fastest and most electrifying player

[Jarko2004]

Courneyer was fast and electrifying

 

[Ogopogo*]

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, he cured polio and brought down the iron curtain.

 

[Nalyd Psycho]

Orr was also the first man to walk on the moon.

Incorrect. He was the first human on the moon, but he did not walk, he skated, and then skated home.

 

[Crazyhorse]

Exactly. Anyone who thinks Bure was the best needs to get some Orr footage.

Sry, i forgot to pick the canadian guy.

 

[XploD]

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.

Well there's always a first.

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.

Faster - as in top speed - maybe, acceleration no...

 

[espo*]

Sry, i forgot to pick the canadian guy.

We'll let this one slide.

make sure not to let it happen again.

 

[Mirinho]

I like watching HAVLAT whe he is skating

 

[FDBluth]

pittsburghpenguins.com/multimedia/pplayer.php?rep=1210

 

[Nas_Bert_Morr*]

Man, time flies. I'm only 20 years old yet somehow I grew up watching this "Legend of the Past" Pavel Bure. You know, back then they were the Vancouver "Millionares".

 

[Fish on The Sand]

nobody could ignite the old Forum into a chorus of boos FASTER than Patrice Brisebois. Incidentally, most habs fans soon ELECTRIFIED themselves in disgust.

 

[JaymzB]

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.

 

[jiggs 10]

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.

 

[J0e Th0rnton*]

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.

Maybe you are right. I think a Better comparison for Orr would be calling him a faster Lemieux. He could undress opposing players at top speed.

I remember Orr's end to end rushes very well though. He was fast as heck. He was so fast, if the puck turned over, he was still the first one back defending, even if he was behind the opposing goalie's net and a pass got taken, he beat everyone back.

 

[alrusso]

Faster

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.

Bure might have been faster than Orr after knee problems slowed Orr down a little, however, nobody (including Bure) was faster than Orr his first 5 years in the league. Maybe as fast, but not faster......

 

[CoupeStanley]

Electrifying?

Bobby Orr
Guy Lafleur
Russian Rocket
Real Rocket

Bure was just something else with the puck at top speed.

The Rocket could electrify a crowd like nobody else...

And well, those two helmetless blond guy skating like the wind was something that can be matched today.

 

[Brootte]

marion gaborik.

 

[BNHL]

Orr's ridiculous 5th gear was displayed when he was chasing forwards back to the Bruins end after using 4th gear to cruise into the offensive end. He just ran players down from behind. His 6th gear was taken away by knee injuries,there would have been no debate!

 

[Wetcoaster]

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.

Right the guy that Bob Cole of HNIC has captaining the Canucks now.

 

[Wetcoaster]

Incorrect. He was the first human on the moon, but he did not walk, he skated, and then skated home.

In the driving snow and uphill both ways.

 

[MXD]

The Little Viking really deserves some mention in this thread.
I cannot beleive this guy didn't reached 1000 pts -- his short career span might explain that, and Habs relative empahsis on D, too.

 

[MXD]

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.

 

[mattihp]

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.

I am thinking it is the Kenta Nilsson syndrome. He's not much of a workhorse without the puck, but when he gets it, he knows what to do.

Just look at his quick feet in this clip... http://youtube.com/watch?v=JlSw55niO_4

 

[alrusso]

Bobby Orr

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!

 

[jiggs 10]

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!

I'm in my mid-40's, but I recently watched a YouTube video of Bure's greatest goals, and he is a LOT faster than Bobby Orr looks on HIS YouTube video. Obviously, Orr controled the game better and played both ends of the ice, but for sheer speed, I don't think he could have ever matched Bure. He caught many players of his era from behind because THEY were not all that fast (not saying Orr wasn't fast, cause he was). But I don't think he could catch Bobby Hull or Bure in a pure footrace. Granted, just watching video it is hard to tell the real speed of a player. But comparing them both on video, it looks like Bure is a bit faster, especially with the puck.

But like I said, Orr controlled the game like no one else ever has (well, I hear stories about Doug Harvey, but he slowed things down to HIS speed instead of speeding them up like Orr did). Even Gretzky needed Kurri to feed after doing his buttonhook at the blue line or lateral cut to the middle of the slot. Orr could just keep going and score on his own seemingly at will.

 

[Afino]

In my lifetime (22 years): Bure
Overall: Orr


I think that sums it up rather well for most people. Soon as I saw this thread on the front page (without opening it), first name put into my mind was Pavel Bure.