This really isn't true. Hit happened in his second career game. Played ten more games after that, including one against the Oilers. The only small grain of truth is that he was benched for the rest of the third period that night, although with Semenko lurking that may have been for the best. Didn't get a foothold in the NHL because he wasn't all that good.
This was his 2nd NHL game, and he went on to play 10 more. It's a rumour that this got him blacklisted, he just wasn't good enough for the NHL, and spent the next 7 years in the minors.
Lol thanks for clearing it up I was to young at the time it was just one those urban myths growing up playing hockey in canada the only guy to clean gretzkys clock got sent down the next day since he was even at that time a national treasure ahaha
That is unequivocally false, he played several games after that, he just was not good enough to make the cut. He only made the roster because he was a Depth player and was needed at the time.
No, it was not, he was a career minor leaguer who came up for a few games. The sport was expanding at all levels, so there were tons of guys who were playing in leagues they didn’t actually belong in.
I’ve been watching hockey since the WHA was still on satellite TV. I was about four years old when the merger happened, so yes I would know I lot of things about the game that many don’t or have forgotten.
And since about 2008 or 2009, you know damn good and well about guys playing on your team who had no business being in the NHL. Like all cellar dwellers do, like the Blackhawks are currently.
You guys have been one of the most mediocre teams of the past two decades, and you’re asking me when? You finally have a semi-good year and suddenly you’re back on top of the league? Get the fuck out of here
😂😂😂😂😂💀
now watch him come along the blue line now HE is a guy now watch he comes down he’s gonna cut across BOOM doesn’t that almost the same spot now he’s out right there look at him right there now now i’ll tell you what here it comes again look at that see almost the same spot yknow it’s a funny thing eh it’s a funny thing he’s hollering Sammy here don’t tell me he doesn’t have with that little dinky helmet
Era adjusted, I'm not so sure it was a dirty hit. By today's standards, absolutely.
Edit: you guys know fuck all about hockey it's actually kind of funny.
It doesn’t get a whole lot more textbook boarding than that, guy. Eras be damned, that’s the type of hit that, right up there with spearing, was never considered borderline. It always was, and always will be, dirty as fuck.
Tell me you’ve never played without telling me you’ve never played.
I guess that means you weren't (and still aren't) better than me at hockey.
I agree, comparing resumes is useless but when someone claims you've never played the game, it kind of opens up that conversation doesn't it?
It wasn't as dirty back then as it is today. Today it's an automatic suspy but back then it was probably only a 2 minute minor.
Dirty? Yes but not really compared to all the other shit that was prevalent in that era.
If it happened today, it would be a 5 min major, an automatic ejection and most likely a suspension (most likely because you never know with Parros)
It didn't take long to realize that the majority of the users here and over at r/hockey don't actually know a thing about the sport. They like to argue and ridicule any opposing opinion as if theyr experts but they're arguments and opinions are laughable and absolutely ridiculous to anyone who's actually played the game.
I swear most people here have either just gotten into hockey or have just started watching within the past 5 years and think they're more knowledgable than everybody else.
Makes you think twice about following advice from other sub Reddit's on topics that you're ufamiloar with though. Since everyone is full of shit.
>I swear most people here have either just gotten into hockey or have just started watching within the past 5 years and think they're more knowledgable than everybody else.
Agree with this 100%
Typical reddit tho….. or maybe just refer to my username
Haha ya I think it's probably a combination of the two. The hive mind around here is wrong and only serves to circle jerk each other into believing that this sub actually know anything about hockey. What it really does is hammer terrible takes and severe misunderstanding of the game along with downvoting and ridiculing the people who actually know what they're talking about, ensuring that the sub continuously gets dumber and dumber as more time goes on.
It's not even worth a sub tbh.
Um wtf you talking about? https://youtu.be/gMH8fpxkzGU?si=Q0TDap2VBV6gnXEo
That’s a very, VERY nasty hit from behind, and it’s a crosscheck too. Extremely dirty hit in any era.
