Quote:
Originally Posted by TheDevilMadeMe
Arguably better, since Messier exploded after Gretzky was no longer on the team and he was given prime offensive opportunities for the first time.
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One theory that I've touted around for awhile is that everybody became better because of Gretzky even after he left.
What are the chances that the Oilers draft three HoFers between the '79 and '80 drafts plus Glenn Anderson and Kevin Lowe? Did they happen to have the best/luckiest drafting on all time or is there something else in effect?
My theory is that playing with Gretzky didn't just improve the performance of players, but just all around made them better players. More on, that Messier would not be a HoFer if not for the experience of playing with Gretzky.
I know from my own standpoint that playing with players so much better than me has not just improved my performance while playing with them, but has taught me things that made me better on my own.
I think this extends into a lot of dynasties. They're quarterbacked by two or three amazing players that made the other good players into great players.
Now, I don't have any empirical data, but it certainly does help to make sense of how a team like the Oilers could get so good so quickly.