Mario Lemieux vs. Wayne Gretzky, Six Reasons Why "66" is Greater than "99"

Before Kane and Toews or Crosby and Ovechkin, there was Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. Arguably (at least if you don't ask Gordie Howe or Bobby Orr) the two greatest hockey players to ever take the ice in any league, on any rink, in any corner of the world. But who is better?

Here are six reasons why the equation 66 > 99 might not have been true in your sixth grade Algebra class, but it holds true in hockey history.

6. I'll take Warren Young and Mike Bullard,  you can have Mark Messier, Paul Coffey, and Grant Fuhr.

The caliber of teammates that Gretzky enjoyed playing with early in his career vastly attributed to his success. I'm not saying that without Messier, Gretzky wouldn't have won a Hart or an Art Ross Trophy, I'm just saying he might not have won as many.

If a team decided to concentrate on "99" for the night, no problem, he'd just dish it off to Messier. Close in a tight game, Wayne didn't have to press to get that insurance goal, he could just dump the puck in and watch Grant Fuhr carry the team to victory.

It wasn't until the arrival of Mark Recchi to Pittsburgh in the early 90's that Lemieux had another all-star caliber player to play with. This lack of another star teammate enabled teams to double-team Mario on every shift.

Not to mention that by the time Mario arrived in Pittsburgh in 1984, relocation was on the tip of every member of the Penguins' management team as attendance continued to fall year after year.

Despite being relied on to carry the load, Lemieux posted five 100-plus point seasons, won the Calder Memorial Trophy, a Hart, a Lester B. Pearson, an Art Ross, and three All-Star game MVP's by 1990.

5. Five Goals, Five Different Ways

On December 31, 1988, Lemieux became the first (and only) player in NHL history to score a goal in every possible game situation in the same game. Lemieux netted an even strength goal, scored on the power play, scored shorthanded, converted on a penalty shot, and added an empty netter to cap off a five goal, eight point performance.

What's even better? It was against the Devils.

4. Injuries? No Problem

Everyone knows that Mario battled injuries throughout his career, while Gretzky remained relatively healthy during his. But here's a few things you might not know...

In July, 1990, Lemieux underwent back surgery and was forced to miss 50 games during the 1990-91 season. Despite significant pain, Lemieux was back for the playoffs. Mario scored 44 points (16 goals, 28 assists), leading all scorers in the playoffs, and more importantly, leading the Penguins to their first Stanley Cup.

The following season, Lemieux played in just 64 games, but still won the Art Ross Trophy with 131 points. Gretzky played in 74 games with the Kings that year, finishing with 121 points. Oh, but he probably was battling a stuffy nose for a good chunk of the winter.

During the same '91-'92 season, New York Ranger Adam Graves etched his name at the top of every Penguin fans' hit list by slashing, and breaking Lemieux's wrist during the Division Finals. Mario missed five games, but still led all scorers with 16 goals and 18 assists, as the Penguins won their second consecutive Stanley Cup.

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