Simple As...
When it comes to building a Mt. Rushmore of players for any of the major sports, there are always more than 4 people who are worthy of making the list. With the NFL there are more than 4 at almost every position, the NBA has 4 current players that have cases to make the list, and MLB spans such a large amount of time that it's hard to differentiate eras. But, in hockey, we have a simpler task. The first two busts on the mountain are undeniable. They dominated as players and then moved to management and coaching positions, their contribution to the game is undeniable. They are Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky.
Since it is an obvious notion that these two top the list, at least in the minds of most educated hockey fans, i'm going to compare the two and see if we can come to a conclusion of who is the best between them. I'm sure your initial response will be that Gretzky has more assists than Lemieux has total points but Gretzky played over 500 more games. The numbers you have to look at are the averages over a career. You can't simply look at total numbers because everyone doesn't play the same amount of time. There is something to say for longevity but also something to say for Mario going through cancer and returning to play hockey after it. When comparing averages, there isn't much difference between the two.
Wayne Gretzky Mario Lemieux
Points Per Game: 1.92 1.88
Goals Per Game: .60 .75
Assists Per Game: 1.32 1.13
Game Winning Goal Percentage: 6% 8%
Shooting Percentage: 17.6% 19%
I'm from Pittsburgh so my childhood was spent watching Mario Lemieux and my adult life still involves a lot of time being spent watching Lemieux because he's such a staple in Pittsburgh history. But, I believe I can make a fairly strong case for Mario being the better player. No. 66 played with guys you probably never heard of if you're not a die-hard hockey fan or Pittsburgher. No. 99 played with guys that are Hall of Famers. Mario also accomplished something nobody else ever has. He scored 5 goals in 5 different ways. He scored even-strength, power play, empty net, penalty shot, and short handed goals. Add to it the accomplishments made after their career and Lemieux adds another Stanley Cup as a team owner in 2009 with the Penguins. Gretzky didn't have quite as much success in the front office realm. While the debate will go on of 66 or 99 for decades, it's obvious that they are the two best players to ever play. Now, let's check the rest of the list.
Am I Missing Something?
Upon first entertaining the idea of the Mt. Rushmore of hockey players, I leaned toward Gordie Howe and Bobby Orr being my 3rd and 4th choices. Then I did some research. My favorite statistic: points per game average showed me that Gordie Howe didn't have a very impressive number. He has the 37th best PPG average. "He accomplished things at all levels of the game. Look at the Gordie Howe Hat Trick." You mean the feat that he only accomplished twice? Yeah, that's right. I'm not sure why it was named after him like he did it every game. He wasn't even the first to do it. The first time it was recorded was in the 1920s and it probably happened a few times before that. The all-time leader in Gordie Howe Hat Tricks is Brendan Shanahan with 17. Rick Tocchet and Brian Sutter are tied for second with 15. Maybe we should call it the Shanahan Hat Trick? After reviewing the numbers, Gordie Howe was definitely a top talent but he doesn't have the numbers to be on the Mt. Rushmore. My Mt. Rushmore isn't solely about the early founders of the game. It's about the greats of the game. Whether they still play today or if they retired 30 years ago, I look at the numbers and the contributions. When I looked deeper into Bobby Orr's numbers, he stacks up. He makes my list. Orr played 12 seasons and has the 5th best PPG average of all-time. I'm sure someone along this list you said, "Hey your PPG average is negative toward the top defensemen to ever play the game." Well, you're right. It is discriminatory. However, if you're not hockey educated, Bobby Orr was a defensemen. He is the only defensemen with 9 career hat tricks. (Real ones, not Gordie Howe ones). Orr was the first defenseman to lead the league in scoring, the first player to record 100 assists in a season, and the only player to ever win the Norris Trophy, Hart Trophy, Conn Smythe Trophy, and Art Ross Trophy in one season. I still question if I'm missing something with Gordie Howe and maybe a reader will properly inform me, but Bobby Orr is someone everyone needs to know about, and he's on my list because of it.
The Kid Makes the List
As I have done with my first two sports Mt. Rushmore's, I am choosing a current player who I undoubtedly believe will finish with career numbers worthy of being an all-time great, or the greatest ever. I don't think Sidney Crosby will ever pass Mario or Gretzky on the list of the greatest NHL players but his numbers show that he's already one of the best ever. His PPG average is 4th all-time at 1.40, which is a few points better than Bobby Orr had. He's already secured one Stanley Cup and has a solid career ahead of him. The only concern with Crosby is the fact that he has had injury issues throughout his career. The upside to that is if he can remain healthy for complete seasons in a row, his numbers will stack up even more impressively. You can say I picked another Pittsburgh guy because this is where I'm from but it's the numbers that I'm looking at. No other current player stacks up. The only one that comes close is another guy who started as a Penguin, too: Jaromir Jagr. While Sid the Kid still has a long career ahead of him, he's on the Mt. Rushmore today.
The Frozen Four
We should probably make this Mt. Rushmore out of ice. If we did that then it would be the easiest to melt down and rebuild if a major change needed to be made. I took care of that and made sure Sidney Crosby was given a spot. The other guys beside Crosby are unarguable choices. Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr dominated the sport and posted numbers and records that have stood for years and don't look like they'll be broken anytime soon. Tomorrow we'll dive into the MLB Mt. Rushmore and Friday you'll get one selection from each sport for the American Pro Sports Mt. Rushmore.
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