Greatest Skaters EVER in the NHL

[Rhiessan71]

Fedorov had a higher top end than Bure but he did not have Bure's or Orr's or even Lafleur's acceleration.

Fed's needed a little wind up to really get going. Bure could accelerate in a phone booth.
It was always Bure's acceleration that let him blow by guys, not his actual speed.

And you left out Russ Courtnall, he's easily in the top 5. Russ was so fast that his feet would be at the hash marks but his hands would still be at the blueline lol

 

[Pominville Knows]

The Best modern day skater is Marion Gaborik

YES!!!

 

[BraveCanadian]

And you left out Russ Courtnall, he's easily in the top 5. Russ was so fast that his feet would be at the hash marks but his hands would still be at the blueline lol

That describes him perfectly.

He always reminded me of a THN article I read about the Oilers still favouring speed after the dynasty broke up.

It said: It is one thing to get to the net in a hurry, it is another thing to do something when you get there.

That is what really separates some guys mentioned in this thread from the rest.. their ability to actually do things while at the same time skating better than everyone else.

 

[Ogopogo*]

The conversation starts with Paul Coffey and Pavel Bure. Then comes everybody else.

 

[RorschachWJK]

Not the best ever, but this thread needs more Teemu Selänne.

 

[Acallabeth]

Datsyuk is a great example of an excellent skater who doesn't have great speed.

 

[struckbyaparkedcar]

Fedorov had a higher top end than Bure but he did not have Bure's or Orr's or even Lafleur's acceleration.

Fed's needed a little wind up to really get going. Bure could accelerate in a phone booth.
It was always Bure's acceleration that let him blow by guys, not his actual speed.

And you left out Russ Courtnall, he's easily in the top 5. Russ was so fast that his feet would be at the hash marks but his hands would still be at the blueline lol

To illustrate


/this has to be a repost, even though I checked and didn't see it.

 

[weaponomega]

Matthew Lombardi - One of the best skaters with the puck on his stick I've ever seen

Russ Courtnall - Pure speed

Paul Kariya - Incredible acceleration and explosiveness

Pavel Bure - Like Lombardi, but able to stickhandle and deke at that speed as well

 

[Rhiessan71]

Should also be noted that the person that came closest to breaking Gartner's record is Scott Niedermayer.

1992 Sergei Fedorov 14.363
1993 Mike Gartner 13.510
1994 Sergei Fedorov 13.525
1996 Mike Gartner 13.386
1997 Peter Bondra 13.610
1998 Scott Niedermayer 13.560
1999 Peter Bondra 14.100
2000 Sami Kapanen 13.649
2001 Bill Guerin 13.690
2002 Sami Kapanen 14.039
2003 Marian Gaborik 13.713
2004 Scott Niedermayer 13.783
2005 No Season
2006 No Game - Olympic Year
2007 Andy McDonald, Anaheim 14.03

 

[85highlander]

Harry Sinden gives commentary of Bobby Orr's skating in this CBC Documentary circa 1970, essentially calling him the greatest skater in the history of the NHL - some rare footage as well.


http://www.cbc.ca/player/Digital+Archives/Sports/ID/1474926277/

 

[Rhiessan71]

To illustrate


/this has to be a repost, even though I checked and didn't see it.

Yeah, you can really see it.
Bure takes off faster and powers through the corners better but Fed's makes up so much time on the straightaways with his longer, top end stride.

 

[SealsFan]

Here are my top 5. Lets also keep in mind the players in the past too cuz they had heavier and not all the high end skates as we do now but they still did better than alot of players now adays


1.Guy Lafluer
2.Bobby Orr
3.Pavel Bure

Hm, a 5-year-old post, but since I missed it, I'll play. That's a good starting point. I'd add Yvan Cournoyer, Reg Leach and Dave Keon.

 

[Beville]

Erik Karlsson...

And Colin Greening both deserve Honorable Mentions for at least being modern day Top End Skaters...

If you think otherwise, you seriously need to pull your head out...

 

[jw2]

Lindros was a fantastic skater. Not the fastest, but very smooth, especially for the size.

 

[Rhiessan71]

Erik Karlsson...

And Colin Greening both deserve Honorable Mentions for at least being modern day Top End Skaters...

If you think otherwise, you seriously need to pull your head out...

Yeah, Karlsson definitely stands out and really, that's saying something considering the onus on speed in today's NHL.

 

[tjcurrie]

Wow. So many to name. Here's 10 for me.

No order:

Orr
Coffey
Bure
Fedorov
Gartner
Modano
Lafleur
Perreault
Zubov
Messier

Edit: I'll add Denis Savard too. Maybe not the fastest, but man was that guy a magician on his skates.

 

[thom]

I agree with 1971 list very close.Lafleur's acceraration at the time was incredible.Mike Gartner speed as shown on all star games was almost off the charts.But 1971 great list

 

[tombombadil]

looking for informed opinions, here.

I grew up with a guy who went ahead of Iginla in the draft, and flopped badly. Steve Kelly was the guy. We played a ton of floor and road hockey, and watched them play a lot, and I swear he had two buddies from his hockey team that had equal, or better hands, vision, work ethic, and neither guy was small. One ended up in Europe and the AHL, the other played some Junior and got a job. Steve was chippy, so that helps, but it was exclusively his skating that got the scouts and hockey world excited.

Does anyone remember him, and where would you rank his skating, if you do remember him?

 

[seventieslord]

Wow. So many to name. Here's 10 for me.

No order:

Orr
Coffey
Bure
Fedorov
Gartner
Modano
Lafleur
Perreault
Zubov
Messier

Edit: I'll add Denis Savard too. Maybe not the fastest, but man was that guy a magician on his skates.

Really solid list. Pretty much named everyone I would have named.

 

[Pominville Knows]

Paul Kariya - Incredible acceleration and explosiveness

Also not a very nice person and a player that just fizzled out.

 

[silkyjohnson50]

Datsyuk is a great example of an excellent skater who doesn't have great speed.

Datsyuk's a very skilled skater. He doesn't have great speed or power, but his edge work is some of the best that I've ever seen. The way he's able to cut, stop-and-go, and move laterally with great balance are huge reasons why he's such a great puck handler. But his lack of top end speed excludes him from this type of discussion.

In regards to Fedorov, I agree that he didn't have the acceleration that Bure did, but then again, has anyone had Bure's acceleration? What Fedorov had was elite top end speed with a ton of power. IMO his combination of speed and power as a skater was almost unparalleled.

 

[whatname]

Lindros was a fantastic skater. Not the fastest, but very smooth, especially for the size.

Yeah, I was just thinking about how fast Lindros was, and not just for a big man. If I recall correctly, he liked to do lots of turn-overs, eg two and two in order to go in a forward direction.

Perhaps this should be in a thread by itself, but who was a better skater, Lindros or Lemieux? I'd give the edge to Lindros, although Mario showed how quickly he could go vs Minnesota - like three strides and he went from his own zone to Jon Casey.

 

[57special]

Orr didn't look,that fast, but made everyone else look like they were standing still.

Ralph Backstrom was considered one of the best skaters of his era.

How can we forget the Roadrunner?

Bobby Hull was the fastest in a straight line, and extremely strong on his skates.

 

[habsfanatics*]

Always liked Russ Courtnall's skating. The best, probably not, but he was outstanding.

 

[Panteras]

I consider Martin St. Louis to be if not the best one of the best skaters in the current NHL