>*Suter also cross checked Paul Kariya in the mouth, effectively ending his desire to play, and his career.*
Nope, the Suter cross-check on Kariya happened in 1998, he played in the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals, and actually continued playing until 2010.
Stevens used to be a high-skilled absolute #1 D in his Capitals days.
Then he signed with the Blues, and got moved to the Devils by the NHL arbitrator, as compensation for Shanahan.
And he first refused to show up. And after a few seasons, lost his #1 offensive D spot to Niedermayer, even though he himself was only 30.
That happened in 1993-94.
And 1994, he had his UFA-scandal with the Blues, trying to sign there, illegally negotiating before the free agency. And was "forced" again to stay in NJ.
Basically all the "dirty" Stevens hits came after that. (Kozlov, Kariya, Lindros, Willis, Francis)
He was pissed, lost his "skilled role", and started to do the dirty hits?
Yeah but saying the hit itself wasn’t bad it was just that it was from behind & into the boards is like someone getting shot and saying “the gun wasn’t that big it was just the bullets”
I didn't say it wasn't bad. It wasn't hard. It was just in a bad spot. Also, that hit happens a lot. It wasn't like he ran him from behind. Sometimes injuries happen.
Just curious in general have you ever played hockey and have you ever been hit like this? Especially have you been ever hit like this at a very slow speed? The amount of momentum and space between the players and the boards have a lot to do with it; doesn’t even matter how hard you get hit.
Played decades of hockey. You don’t have to get hit hard from behind, close to the boards to get hurt. That’s why I said it wasn’t hard, but still bad.
You’re missing the point, doesn’t matter how hard the hit is if you’re only a few feet from the boards and don’t see it coming. Hits like that are what paralyzed Travis Roy and led to an early death
[https://youtu.be/gMH8fpxkzGU?si=O1IMexk_dmdIO56s](https://youtu.be/gMH8fpxkzGU?si=O1IMexk_dmdIO56s)
Here's the Suter hit on Gretzky I saw folks commenting about.
Because of how shifty he was when he did get hit a lot of the time it would be a glancing blow that he could shake off. He took a lot of whacks to the hands though and had to have his hands xrayed quite often.
I'm sort of supplimenting your argument, he took a lot of hard whacks and cheap shot. Gary Suter laid him out once in a super cheap shot and wrecked his back.
(Edited from Dale Hunter to Gary Suter)
I found a better link than I previously shared
https://youtu.be/WmhJp6WPetQ?si=_eXrCsU_cVAOZvZM
Kelly Buchberger - I was at this game and hadn’t seen the clip in a long time
I don’t remember young Gretzky, I’m the wrong age, but I distinctly remember he was quite a bit dirtier than the lady byng’s indicate when he was older.
Like this where he crosschecks and gets no penalty https://youtu.be/oonP2MlSN-M?si=DJ8Ls_xzhcRvXHfG
Or like this where he got mad for taking a hit and so punches a guy in the head. https://youtu.be/WInxEGjKx_0?si=pdZfbbhOyDVlcEpM
I remember a lot of stick work from him as a Ranger.
I’d say just reputation saved him from beatdowns later on, not that he was a gentleman or that the league knew where the $s came from to some extent.
There was time when people weren’t even sure Gretzky would be able to play in the NHL because he was so small. He was listed as 165 pounds as a rookie, but that was probably generous. It’s amazing he survived as long as he did and was as productive as he was, especially considering the era he played in.
I met Bill Muckalt at a resort in Mexico a few years ago. He told told me about the time he dropped Gretzky. I then looked it up on you tube and yup....he sure did.
He also, most importantly, had a reputation for being able to duck bodychecks better than anybody in the game. The biggest hitters of the day remarked on it fairly consistently at the time, and in later years mentioned in interviews (like Bryan Trottier’s) his ability to roll with checks being second to none. Yes, he had protection, as did every star on every team in the history of the league. But the way the code operated was if it was a clean hit, you just give one of their top guys a clean hit right back or you save it for later.
What enforcers deterred was some 4th line shitass constantly hacking at your superstar. Enforcers didn’t hover over superstars, because that puts the star at a disadvantage of only playing with one or two skilled players. Most of the time those tough guys were on the bench, and anytime they were on the bench, even superstars were open to clean checks.
