That's a claim that is generous to Pele, and anyway, of his 1200-odd goals he is credited for, 757 came in competitive matches. Both Ronaldo and Messi have more in competitive matches (club and country). So do Bican and Romario for that matter.

Those extra 500 goals came in all sorts of games, including exhibitions, testimonials and friendlies, and most observers (and FIFA) consider 757 his tally. For what it's worth the man himself claims 1,283.

So while there is room for arguing that Pele is the all-time high scorer, some, including me, consider Ronaldo to be the all-time goal scoring leader. I'm not saying Blade is wrong, but that he is using a very loose definition that few others use.

Still very good for football. It's impossible to compare different sports, and come to a definite, absolute conclusion. SimHQ is a very international collection of members. I get that the majority of the world does not understand hockey (I hate saying ice hockey). But I have talked to guys from the UK, when on vacation. They say hockey is a girls game (field hockey) I say football is boring. The highlights never look impressive to me, the net is so d@mn big. Cricket ? I have no clue, but in some parts of the world, it is the major sport. I have watched some Rugby recently, now those are some tough MF'ers. I do not know the rules, but I think I could get into it. The NFL, I might care if Toronto had a team.
Canada, USA, Russia, Czech, Slovak and the Nordic countries, hockey is extremely popular. Probably due to climate, we had to find a way to stay warm, and release our pent up anger.
Different generations will have varied opinions too.
One thing for sure, I am glad for sports. It is the real reality TV.

Running, everyone can do that right ?

Wayne Gretzky vs Björn Borg vs Pele vs Sugar Ray Leonard in 1982 RUN 60m DASH. I have no idea of the variance in age here.

Tom Brady - USA

Some parts of the USA would say Dale Earnhardt. Some would say Jordan.
Rocky Marciano 49–0–0
Floyd Mayweather Jr. 50–0–0
both deserve mention.
Very debatable topic.

BTW, I did not show the video of the race because a hockey player won.
Despite the fact Wayne Gretzky grew up around the corner from my Grandparents. My Aunt went to high school with him.
I was never a Gretzky fan. He had mafia like protection on the ice. Nobody was more sheltered from the physical aspect of hockey.
I never liked that. Guys today, like Crosby take constant abuse, crosschecking to the back. Wayne did not have that.

And if anyone wants to come at me and say Crosby is a cry baby.....yes he was, when he 18 and 19 years old. He stopped that sh*t. You still think he's a baby ? I say you don't watch him play. Or your a Flyers fan

Just recently Crosby became the first player in NHL history to record a 30-goal season at age 18, and again at 35. Not even Wayne did that.

After the 2009 Finals I am hard wired to hate Crosby. You're right, after the first few years he started acting like a big boy. I respect his game. The dude's the real thing. I always hated all the hype about him though. It was nauseating to watch a game were the network announcers just gushed over him like teen aged girls. I always hated the league/Betman protection he got/still gets more than all the physical protection Gretzky got. That's how the game was played in Gretzky's day. I'm not really a fan of Gretzky's after ice career. He just comes off as creepy. Let's face it, Gretzky changed the way the game was played. Lemieux did in some ways too. Crosby was able to dominate the game it already was, he didn't change it. For me, Selanne, Bure, and Mogilny were the most exciting players to watch during their era. Today guys like McDavid , Matthews, Kiprusoff, and MacKinnon are fascinating to watch. We all can disagree about players, the game is a beautiful thing.

Or you are a Red Winds fan, I knew I should have added that. No chance in hell Crosby gets more protection than Gretzky did. That's 2009 talking.

Nobody is better at playing hockey down low, than Crosby. if you don't agree, you don't watch him play, or you are pissed at him beating your team.

Well, I am pissed at him beating us in 2009. You're right, Crosby does not get the protection on the ice like Gretzky did. Crosby's down low game is the best. He gets protection from the refs just like LeBron gets on the court. That's a league decision.

