Give him credit where credit is due: his 2nd place in Richard is deserved and maybe if he didnt hit a small slump after his last hattrick in a season, he could win it all.
He is for sure underrated, 17 30 goal seasons is a fantastic achievement, no matter in what era it was, being so good for such a long time is something I rate higher than peak for 2-3 seasons.
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Todd Harvey, Adam Oates and Darren Puppa, you are all missed in the game of hockey!
He is for sure underrated, 17 30 goal seasons is a fantastic achievement, no matter in what era it was, being so good for such a long time is something I rate higher than peak for 2-3 seasons.
Scoring 30 goals in a season is a legendary feat? Since when? Hasn't been a notable single-season milestone since the O6 days.
One question pops in my mind and I'm too young to remember.. Was Gartner *always* a first line player? I dont mean if he carry the offense, what he certainly didnt, but if he played 15 seasons as a 1st liner or at least the best scorer of his teams.
17 seasons as a first liner is definitely an impressive achievment. How many HOFers can say that?
From the top of my head I have doubts even about Jagr.
Absolutely impressive that as a non elite level player, he averaged .93 points per game.
Yeah... not so much, imo. I mean, 87 other players (with over 100 games played, for significant figure and sample size purposes) averaged that between '79 and '98 (the span of Gartner's career). Granted, they're all well-known names (so the company is decent), but we're talking Barry Pederson + Mike Bullard type production here.
Absolutely impressive that as a non elite level player, he averaged .93 points per game.
and just under a goal every 2 games.
you put Gartner in today's NHL, with his speed and shot? He's still scoring 40 goals.
Tim Kerr? I don't see Tim Kerr cracking 30.
completely disagree. gartner had a good shot, but not a hall of fame one. he scored so many of his goals off the rush, and as someone mentioned earlier he was a volume shooter. that kind of goal from the wing and above the hash marks (think: michel goulet or young mark messier) rarely gets scored after, say, 1996. modern defenses are specifically geared towards letting players take those kinds of shots (see: boston against the canucks in the 2011 finals) and keeping them away from the inside.
on the other hand, what kind of goal gets scored today? the kind that comes from being a big tough mucker in the crease.
Nowadays, a premium is placed on a player's height/weight, and every penalty is called, so, yes, Tim Kerr would have plenty of PP opportunities to just park himself in front of the opposition's goal and pot at least 30 goals a year. Do you have any idea how big Kerr was, both tall and wide? I can't think of many dmen today who'd be able to move him. Kerr's career was cut short because of the beating he took while parked in front of the oppositin's goal. With today's refereeing, he'd be able to sit out front untouched. Bryan Trottier used to joke about how difficult it was to displace him, and this was when penalty calls were much harder to come by.
I'm just speculating, but would it be fair to call him a Phil Kessel level player? Perhaps not an ideal franchise player throughout the 80s in his prime, or even a franchise player at all, but not too far from that level. Both are great goal scorers who gets it done with elite speed and a good shot. Kessel has better hands and skills, Gartner was less of a wallflower.
Very very good comparison, but with Gartner he could be a mean dude.
I can speak to his time with the Caps. He never had anything better than an average playmaker next to him during his time in Washington.....during an era when post-season success required an outstanding playmaker.
Last edited by SaintPatrick33: 10-12-2012 at 11:34 AM.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't he have a reputation as being one of the most me-first players ever? I'm sure I've read/heard that. That kind of thing can stick with you, just as lesser-skilled great-in-the-room guys sometimes are overrated as players.