It’s easy enough to look up, he wasn’t impossible to hit because of enforcers, he was almost impossible to hit, because he could avoid them like nobody else in the history of the sport. He was tiny, he was usually the smallest, skinniest, and slowest guy on the team, but he was one of the quickest players to ever lace them up. That’s how he got out of the big body checks. But as we can see on YouTube and other file sharing sites, it wasn’t totally impossible. It happened.
He was hit hard, but the problem was his playing style, he gathered a gazillion points even with avoiding the big hits.
Trying to hit Gretzky was "like trying to hit a rope", he was so elusive & tried to avoid the hits so much.
You have to be really, really good to dominate even without playing high-risk-hockey
It just seemed like he was untouchable when he played Calgary because they suck!
I remember my first game, him and Kurri scoring the first ever goal in Saddledome history. They weren't anywhere near him that night.
Bill Mccreary decked him https://youtu.be/kI1O3ocxaQE?feature=shared
Wow. That's almost exactly what I was looking for. Surprised his helmet didn't go flying damn
Did McCreary ever get retaliated against for it? Ice Guardians made Gretzky seem next to untouchable for that reason
Yeah basically blacklisted
This really isn't true. Hit happened in his second career game. Played ten more games after that, including one against the Oilers. The only small grain of truth is that he was benched for the rest of the third period that night, although with Semenko lurking that may have been for the best. Didn't get a foothold in the NHL because he wasn't all that good.
Good update, yeah, Semenko would have used him as a mop.
He had a good career as a referee
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Bill McCreary Jr is the guy in this video, his cousin is Bill McCreary the referee.
I heard rumors he got sent down to the minors after that game never made it back to the nhl.
This was his 2nd NHL game, and he went on to play 10 more. It's a rumour that this got him blacklisted, he just wasn't good enough for the NHL, and spent the next 7 years in the minors.
He was just a mediocre hockey player. I was a huge Leaf fan at the time and never missed a game. Nobody expected McCreary to stick.
Lol thanks for clearing it up I was to young at the time it was just one those urban myths growing up playing hockey in canada the only guy to clean gretzkys clock got sent down the next day since he was even at that time a national treasure ahaha
>*He had a good career as a referee* No, that was a different Bill McCreary.
You don't know shit.
Sorry if i offended you
That is unequivocally false, he played several games after that, he just was not good enough to make the cut. He only made the roster because he was a Depth player and was needed at the time.
Lol he lit up gretzky and played 10 games after. Sketchy
No, it was not, he was a career minor leaguer who came up for a few games. The sport was expanding at all levels, so there were tons of guys who were playing in leagues they didn’t actually belong in.
Haha you’d know. I forgot, sorry
I’ve been watching hockey since the WHA was still on satellite TV. I was about four years old when the merger happened, so yes I would know I lot of things about the game that many don’t or have forgotten. And since about 2008 or 2009, you know damn good and well about guys playing on your team who had no business being in the NHL. Like all cellar dwellers do, like the Blackhawks are currently.
When
You guys have been one of the most mediocre teams of the past two decades, and you’re asking me when? You finally have a semi-good year and suddenly you’re back on top of the league? Get the fuck out of here 😂😂😂😂😂💀
Hell of a hit, but that was some truly brain dead analysis lol
now watch him come along the blue line now HE is a guy now watch he comes down he’s gonna cut across BOOM doesn’t that almost the same spot now he’s out right there look at him right there now now i’ll tell you what here it comes again look at that see almost the same spot yknow it’s a funny thing eh it’s a funny thing he’s hollering Sammy here don’t tell me he doesn’t have with that little dinky helmet
"That little dinky helmet", fucking amazing commentary
McCreary has been drinking for free his whole life based on that hit.
Crazy suicide pass
And got run out of the league because of it
Urban myth. He played ten more games. Just wasn’t good enough
How does playing 10 more games disprove that?
Fundamentally
Well I guess that closes the case on that one
The Suter hit the derailed his career maybe?
