Who is better, Gretzky or Zaitsev?
Wayne Gretzky leads with a GOAT score of 97.8 against 15.6 for Nikita Zaitsev — a gap of 82.2 points on GOAT Rank's weighted model.
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Gretzky vs Zaitsev
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GOAT verdictgoatrank.world
GretzkyWinner
97.8Gretzky wins: Dominance, Peak, Longevity, Honours, Statistics
Zaitsev
15.6Zaitsev wins: no category outright
Candidates
Locked to Ice HockeyShareable URL · /compare/gretzky-vs-ros-nikita-zaitsev
Time range
Showing full careers. Pick a window to recalculate the selected period.
Category radar
Verdict
Weighted GOAT score
🇨🇦 Wayne Gretzky
97.8
Gretzky leads in 5 of 5 weighted categories.
Zaitsev — Insufficient verified career data to calculate a reliable GOAT Score.
1. Wayne Gretzky
2. Nikita Zaitsev
Category breakdown
Season form · Points per season
Career timeline · Points per season
Cumulative output season by season — the shape of each career against the other.
GOAT pace tracker
Through age 21 · Points per season
1. 🇨🇦 Wayne Gretzky513 points
3 seasons by age 21 · 171 per season
Setting the pace at age 21
No verified birth date for Zaitsev — shown in the pro-debut view instead.
Every career is cut at the season the athlete turned 21, so a rookie today is measured against exactly what a legend had banked by the same birthday.
Fan vote — data vs the people
GOAT Rank · the data
Gretzky97.8
Zaitsev15.6
FAQ
Where does Zaitsev beat Gretzky?
Zaitsev does not lead any of the five categories; Gretzky is ahead or level on all of them.
How is the Gretzky vs Zaitsev score calculated?
Both are scored on peak, dominance, honours, statistics, longevity within their sport. Gretzky: 97.8, Zaitsev: 15.6.
What do you think?
0 commentsMake your case for Gretzky vs Zaitsev. The scoring is published in full — if you can point at the pillar or the weight you disagree with, we read it. Read the methodology paper.