Bobby Orr and figure skating

FDBluth

Registered User
Jul 2, 2004
11,219
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Kelowna, BC
Professional figure skaters are phenomenal athletes and most high-level figure skaters are probably better at skating than all but a handful of NHLers. Remember, all of their training focuses strictly on skating itself. Skating is an important part of hockey, but you can be a good hockey player without being a good skater (Jason Allison, Dave Andreychuk, etc.).
 

Dipsy Doodle

Rent A Barn
May 28, 2006
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I can punch harder than Mike Tyson because I took Tae Kwon Do. Disprove me. That's about the equivalent of what this girl's saying.

Just call her on it and say that if she had to use hockey skates, she couldn't outskate the worst NHL skater on her best day. Worst-case scenario: she gets flustered, and you laugh.
 

Silver91

Agent 0091
May 27, 2007
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It's not unheard of for NHL players to have been in figure skating before they made the NHL. Paul Kariya, one of the fastest in the game today competed in figure skating at a young age.
 

Silver91

Agent 0091
May 27, 2007
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Unknown
I took figure skating with power skating while playing in my first few years of hockey and it made a huge difference. Half of the tryouts for MTHL teams involved skating drills and when you could out skate everyone it was definitely positive. When I have a son he's going to take figure skating along with power skating.:handclap:

I feel bad for your son. Not because it would be bad to have him learn how to skate like that, but in today's society, if anyone finds out about that, wow!
 

Dipsy Doodle

Rent A Barn
May 28, 2006
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I feel bad for your son. Not because it would be bad to have him learn how to skate like that, but in today's society, if anyone finds out about that, wow!

Now we know why Esposito slipped in the draft. :teach::sarcasm:
 

Nalyd Psycho

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Feb 27, 2002
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I can punch harder than Mike Tyson because I took Tae Kwon Do. Disprove me. That's about the equivalent of what this girl's saying.

Just call her on it and say that if she had to use hockey skates, she couldn't outskate the worst NHL skater on her best day. Worst-case scenario: she gets flustered, and you laugh.

Got it backwards, it's the boxer saying he can punch harder than the mixed martial artist because punching is the only element of boxing, while MMA has many elements.

Figure skaters only train as skaters, hockey players develop a wide assortment of skills. Therefore, the average figure skater will be a better skater than the average hockey player.

That said, this girl seems arrogant and overstating the position.
 

pappyline

Registered User
Jul 3, 2005
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Mass/formerly Ont
I would bet that Orr was not a figure skater. I am of the same age as Orr & grew up in a small town in Ontario. There were the hockey players (the vast majority). the figure skaters (a few males but mostly female) & those that did nothing(a small minority). everbody pretty much went to public skating. Those that played hockey did not figure skate in that era.
 

Jysk

Registered User
Jul 3, 2004
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25
Skellefteå Sweden
Figure skaters are great skaters but when it comes to top speed they cant match hockeyplayers. It like running, werry few will outrun a weightlifter in the first 15 -20 meters because of the legpower they generate. Figure skaters are not known for their muscles.
I think i was in 1996 on a Montreal traingicamp that Donald Brashear outskated (top speed) Saku Koivu and people where amazed.
 

02m3smg

Registered User
Nov 14, 2006
809
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Toronto
I feel bad for your son. Not because it would be bad to have him learn how to skate like that, but in today's society, if anyone finds out about that, wow!

Why be homophobic? Half my figure skating class were guys. It's not like we did crazy 360s in the air like Elvis Stoko, we worked on basics. It was good way to focus on form without picking up bad habits. I believe a lot of my power skating coaches were female too with a strong background in figure skating.
 

Dream Big

Registered User
Jun 10, 2005
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Axis Mundi
Don't know why it's even called figure skating anymore. Figures used to be the ice tracing that were variations on the shape of a figure 8. The skater had to push off and balance on one skate on an inside edge creating a half circle and then rotate coming out going forward on the same edge or backwards on the same or outside edge. Figures were discontinued in about 1997 and are only remembered by the oldtimers who had their own scribes-an instrument for tracing the figure on the ice that was then traced freestyle by the skater. In competition the skater had to freestyle the tracing and the judges would actually get on their knees to see the quality of the edges and the tightness of the transitions.
I think why there is the belief so many hockey player took "figure skating" is that many Figure Skating clubs even to this day have a Learn to skate program for skaters. Both hockey and figure skates are acceptable at this stage. Many beginner skaters wear helmets some are hockey some are bicycle. To me you are not a "figure skater" unless you went into the "test" program. Usually this is the start of private lessons. You have to wear figure skates, you get tested on Test day by a trained judge on the specific ability to reproduce specific sequence of steps, dance, jumps or program.
The figure skating program has refined the techniques of skating. Teaching the correct use of edges, inside outside, how to get power from the edges and leg extensions, cross over techniques forward backward, "Neat" feet. Many of the better power skating coaches have a figure skating background. There's alot to recommend starting a youngster out in Can Skate program or whatever the sanctioned figure skating club in your neighbourhood is calls it.
 

BNHL

Registered User
Dec 22, 2006
20,017
1,458
Boston
Don't know why it's even called figure skating anymore. Figures used to be the ice tracing that were variations on the shape of a figure 8. The skater had to push off and balance on one skate on an inside edge creating a half circle and then rotate coming out going forward on the same edge or backwards on the same or outside edge. Figures were discontinued in about 1997 and are only remembered by the oldtimers who had their own scribes-an instrument for tracing the figure on the ice that was then traced freestyle by the skater. In competition the skater had to freestyle the tracing and the judges would actually get on their knees to see the quality of the edges and the tightness of the transitions.
I think why there is the belief so many hockey player took "figure skating" is that many Figure Skating clubs even to this day have a Learn to skate program for skaters. Both hockey and figure skates are acceptable at this stage. Many beginner skaters wear helmets some are hockey some are bicycle. To me you are not a "figure skater" unless you went into the "test" program. Usually this is the start of private lessons. You have to wear figure skates, you get tested on Test day by a trained judge on the specific ability to reproduce specific sequence of steps, dance, jumps or program.
The figure skating program has refined the techniques of skating. Teaching the correct use of edges, inside outside, how to get power from the edges and leg extensions, cross over techniques forward backward, "Neat" feet. Many of the better power skating coaches have a figure skating background. There's alot to recommend starting a youngster out in Can Skate program or whatever the sanctioned figure skating club in your neighbourhood is calls it.

All the figure skating lessons in the world can't make a hockey player out of someone with no inherent hockey talent. The talent lies in that area of the human condition that can only be touched by God and enhanced by time then finally degraded by age.
 

Crosbyfan

Registered User
Nov 27, 2003
12,633
2,442
Why be homophobic? Half my figure skating class were guys. It's not like we did crazy 360s in the air like Elvis Stoko, we worked on basics. It was good way to focus on form without picking up bad habits. I believe a lot of my power skating coaches were female too with a strong background in figure skating.

LOL, are you trying to tell us you weren't all gay? (not that there's anything wrong with that)
 

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