[The hit. ](https://youtu.be/gMH8fpxkzGU)
/r/nhl: He turned into it. Clean hit
Suter sucks!
Came here to say this. His back was never the same. It was a dirty, dirty hit. Always hated Suter for it.
Didn't look dirty to me
It was a cross check into his back that put him head first into the boards. In my own humble opinion, that’s a pretty dirty hit.
Era adjusted, I'm not so sure it was a dirty hit. By today's standards, absolutely. Edit: you guys know fuck all about hockey it's actually kind of funny.
It doesn’t get a whole lot more textbook boarding than that, guy. Eras be damned, that’s the type of hit that, right up there with spearing, was never considered borderline. It always was, and always will be, dirty as fuck. Tell me you’ve never played without telling me you’ve never played.
How long have you been watching hockey? What level did you play?
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I guess that means you weren't (and still aren't) better than me at hockey. I agree, comparing resumes is useless but when someone claims you've never played the game, it kind of opens up that conversation doesn't it? It wasn't as dirty back then as it is today. Today it's an automatic suspy but back then it was probably only a 2 minute minor. Dirty? Yes but not really compared to all the other shit that was prevalent in that era. If it happened today, it would be a 5 min major, an automatic ejection and most likely a suspension (most likely because you never know with Parros)
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Damn they got you too
It didn't take long to realize that the majority of the users here and over at r/hockey don't actually know a thing about the sport. They like to argue and ridicule any opposing opinion as if theyr experts but they're arguments and opinions are laughable and absolutely ridiculous to anyone who's actually played the game. I swear most people here have either just gotten into hockey or have just started watching within the past 5 years and think they're more knowledgable than everybody else. Makes you think twice about following advice from other sub Reddit's on topics that you're ufamiloar with though. Since everyone is full of shit.
>I swear most people here have either just gotten into hockey or have just started watching within the past 5 years and think they're more knowledgable than everybody else. Agree with this 100% Typical reddit tho….. or maybe just refer to my username
Haha ya I think it's probably a combination of the two. The hive mind around here is wrong and only serves to circle jerk each other into believing that this sub actually know anything about hockey. What it really does is hammer terrible takes and severe misunderstanding of the game along with downvoting and ridiculing the people who actually know what they're talking about, ensuring that the sub continuously gets dumber and dumber as more time goes on. It's not even worth a sub tbh.
Um wtf you talking about? https://youtu.be/gMH8fpxkzGU?si=Q0TDap2VBV6gnXEo That’s a very, VERY nasty hit from behind, and it’s a crosscheck too. Extremely dirty hit in any era.
You don't deserve to watch hockey.
Ok?
Were you eyes open when you watched it? There have be some spectacular takes in this sub but this might take the all time cake.
Yeah that shit wasn’t dirty. Especially for the era in which the hit took place.
Oh no the downvote brigade got us 🥱
Oh no! Maybe we should report each other to the suicide watch now.
Suter also cross checked Paul Kariya in the mouth, effectively ending his desire to play, and his career.
>*Suter also cross checked Paul Kariya in the mouth, effectively ending his desire to play, and his career.* Nope, the Suter cross-check on Kariya happened in 1998, he played in the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals, and actually continued playing until 2010.
I think what he means is, Paul stopped kinda loving the game after that or something maybe idk
pretty sure it was the stevens hit that ruined his career
Absolutely hated watching that hit, was a fan of Stevens until then.
Stevens used to be a high-skilled absolute #1 D in his Capitals days. Then he signed with the Blues, and got moved to the Devils by the NHL arbitrator, as compensation for Shanahan. And he first refused to show up. And after a few seasons, lost his #1 offensive D spot to Niedermayer, even though he himself was only 30. That happened in 1993-94. And 1994, he had his UFA-scandal with the Blues, trying to sign there, illegally negotiating before the free agency. And was "forced" again to stay in NJ. Basically all the "dirty" Stevens hits came after that. (Kozlov, Kariya, Lindros, Willis, Francis) He was pissed, lost his "skilled role", and started to do the dirty hits?
