Paul Coffey- what made him great?

[c9777666]

Was it as simple as his great speed? Some players can be fast skaters but not as successful (I.e. Rico Fata).

Was it his passing? His ability to generate offense from the blue line that he hypothetically could notas a forward or am I missing something?

Coffey seemed to have that “it” factor, but what was it that truly made him so fearsome, a guy whose 37 points in the 1985 playoffs will probably never be broken by a blueliner?

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[MarkusNaslund19]

He wasn't just fast. He was one of the smoothest, best in transition, skaters of all time.

He also had incredible offensive instincts and was as fast with the puck as he was without it.

 

[Staniowski]

Coffey was a great, elite player. A true difference maker. He was the top scoring defenseman in 3 different best-on-best tournaments - '84, '91, '96.

Of course his skating was his greatest strength. But he was a great passer with exceptional hockey sense and talent with the puck. He played great with other great players. He was very confident. He was unselfish. Of course, like everybody, his skills were most useful in certain types of games, in certain situations.

He could do things that no other defenseman could do.

 

[Albatros]

Coffey also played with very good defensive defensemen.

 

[Neutrinos]

He wasn't just fast. He was one of the smoothest, best in transition, skaters of all time.

He also had incredible offensive instincts and was as fast with the puck as he was without it.

I don't think that's true since a player can't swing their arms when they're carrying the puck

 

[BraveCanadian]

Things that made Coffey great:
1) Might be the best skater ever.. certainly in the very top echelon with Orr and company.
2) Outstanding rusher with the puck. Up there with Orr.
3) May be the best long passer the game has ever seen.
4) Really good shot from the point.
5) Great instincts for coming late into the play.
6) Great instincts on the give and go.
7) Knack for raising his physical play, defensive play, and his game in general during clutch situations.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

3) May be the best long passer the game has ever seen.

came here to say this. the man was a genius.

 

[JianYang]

Was he the one who wore ridiculously small skates on purpose?

 

[Staniowski]

Was he the one who wore ridiculously small skates on purpose?

Yes.

 

[Nerowoy nora tolad]

unnaturally great skater, and one forgotten part of his game is that he actually had a great slapshot too, hard and very accurate.

Hes obviously an offensive player first, but I think hes similar to Gretzky in that he was at least somewhat useful across all 200 ft without having the skills of a defensive specialist.

 

[NyQuil]

People have started maligning his game because of his one-dimensional focus but he was also a product of his time.

He would be a different player if he had developed through the 90s and 2000s and his skill set would have still been just as valuable.

 

[ESH]

I’ve only ever watched prime Coffey in highlights, but he’s the most beautiful skater I’ve ever seen.

 

[The Panther]

Where do you start? Let's see:

-- Probably the greatest skater in NHL history. I believe his skating defied the laws of physics. When you watch him, he seems to glide over the ice-surface more than stride. Nobody seemed able to knock him over or rub him out when he was in full flight. Whereas skaters like Orr or McDavid seem(ed) to overpower opponents with their speed, Coffey just seemed to effortlessly move past and through them, like he was coated with butter.
-- As mentioned, the best long-passer ever. His teammates all commented on how his passes were fast and crisp. And to do this, you have to see the ice really well.
-- Way-above-average vision and hockey IQ.
-- Way above average slapshot and wrister (he fooled a lot of napping goalies with his quick wrist shot while seemingly gliding).

Above all, though, it comes down to speed -- and not just his skating ability. John Muckler made the comment once (during the Coffey-Sather feuding period, c. 1986-87) that Coffey was always at his best when the game was played at a super-fast pace, meaning not just the Oilers but their opponents as well. I concur. Both offensively and defensively, Coffey looked great when the game was high-skill and high-speed. His difficulties arose when opponents would slow the games down to a slow-grind. Then, Coffey could look confused defensively and a bit lost at times.

 

[DannyGallivan]

Greatest skater of all time, playing on the most stacked offensive team of all time. Quite the potion for high point production.

 

[The Macho King]

People have started maligning his game because of his one-dimensional focus but he was also a product of his time.

He would be a different player if he had developed through the 90s and 2000s and his skill set would have still been just as valuable.

This makes no sense. Bourque, Cjelios, MacInnis, etc developed during the same time.

