Look at clips of Wayne Gretzky from the 1980's, which is also when he set all-time records that have not yet been surpassed (and people still believe never will, though Ovechkin has a chance at the goals record)
What's incredible isn't what he's doing, it's what everyone else around him is NOT doing.
* He's skating fast but not that fast (compared to modern skaters)
* His shot is accurate but he's not a sniper. Many shots never leave the ice
* But the defenders have absolutely no checking ability
* And the goalies are upright! The butterfly style hasn't been popularized yet! They're just awkard sieve slowly shuffling around in net.
Look at clips of Wayne Gretzky from the 1980's, which is also when he set all-time records that have not yet been surpassed (and people still believe never will, though Ovechkin has a chance at the goals record)
What's incredible isn't what he's doing, it's what everyone else around him is NOT doing.
* He's skating fast but not that fast (compared to modern skaters)
* His shot is accurate but he's not a sniper. Many shots never leave the ice
* But the defenders have absolutely no checking ability
* And the goalies are upright! The butterfly style hasn't been popularized yet! They're just awkard sieve slowly shuffling around in net.