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Gretzky's stats make the man

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Posted: Saturday April 17, 1999 04:30 PM

Let me count the ways: The numbers amassed by Wayne Gretzky are just plain scary. AP

ATLANTA (CNN/SI) -- How do you measure greatness? By the consensus of his peers, no one has ever played hockey better than Wayne Gretzky. But, by the numbers, a case can be made that he may be the dominant team athlete of all time.

That Gretzky holds 61 NHL records is remarkable enough; but the distance that separates his career numbers from those of his nearest NHL challengers are unprecedented in any sport.

Gretzky's career scoring total is 54 percent greater than that of runner-up Gordie Howe. By comparison, the total accumulated by the NBA's all-time scoring leader Kareem Abdul Jabbar is a mere 22% better than that of Wilt Chamberlain. Dan Marino, the NFL's all-time leader in passing yardage is only 14% ahead of John Elway, and the 755 home runs hit by Henry Aaron are just six percent more than the Babe's 714.

Even more stunning is that Gretzky's assists alone are more than any other player's total points.

For single-season dominance, however, nobody beats Chamberlain. His record 50.4 points per game was a phenomenal 59 percent greater than his nearest pursuer, Walt Bellamy. But Gretzky's all-time best of 92 goals in 1981-82 comes close. He was 43 percent more potent than runnerup Mike Bossy.

Who else might challenge Gretzky for the team athlete title? Jim Brown's 6.4 yards per carry in '63 is regarded as the finest performance ever by a running back and his career mark of 5.2 is the best of all time.

No one surpasses the 11 titles Bill Russell won with the Celtics, and Joe DiMaggio's 10 pennants in 13 seasons shaped a dynasty.

But the inevitable comparison is with Michael Jordan. Gretzky won 11 scoring titles in 20 seasons to Jordan's 10 in 13.

Jordan took his Bulls to six NBA titles; Gretzky's Oilers won four. But Gretzky holds one distinction that may never be challenged in any sport. While Jordan's five MVP awards are far ahead of anyone in either baseball or football, Gretzky trumps that. He was the NHL's Most Valuable Player nine times.

 

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