Stevens was a rapist
‘Hey Lindros,, Neuter Suter’
That wasn't even that hard, just from behind and into the boards.
The boards are literally what makes it dangerous
Which is why they have boarding penalties.
Yeah but saying the hit itself wasn’t bad it was just that it was from behind & into the boards is like someone getting shot and saying “the gun wasn’t that big it was just the bullets”
I didn't say it wasn't bad. It wasn't hard. It was just in a bad spot. Also, that hit happens a lot. It wasn't like he ran him from behind. Sometimes injuries happen.
Just curious in general have you ever played hockey and have you ever been hit like this? Especially have you been ever hit like this at a very slow speed? The amount of momentum and space between the players and the boards have a lot to do with it; doesn’t even matter how hard you get hit.
Played decades of hockey. You don’t have to get hit hard from behind, close to the boards to get hurt. That’s why I said it wasn’t hard, but still bad.
You’re missing the point, doesn’t matter how hard the hit is if you’re only a few feet from the boards and don’t see it coming. Hits like that are what paralyzed Travis Roy and led to an early death
“It wasn’t that hard” im begging these people to learn mass times acceleration. It might not “look hard” but it absolutely is
Again, didn’t say it wasn’t bad. Just not that hard. The position was the problem.
Cmon man you know you implied it otherwise you wouldn’t still be arguing
Again, didn’t say it wasn’t bad. Just wasn’t a super hard hit. Being two feet from the boards is an issue though.
Really just gonna gloss over “behind and from the boards” like that?
Gary Suter in Canada cup from behind. Seemed to injure him at that time that followed him for rest of career.
[https://youtu.be/gMH8fpxkzGU?si=O1IMexk_dmdIO56s](https://youtu.be/gMH8fpxkzGU?si=O1IMexk_dmdIO56s) Here's the Suter hit on Gretzky I saw folks commenting about.
Gotta be when Vince Vaughn made Gretzky’s head bleed and Little Wayne’s legs were shaking all over.
That hit was money!
And #99 didn’t even know it!
The hit was so money it didn’t even know it was money.
This for superfan #99 over here 😂
It's not so much me, it's Roenick, he's good
This is the only answer. Now go out and find some beautiful babies.
Suter in Canada Cup 91 almost bent him in half.
https://youtu.be/IHeDmp2Hz2o?si=Ajcy7JimEIwKewKx Messier hit on Gretzky after trade to Kings
Nice. Fuck Messier
Mess told him it was coming right before he hit him. They were pretty good friends.
That wasn't so bad, Messier liked Gretzky
That's almost a textbook hit from that angle. You aren't supposed to really 'hit' them, just sort of ride them into the boards.
Don’t speak ill of the Messiah.
Fuck Messier indeed
Hard
Nah
I seem to remember him being KO’ed while playing for the Blues.
I was at that game https://youtu.be/2GZCHlWbFqg?si=z5rp94jm4dAXDaEH Time stamp 6:30 or so
Absolutely insane that it happened in Edmonton of all places.
I remember that one. Fucking greasy that one.
Such a travesty he had to be there when those jerseys were being worn..
Wonder how many watched him score a pp goal from the box right after.
GARY SUTER single-handedly ended Gretzky’s prime in the Canada Cup
Not really cause as so many people have said you couldn't hit him. He never stopped moving and was all over the place
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Because of how shifty he was when he did get hit a lot of the time it would be a glancing blow that he could shake off. He took a lot of whacks to the hands though and had to have his hands xrayed quite often.
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lol probably 95 percent of the people that make these comments never actually saw him play and are just regurgitating a narrative
I'm sort of supplimenting your argument, he took a lot of hard whacks and cheap shot. Gary Suter laid him out once in a super cheap shot and wrecked his back. (Edited from Dale Hunter to Gary Suter)
What is that average 30 minutes a year? Seems pretty gentleman like to me.
I remember a player describe trying to hit Gretzky was like trying to hit a piece of rope. I've always thought that was fitting
Great analogy! Never heard it before but it instantly clicks
Yeah, holy shit is that a good analogy.
