overachiever.

The accepted narrative is that he wasn't a fast skater. Sure he was no Paul Coffey but show me where he gets hawked on a breakaway:


The accepted narrative is that he didn't have a hard shot yet he routinely bombed on goalies with his slap shot:


The accepted narrative was that his overall athleticism wasn't anything overwhelming, but the fact is his footwork and hips were world-class outstanding. The way he made people miss him on attempted checks makes me consider him the Barry Sanders of hockey. No one turned on a dime, could redirect, and keep his speed on the ice like The Great One:


I have no idea how all of these silly ideas began to circulate about him. Maybe his numbers were average during off-season testing, but once the lights were on and it was game time, he was one of the best pure athletes in the world. Also, this is a good lesson for sports fans to not listen to media narratives and just use your eyes, knowledge of the game, and common sense to grade athletes properly.

 

[MikelArteta]

A lot of that "Gretzky wasn't the best at (insert individual skill here)" was used to trump up his legacy and basically became a lazy narrative that just kept following throughout his career. It didn't help that he didn't look like much of an athlete either, thus allowing the masses to believe that he was a weakling but a massive overachiever.

The accepted narrative is that he wasn't a fast skater. Sure he was no Paul Coffey but show me where he gets hawked on a breakaway:


The accepted narrative is that he didn't have a hard shot yet he routinely bombed on goalies with his slap shot:


The accepted narrative was that his overall athleticism wasn't anything overwhelming, but the fact is his footwork was world-class outstanding. The way he made people miss him on attempted checks makes me consider him the Barry Sanders of hockey. No one turned on a dime, could redirect, and keep his speed on the ice like The Great One:


I have no idea how all of these silly ideas began to circulate about him. Maybe his numbers were average during off-season testing, but once the lights were on and it was game time, he was one of the best pure athletes in the world. Also, this is a good lesson for sports fans to not listen to media narratives and just use your eyes, knowledge of the game, and common sense to grade athletes properly.

Gretzky described his celebrated sense of anticipation on the ice. “People are always telling me, ‘You must have eyes in the back of your head,’ or ‘You just seem to be two seconds ahead of everybody else on the ice.’ Baloney. I’ve just learned to guess what’s going to happen next. It’s anticipation. It’s not God-given, it’s Wally-given. He used to stand at the blueline and say to me, ‘Watch, this is how everybody does it.’ Then he’d shoot a puck along the boards and into the corner and then go chasing after it. Then he’d come back and say, ‘Now, this is how the smart player does it.’ He’d shoot it into the corner again, only this time he cut across to the other side and picked it up over there. Who says anticipation can’t be taught?

“It was something he taught me every day. On the way to hockey games in The Blue Goose (the family vehicle), he’d quiz me . . ..

“Him: Where’s the last place a guy looks before he passes?

“Me: The guys he’s passing to.

“Him: Which means?

“Me: Get over there and intercept it.

“Him: Where do you skate?

“Me: To where the puck is going, not where it’s been.”

In the book, Walter then described the shooting the puck around the boards drill, the same one his son would later describe. “Do it once an it’s an exercise. Do it a few thousand times and it’s ‘uncanny anticipation.’

“What it does for a boy is teach him to think on skates. In order to develop that anticipation, he has to do the mathematics; given the velocity of the puck, the speed at which it’s travelling and the direction it’s going, it should wind up right about here. And if your calcuations are right and no one’s stopped, that’s where it will be.

“Brainwashing. Doing something again and again, until the pattern of it is imbedded in your mind to the point where you don’t have to think about it. You just do it.

 

[ThaBronxBully]

Pele and Leonard was old than

Breh, Sugar Ray Leonard was 26 when this race happened

 

[RhodyRum]

Gretzky described his celebrated sense of anticipation on the ice. “People are always telling me, ‘You must have eyes in the back of your head,’ or ‘You just seem to be two seconds ahead of everybody else on the ice.’ Baloney. I’ve just learned to guess what’s going to happen next. It’s anticipation. It’s not God-given, it’s Wally-given. He used to stand at the blueline and say to me, ‘Watch, this is how everybody does it.’ Then he’d shoot a puck along the boards and into the corner and then go chasing after it. Then he’d come back and say, ‘Now, this is how the smart player does it.’ He’d shoot it into the corner again, only this time he cut across to the other side and picked it up over there. Who says anticipation can’t be taught?