 

[Cyclones Rock]

Lots of great observations about Coffey's outstanding abilities.

He was so fast that he could take offensive liberties and often times could get back into the defensive play even if he lost the puck up ice.

He was a joy to watch. Coffey, Gretzky, Messier, Anderson and Kurri on the same team was an unbelievable combination of talent. I doubt that this level of raw talent will ever be seen again on the same team.

 

[The Panther]

Greatest skater of all time, playing on the most stacked offensive team of all time. Quite the potion for high point production.

Yes, although he went to Pittsburgh in late 1987 -- the whole narrative was "Mario has nobody" -- and he continued scoring at 100+ point paces, albeit with minimal defensive acumen.

He also put up big points on Detroit.

 

[The Panther]

He was a joy to watch. Coffey, Gretzky, Messier, Anderson and Kurri on the same team was an unbelievable combination of talent. I doubt that this level of raw talent will ever be seen again on the same team.

Don't forget Kent Nilsson and Esa Tikkanen and Reijo Ruotsalainen for the 1987 playoffs.

 

[DannyGallivan]

Yes, although he went to Pittsburgh in late 1987 -- the whole narrative was "Mario has nobody" -- and he continued scoring at 100+ point paces, albeit with minimal defensive acumen.

He also put up big points on Detroit.

Yup... won his last Norris with the Red Wings.

 

[NyQuil]

This makes no sense. Bourque, Cjelios, MacInnis, etc developed during the same time.

Personally, I think the defensive abilities of all three were overrated in the 80s.

MacInnis wasn't even regarded as much of a stalwart until he was a veteran with the Blues.

Chelios was putting up 60-70 point seasons.

It was a different time, and they are quite appropriately appreciated within their context.

 

[Staniowski]

Personally, I think the defensive abilities of all three were overrated in the 80s.

MacInnis wasn't even regarded as much of a stalwart until he was a veteran with the Blues.

Chelios was putting up 60-70 point seasons.

It was a different time, and they are quite appropriately appreciated within their context.

Yeah, MacInnis was never great defensively. But he was an extremely hard worker, and thus improved throughout his career, so he was more dependable later in his career. But he still wasn't great, and the team defense being played in the late '90s made a lot of players look better defensively than they actually were. He was decent defensively on the Flames too, but a significant part of his defense involved a lot of hooking, with some added cross-checking, holding and interference. Again, he worked hard but he was never a natural defensively.

Chelios was an excellent defenseman but he was inconsistent and dirty. When at his best, he was outstanding.

Bourque wasn't that great defensively when he was young, but he was more of a natural than MacInnis was, and Bourque became very consistently good defensively later in the '80s.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

His skating style was so smooth. Look at him effortlessly go from crossing-over one direction to the other without losing a step.

A guy like Orr was more of a brute skater who just flat out skate around you, Paul's style was really smooth and deceptive.

 

[NyQuil]

Yeah, MacInnis was never great defensively. But he was an extremely hard worker, and thus improved throughout his career, so he was more dependable later in his career. But he still wasn't great, and the team defense being played in the late '90s made a lot of players look better defensively than they actually were. He was decent defensively on the Flames too, but a significant part of his defense involved a lot of hooking, with some added cross-checking, holding and interference. Again, he worked hard but he was never a natural defensively.

Chelios was an excellent defenseman but he was inconsistent and dirty. When at his best, he was outstanding.

Bourque wasn't that great defensively when he was young, but he was more of a natural than MacInnis was, and Bourque became very consistently good defensively later in the '80s.

One thing I noticed watching older games on ESPN Classic Canada was the number of odd-man rushes that took place because forwards would cruise back and just leave the defencemen to handle them.

 

[ImporterExporter]

He never had to play defense.

 

[JackSlater]

In addition to what has been said, Coffey always seemed very naturally athletic to me. I remember an interview he did a few years back where they asked him how he worked to get so fast and good at skating. He basically said that he didn't work harder than anyone else, as everyone worked hard, but he was a natural. Pretty honest answer. If Coffey came up through the ranks later I think he'd have been something like mid 2000s Niedermayer, though Coffey had better skill and was more aggressive (even adjusting for era) than Niedermayer ever was.