NHL refing is very questionable these days. I just hope it doesn't have a major impact at playoff time.

You got that right. I'm almost afraid of what it's going to look like in the playoffs. I think it's more the league then the refs. They are making it too much like the NBA. One set of rules for the elite players and favored teams and another for the rest. There are a lot of new refs and linesmen this year. They know they have to call games this way if they want to keep their jobs. It's not good for the game.

I don't really have a favorite player, but I sure like watching Mitch Marner play. Complete 200 foot game.
One of my all time favorite players was Owen Nolan. Score, yep, hit, yep, fight, yep. great Captain. One of the first players Gretzky picked, as GM, for Canada's 2002 Olympic team.

Sadly, hitting is becoming more rare, fighting as well.

Refs should be interviewed like players are, after games. Bettman does protect them too much. Hell, you get fined if you dare question them in the media, after a game.

Refs should be fined for terrible calls.

The amount of sudden legal sports betting in Canada is a concern too.

Bamn! You nailed it. In their defense, I will say that reffing a game that is that fast has got to be extremely difficult. I would say that using technology to aid in calls would help, but some of the worst calls are being made from the league command center in Toronto.

Owen Nolan was a very solid all around player.

Hitting is down to the point were guys get angry when someone does get hit. I remember the days when someone smoked you with a good hit, the lesson was keep your head up. Not have your teammates group hug the guy. The fighting is down not only because the refs step in too early, but both teams all jump in for a group hug. Drives me nuts. I know the grab the guy in close all started to stop from getting a jab to the face, but it's ridiculous now. I'd like to see the PA start playing the Waltz when this happens. because they are basically just dancing with each other at that point.

Maybe linesman should have to power to make a penalty call. That would make 4 sets of eyes on the ice.
The control center in Toronto should be able to call out a ref for a bad call. The problem is it could slow down the game. Like the offside challenge.
IMO, the game changed drastically when they took out the 2 line pass rule. The game became wide open, faster. You can pass from the goal line, in your own end, up to the opponents blue line now. Big tough guys got phased out, due to being a liability in a fast paced games. I still watch, because it's the only sport I really like. But yeah, I'm the old man yelling at the cloud guy now. It use to be better when ......
I hear the Blue Jays have a great team this year, I may watch some games.

He's a cry baby. Cryin' Sid, the sad, sad, kid.

I've talked about it plenty of times before here in our sporting discussion, how I need my villains. Crosby serves that role nicely. In reality I have massive respect for his game, He's been a Flyers killer for a generation it seems. So it's just banter. Although Tie Domi really did suck




+1. Pavel Bure was amazing. All three were, but the Russian Rocket was thrilling to watch.

Crosby's individual NHL honours include: 3 Stanley Cups (2009, 2016, 2017), 2 Conn Smythe Trophies (2016, 2017), 3 Ted Lindsay Awards (2007, 2013, 2014), 2 Hart Memorial Trophies (2007, 2014), 2 Art Ross Trophies (2007, 2014), 2 Maurice Richard Trophies (2010, 2017), and 1 Mark Messier Leadership award. 2 Olympic Gold Medals. He's not crying.
Hate him all you want. He matured greatly after his first 2 seasons. They hate you when you are great.

Bure was great, but had a short injury riddled career. Didn't see a lot of Bure as he played on the west coast. Selanne's 76 goals as a rookie will probably never be touched. Mogilny was incredible. But none of the 3 come close to Crosby's accomplishments.

Where banter goes to die....

This was fun.

Ok then.

Crosby is a dirty player, like cheap shots to the calves with the stick.

If you took the wacks and slashes he does, you would too.
He's no Brad Marchand. Or the dirtiest player Of the last 2 decades, Chara.
Crosby battles hard, he gives what he gets.
First ballot Hall Of Famer.
Playoff rivalries build hatred. You make enemies on your way to the top. Yadda yadda yadda.

All the bullet points