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.
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.
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.
So beautiful, especially his ''cross steps'' or whatever it's called in english.
he's somehow accelerating while moving laterally. how is that even possible?
So beautiful, especially his ''cross steps'' or whatever it's called in english.
This may be off topic, but how did Coffey amass 193 PIM in 1989?
He had several seasons with over 100 PIM, but that one stands out.
crossovers
when i learned how to skate, i was always told to dig in with the toe when crossing over to try to not lose speed while changing directions. and i was a good east-west skater for house league. but man look at coffey. what is the word they use these days? edgework?
No idea, if you find out, let me know.
usually just 'crossovers' or crossover steps. but yeah his ability to pick up speed and spring out of them is probably the best pat of his skating. also why it looks like he was almost 'gliding' out there. he didn't need long strides to pick up a ton of speed, he'd just quickly crossover.
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.
Have you never heard this said about a player? Many of the best players are as fast with the puck as they are without (perhaps if you timed them down to the millisecond this wouldn't be absolutely true). In fact, a guy like Bure seemed to faster WITH the puck.I don't think that's true since a player can't swing their arms when they're carrying the puck
Have you never heard this said about a player? Many of the best players are as fast with the puck as they are without (perhaps if you timed them down to the millisecond this wouldn't be absolutely true). In fact, a guy like Bure seemed to faster WITH the puck.
It's not nonsense.It's just nonsense that people spew without giving it much thought
It's not nonsense.
Perhaps you are a true literalist (in which case you're oratory skills are probably lacking). But there are genuinely players who, at least seem to be, faster with the puck than without. If you've ever played, you will know how rare it is, and how difficult it is to play against players like this. But to chalk it off as nonsense seems...odd.
The best skaters touch the puck with such precision that they place it precisely where they need to and don't touch the puck any more than the absolute minimum needed.Watch a fastest skater competition
They swing their arms as they skate, similarly to how a sprinter swings their arms when they run
Do you think a sprinter would go faster if you gave him a stick and told him to push a ball down the track as he ran?
It's not nonsense.
Perhaps you are a true literalist (in which case you're oratory skills are probably lacking). But there are genuinely players who, at least seem to be, faster with the puck than without. If you've ever played, you will know how rare it is, and how difficult it is to play against players like this. But to chalk it off as nonsense seems...odd.
The best skaters touch the puck with such precision that they place it precisely where they need to and don't touch the puck any more than the absolute minimum needed.
Nothing about carrying a puck would result in a player's ability to skate faster
This isn't even worth discussing
Since McDavid came into the league there has been a lot of talk of linear crossovers - basically crossing over as much as possible, even when skating in a straight line point A to point B. Obviously players (and figure skaters) have always known that you can generate speed while crossing over versus a straight ahead stride. I'll bet if you counted how often Coffey crossed over vs the typical player he'd probably do it 2-3 times more.
https://www.tsn.ca/crossovers-set-crosby-mcdavid-apart-from-peers-1.602173
Yeah, I bet he was a great skater when he first started skating at a young age. That's often how it goes.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.