“It was something he taught me every day. On the way to hockey games in The Blue Goose (the family vehicle), he’d quiz me . . ..

“Him: Where’s the last place a guy looks before he passes?

“Me: The guys he’s passing to.

“Him: Which means?

“Me: Get over there and intercept it.

“Him: Where do you skate?

“Me: To where the puck is going, not where it’s been.”

In the book, Walter then described the shooting the puck around the boards drill, the same one his son would later describe. “Do it once an it’s an exercise. Do it a few thousand times and it’s ‘uncanny anticipation.’

“What it does for a boy is teach him to think on skates. In order to develop that anticipation, he has to do the mathematics; given the velocity of the puck, the speed at which it’s travelling and the direction it’s going, it should wind up right about here. And if your calcuations are right and no one’s stopped, that’s where it will be.

“Brainwashing. Doing something again and again, until the pattern of it is imbedded in your mind to the point where you don’t have to think about it. You just do it.

His father Walter was a genius the way he taught Wayne to be more than just an athlete who relies on physical gifts

 

[Rekkapryde]

Gretzky described his celebrated sense of anticipation on the ice. “People are always telling me, ‘You must have eyes in the back of your head,’ or ‘You just seem to be two seconds ahead of everybody else on the ice.’ Baloney. I’ve just learned to guess what’s going to happen next. It’s anticipation. It’s not God-given, it’s Wally-given. He used to stand at the blueline and say to me, ‘Watch, this is how everybody does it.’ Then he’d shoot a puck along the boards and into the corner and then go chasing after it. Then he’d come back and say, ‘Now, this is how the smart player does it.’ He’d shoot it into the corner again, only this time he cut across to the other side and picked it up over there. Who says anticipation can’t be taught?

“It was something he taught me every day. On the way to hockey games in The Blue Goose (the family vehicle), he’d quiz me . . ..

“Him: Where’s the last place a guy looks before he passes?

“Me: The guys he’s passing to.

“Him: Which means?

“Me: Get over there and intercept it.

“Him: Where do you skate?

“Me: To where the puck is going, not where it’s been.”

In the book, Walter then described the shooting the puck around the boards drill, the same one his son would later describe. “Do it once an it’s an exercise. Do it a few thousand times and it’s ‘uncanny anticipation.’

“What it does for a boy is teach him to think on skates. In order to develop that anticipation, he has to do the mathematics; given the velocity of the puck, the speed at which it’s travelling and the direction it’s going, it should wind up right about here. And if your calcuations are right and no one’s stopped, that’s where it will be.

“Brainwashing. Doing something again and again, until the pattern of it is imbedded in your mind to the point where you don’t have to think about it. You just do it.

 

[MikelArteta]

His father Walter was a genius the way he taught Wayne to be more than just an athlete who relies on physical gifts

I've met Walter he's a great kind man

 

[Sadbrownsfan]

I’ve probably watched like 3 total minutes of hockey in my life but I thought the thing about Gretzky was that he was super small and slow for a hockey player but was a literal magician and like two tiers more skilled than the second most skilled guy.

did I just hear some shyt as a kid and that’s all I cared to know

 

[inndaskKy]

He's deceptively quick

 

[WesCrook]

fukk YOU, fukk YOU, AND fukk YOU...

...Who's next?

 

[CP3.]

Pele starting from the lean was the end of his chapter

Pele couldn't even bend down for the starting position

That's Ray

 

[Jesus Is Lord]

Mf coming in here "Ray was old"


He was 26

He was fresh off the Oympics 6 years prior. Chill. He was tired.

 

[El Guapo]

That's Ray

*squints*

Oh shyt it is! He has no excuse lining up like that... and losing to 42 year old Pele!

 

[Ohene]

goat white athlete
fukk tb12

 

[cheek100]

Ray look like shyt

 

[THE MACHINE]

That's Ray