Bobby Orr easily. Bure was good, but he pales in comparison to Orr.
Orr was so fast that he could lead the charge up ice, but still be the first one back behind his own blueline if it didn't go in the opposing net.
He also had unbelievable puck control at top speed.
Valery Kharlamov is another who is pretty much up ahead of Bure.
Orr was also the first man to walk on the moon.
J0e Th0rnt0n said:Exactly. Anyone who thinks Bure was the best needs to get some Orr footage.
Well there's always a first.wait- we actually agree on something?
in all seriousness- i really dont see how orr was faster then bure. theres definitely nostalgia fogging up peoples glasses around these parts.
Faster - as in top speed - maybe, acceleration no...Its not necessarily nostalgia. It is very possible that Orr & Hull were faster than Bure. The documented fact is that Hull was measured at 29mph.
Sry, i forgot to pick the canadian guy.
Maybe acceleration. But its really not what this discussion is about. Im not sold on him accelerating faster having seen both.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv0-9Wi713o&mode=related&search=
Don't get me wrong. I thought Bure was among the most exciting since Orr, but he wasn;t Orr. Orr was more electrifying. Orr combined
Mario Lemieux stickhandling and hands with Wayne Gretzky vision and Bure's speed, also god given defensive talent and ridiculous puck possession skills.
He was the best most complete player I have ever seen play. Lemieux and Gretzky included.
Watching this just confirms what I said earlier: Bure was faster than Orr, but Bobby CONTROLLED the pace of the game and the play like no one else before him. Watch those highlights: half the time he is gliding along waiting for an opening, then jumping into it. Bure exploded past everyone, much like Hull did. Totally different styles, each one great. But Bure was, without a doubt in my mind, faster than Bobby Orr with the puck. And I'm Bobby Orr's biggest fan. But let's be realistic here.
Watching this just confirms what I said earlier: Bure was faster than Orr, but Bobby CONTROLLED the pace of the game and the play like no one else before him. Watch those highlights: half the time he is gliding along waiting for an opening, then jumping into it. Bure exploded past everyone, much like Hull did. Totally different styles, each one great. But Bure was, without a doubt in my mind, faster than Bobby Orr with the puck. And I'm Bobby Orr's biggest fan. But let's be realistic here.
Right the guy that Bob Cole of HNIC has captaining the Canucks now.While he certinally wouldn't be tops on this list, I always really enjoyed watching Mats Naslund play. He really stood out on a defensive team like the Habs were then.
In the driving snow and uphill both ways.Incorrect. He was the first human on the moon, but he did not walk, he skated, and then skated home.
nobody could ignite the old Forum into a chorus of boos FASTER than Patrice Brisebois. Incidentally, most habs fans soon ELECTRIFIED themselves in disgust.
In this category I would like to nominate Sergei Samsonov, too.
Curiously, Samsonov could deserve a mention in this thread for good reasons. The speed difference when he has the puck vs. when he doesn't have the puck... Is really low, if inexistent, and looks real fast when he's skating with the puck. That's why he's mistaken for a good skater, because not only he has a REALLY UGLY stride (I should find footage of Samsonov skating without the puck, Mike Recchi would look like Elvis Stojiko), but he would lose a race (w/o puck) against Jason Allison, and I wouldn't be surprised at all.
Orr was my hero as a boy, and is still my #1 best player ever, but Bure was faster. Orr had more of a sense of controling the game, but in a race for the net, Bure would beat him by 2 strides from the red line in. I hate to say that, but after watching hockey for 37 years, it is a fact.
Russ Courtnall was one of the fastest skaters I've ever seen, fast as Cournoyer but had trouble carrying the puck at that speed. Marien Gaborik is a rocket when he accelerates, and the puck doesn't slow him down a bit.
Bobby Hull was probably the fastest of all-time, though. He was timed in the late 60's as skating at 29 MPH, which is unbelievable! Think about it, right now the fastest skaters are timed at around 23 MPH. Even if the equipment was a bit off, Hull was still going faster thatn anyone today can match. And he could shoot the puck harder than anyone in history, too! Scary!
Today's electrifying players for me include:
Afinigin-whatever from Buffalo...man, he's got moves and speed!
Gaborik
Ovechkin
Datsyuk...again, what moves!
...many others from night to night, but these are the ones that immediately come to mind.
I'm probably around your age and feel the same way you do about Bobby Orr-best ever! I disagree that Bure would beat Orr by two strides starting at the Red Line. Maybe from 1971-75 he would have, but from 1966-70 it would probably be a wash. I'm still waiting for the next Bobby Orr!