Quote:
Originally Posted by Word
(while both were great players, another difference I think is how they left. Gretzky left stating he was old, couldn't do the same as he used to, that the players were all bigger, faster, stronger. Gives credit for others, discusses his age and limitations. Mario though seemed to have left with the position that the league won't allow him to score 100 goals a game, that it should be changed, etc.).
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Mario complained about the clutching/holding/slashing that interrupted the flow of the game. Half the time you would think they were playing football on ice than hockey. Look at most mid to late 90s games. People are draped all over the stars, except for Gretz who somehow was never touched except by Broten.
If it wasn't for Mario the game wouldn't be as open as it is now. You wouldn't be able to see Sid The Kid, Ovechkin, Toews, Kane, etc. dance around people b/c they would be tackled for the most part and no penalty be called. His "whining" as some of you have put it, brought back the skating aspect of the game and forced new players to learn to skate better.