best hands ever

[vcx*]

Both Lemuiex and jagr have said that Alex kovalev has the best hands they have ever seen on anyone. I think that they are pretty good judges in that regard.
so the winner is KOVALEV!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Datsyuk second.

You do know they meant ANYONE but themselves right. They aren't going to say oh me and my buddy Jagr have the best hands..

 

[jiggs 10]

You do know they meant ANYONE but themselves right. They aren't going to say oh me and my buddy Jagr have the best hands..

Because they would both be wrong!

Mario had darn good hands, but his reach certainly helped (as in players couldn't get close enough to him to poke check). Jagr is a wide load with very good hands, but again he is too large in the butt to get checked much.

Denis Savard was 160 pounds. He couldn't be stopped. He undressed more men than Pamela Anderson! And he was a fabulous passer, to go along with his stickhandling and shooting. Just watch the video "Roger Nilsson's Hockey My Way" to see how dominate Savard was in the late 80's.

 

[Puck Dogg]

Terry Crisp said that from the blueline in, nobody has better hands in hockey than Probert.

 

[Sampe]

Mario had darn good hands, but his reach certainly helped (as in players couldn't get close enough to him to poke check). Jagr is a wide load with very good hands, but again he is too large in the butt to get checked much.

Denis Savard was 160 pounds. He couldn't be stopped. He undressed more men than Pamela Anderson!

While you might be right on all these accounts (although some sources place Savard's weight at 170 ), it takes a lot more than just great hands to be unstobbable, especially if you're small. In this context, I would be a lot more interested in how Savard controlled the puck than how many men he undressed. The same applies to Lemieux and Jagr: being big and strong may make them harder to contain, but it takes away nothing of their actual ability to control the puck.

Besides, how on earth can/could 6'4 and 6'3 players be that skilled in the first place? I realize this isn't about the softest hands in relation to your size, but I think it's worth pointing out this because these guys deserve all the respect they get. If Jagr and Lemieux had been 5'10...

 

[jiggs 10]

Well, what I meant was that Savard could stickhandle through nearly ANY obstacle in his path or around any defenseman in the NHL, he was a ridiculously good passer, and he was a very good goal scorer who had a hard shot for s small-ish player. Even in his second time around in Chicago (when his speed was basically gone), he could put the puck anywhere he wanted it to be, and in such a way that his teammate could handle it well. Many players today cannot do that. they just slap the puck towards their teammate, and hope he can stop the puck. Remember the "feather pass", boys? It still works, even with the composite sticks!

I think Lemieux would play about the same if he was 5' 10", but he would be easier to contain without the long reach. Jagr would be pretty easy to stop if he was a smaller player. He has quick hands, but really uses his size (and his big butt) to push opponets out of his way. He would not be able to do that if he was built like Steve Sullivan. But he would still have very quick moves, so who knows?

 

[Wetcoaster]

No. 1 all-time - no question in my mind - Mr. Hockey, Gordie Howe. He was amazing in close as well as having one of the best "snap" shots ever - ask Bobby Baun as it was a Gordie Howe snap shot that broke his leg (actually what we would call today a high ankle break) in the third period of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals on April 23, 1964. Baun would return with the ankle taped and frozen to score the overtime winner to force Game 7 which the Leafs won. Even more amazing Baun then played every shift in Game 7 two nights later.

Howe used a very short stick for a man his size and could pull a puck into his feet and while it was there move it from his forehand to his backhand and he was deadly accurate with his backhand. He could also switch hands to reach around a defenceman and then get a shot off. I watched him score numerous goals with one hand on the stick (either hand) and park forehand and backhand shots up under the crossbar from right in close. He had amazing hand/eye coordination and he was a master at deflecting shots.

Number two all-time would be a tie between Phil Esposito (in close) and Mike Bossy from the slot.

 

[Sampe]

I think Lemieux would play about the same if he was 5' 10", but he would be easier to contain without the long reach. Jagr would be pretty easy to stop if he was a smaller player. He has quick hands, but really uses his size (and his big butt) to push opponets out of his way. He would not be able to do that if he was built like Steve Sullivan. But he would still have very quick moves, so who knows?

Longer reach is partially due to a longer stick, which is harder to puckhandle with. And the smaller you are the stronger you are in relation to your size. A 5'10 version of Jagr/Lemieux would be clearly more agile than them and would likely have a very different playing style.