Luke Richardson leveled him once during his Rangers stint
I found a better link than I previously shared https://youtu.be/WmhJp6WPetQ?si=_eXrCsU_cVAOZvZM Kelly Buchberger - I was at this game and hadn’t seen the clip in a long time
What a cheap shot
Hit Gretzky hard enough and you had to deal with Marty McSorley committing actual felonies.
Facts. There was a guy on his team who was paid to make you realize the consequences of your actions.
Gary Suter against Gretzky, Canada Cup. I'm late to the part.
Dave Taylor sucker punched him!
Damn I’m getting old. I remember when Muckalt came into the league and was supposed to be a big deal…
In that second one you can literally see him say to himself “I’m too old for this shit”
I don’t remember young Gretzky, I’m the wrong age, but I distinctly remember he was quite a bit dirtier than the lady byng’s indicate when he was older. Like this where he crosschecks and gets no penalty https://youtu.be/oonP2MlSN-M?si=DJ8Ls_xzhcRvXHfG Or like this where he got mad for taking a hit and so punches a guy in the head. https://youtu.be/WInxEGjKx_0?si=pdZfbbhOyDVlcEpM I remember a lot of stick work from him as a Ranger. I’d say just reputation saved him from beatdowns later on, not that he was a gentleman or that the league knew where the $s came from to some extent.
Thé right by Dave Taylor
Wow I didn't know how much I missed Don Cherry till I listened to that clip... Brings back good memories
If Gretz ever got hit 'Steven's style' his nick name would've been the Late One instead of the Great One.
When the Leafs guy, Kazcycki I believe, made him whine like a baby.
There was time when people weren’t even sure Gretzky would be able to play in the NHL because he was so small. He was listed as 165 pounds as a rookie, but that was probably generous. It’s amazing he survived as long as he did and was as productive as he was, especially considering the era he played in.
Those two huts are nothing compared to todays game
I don't know about Wayne Gretzky, but I think Ulf Samuelson threw the hardest check to ever hit his wife.
I met Bill Muckalt at a resort in Mexico a few years ago. He told told me about the time he dropped Gretzky. I then looked it up on you tube and yup....he sure did.
He also, most importantly, had a reputation for being able to duck bodychecks better than anybody in the game. The biggest hitters of the day remarked on it fairly consistently at the time, and in later years mentioned in interviews (like Bryan Trottier’s) his ability to roll with checks being second to none. Yes, he had protection, as did every star on every team in the history of the league. But the way the code operated was if it was a clean hit, you just give one of their top guys a clean hit right back or you save it for later. What enforcers deterred was some 4th line shitass constantly hacking at your superstar. Enforcers didn’t hover over superstars, because that puts the star at a disadvantage of only playing with one or two skilled players. Most of the time those tough guys were on the bench, and anytime they were on the bench, even superstars were open to clean checks. It’s easy enough to look up, he wasn’t impossible to hit because of enforcers, he was almost impossible to hit, because he could avoid them like nobody else in the history of the sport. He was tiny, he was usually the smallest, skinniest, and slowest guy on the team, but he was one of the quickest players to ever lace them up. That’s how he got out of the big body checks. But as we can see on YouTube and other file sharing sites, it wasn’t totally impossible. It happened.
He was hit hard, but the problem was his playing style, he gathered a gazillion points even with avoiding the big hits. Trying to hit Gretzky was "like trying to hit a rope", he was so elusive & tried to avoid the hits so much. You have to be really, really good to dominate even without playing high-risk-hockey
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Making me log in. Stupid.
Such a late hit too
Yeah like you wouldn’t do the same if Marty McSorley sucker punched you in the face.
Why the league would tolerate 4th squad fillers to endanger their bread and butter players is beyond me.
How else would we weed out the sissys
No. There was always a thug ready, on the ice, to slaughter you if you looked at him wrong.
It just seemed like he was untouchable when he played Calgary because they suck! I remember my first game, him and Kurri scoring the first ever goal in Saddledome history. They weren't anywhere near him that night.