Comparisons of todays game vs decades ago

[steve li]

This is a good thread.

[rezero]

Today's players are super soft but highly skilled compared to players of the past. The worst player in the league probably skates as good as Gretzky did when he entered the league. Most of the others probably skate better. Gretzky in his prime couldn't hang with Mackinnon or Mcdavid today. The whole game is just a different animal now.
None of our current Blues roster could survive 60 mins on the ice with Stevens or Bourque or Hatcher. Konstantinov would give 2 of these guys a concussion before the national anthem was even over. Probert, Domi and Twist would commit murders nightly on these guys. Imagine Kyrou getting grabbed by Probert.... See ya Kyrou! The rink itself would be a crime scene nightly.
The goalies today are much bigger on average than they used to be also. That and the pad size makes a huge difference.

Not sure I agree with your first point as Gretzky was so far above other players he would still IMO still be elite today. I have not seen many players ever to have his passing ability and his hand speed even in today’s game. In 1982, I had tickets to see him play colorado and possible break the 200pt barrier, but he scored like 5 pts the night before in Calgary and went over 200 in that game. Crazy that he averaged over 200pts a season for a 6yr span from 81-87.

On your second point thought you are dead on. In pre-90s the abuse players took was night and day different than today. Holding and slashing happened every time down the ice. I remember that picture of Hull holding him arm up to hand a fan a puck and his arm was bruised purple. Today you touch a players hand with the stick and you are watching for 2 minutes. Plus if you did hammer an elite player, the enforcers would make sure you remembered it. Many of today’s players would be shadows of themselves in that era.

[11WSChamps]

It translates into not having as much room.

Goaltenders are bigger and have bigger equipment, players are bigger and now nearly every player skates well which leaves less room not to mention players are bigger.

Scheming makes a difference as well.

The equipment for goaltenders needs to be smaller.

There has to more to offense than "go to the dirty areas to score" and maybe a puck goes off a skate to score

[LewisL]

Neutral zone play is a lot different too.

[rezero]

Neutral zone play is a lot different too.

Yeah, as now you can make passes across the entire ice. In the pre-2004 they had a 2 line pass penalty. The was a major change as it forced the game to be slower and more congested. Image today’s pace if you could not pass from your defensive zone past mid ice.