Look at clips of Wayne Gretzky from the 1980's, which is also when he set all-time records that have not yet been surpassed (and people still believe never will, though Ovechkin has a chance at the goals record)
What's incredible isn't what he's doing, it's what everyone else around him is NOT doing.
* He's skating fast but not that fast (compared to modern skaters)
* His shot is accurate but he's not a sniper. Many shots never leave the ice
* But the defenders have absolutely no checking ability
* And the goalies are upright! The butterfly style hasn't been popularized yet! They're just awkard sieve slowly shuffling around in net.
A big disadvantage, though, too: he has to play against players with the same advantages.