I've written in some other site that Eddie has 20 licks, and he strings them together to make his solos.
But come on, if you listen back to Jimi (sorry if I hurt anybody's fellings) but hey, what's the big deal nowadays?

Well, those guys were landmarks. There was a before and a after Jimi, and a before and after Van halen. Why aren't you (or I for instance) impressed by their playing anymore? Because everybody and their grandma now plays licks that Van Halen and Jimi have contributed to the world of electric guitar, you might not have noticed, but many stuff you play on your axe maybe wouldn't exist if Eddie or Jimi hadn't worked on his...