The most aesthetically pleasing player?

Nick Hansen

Registered User
Sep 28, 2017
3,119
2,649
We had a brief discussion about the eye-test in the top 100 players of all time-thread so I was wondering - what player do you find the most aestethically pleasing player of all time?

I think Russian forwards are common in this aspect, a guy like Kovalev was obsessed with making everything look good (sometimes to the detriment of his team).
 

Filthy Dangles

Registered User*
Oct 23, 2014
28,356
39,703
source.gif



But in terms of their game depends what you find and define as aesthetically pleasing. Flash, smoothness etc.
 

brachyrynchos

Registered User
Apr 10, 2017
1,472
997
Coffey was pretty smooth on his skates back in the day, kind of effortless.
Denis Savard was fun to watch, and another fantastic skater.
Jagr's stickhandling in his younger days.
Of course Gretzky and Mario.
 
  • Like
Reactions: vadim sharifijanov

BraveCanadian

Registered User
Jun 30, 2010
14,521
3,360
Lemieux, Coffey, Bure, Fedorov, early career Yzerman.. Savard.. all of them had some pizzazz
 

brachyrynchos

Registered User
Apr 10, 2017
1,472
997
source.gif



But in terms of their game depends what you find and define as aesthetically pleasing. Flash, smoothness etc.
I was gonna mention Henrik.
Dresses sharp, well spoken in interviews, holds his composure on the ice and seems to be a good guy away from the rink. Not a bad thing to say about the guy, a true professional.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mrhockey193195

Crosbyfan

Registered User
Nov 27, 2003
12,633
2,442
Jean Beliveau, Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux, Bobby Hull, Yvan Cournoyer

Yeah...I'm old

But gotta add Marc Andre Fleury
 

Iron Mike Sharpe

Registered User
Dec 6, 2017
945
1,118
yup, all those above plus

Guy Lafleur
Mike Bossy
Rick Middleton
Jari Kurri
Reijio Ruotsalainen
Dominik Hasek
Teemu Selanne
Brett Hull
Nik Lidstrom
 

Captain Bowie

Registered User
Jan 18, 2012
27,139
4,414
I my time watching Hockey, I'd probably say McDavid. Ovechkin, The Sedins at their best, Erik Karlsson get honorable mentions. Funny, no one comes to mind from the first part of the 2000's, must be recency bias. Maybe Markus Naslund, but that's probably a homer pick. I did ejoy Burnaby Joe early on in my hockey watching time as well.
 

hector morrison

Registered User
Apr 1, 2018
4,792
1,998
There were many that would make fans get up out of their seats...I would have to go by era...but best aesthetically gotta be Wayne ! Plenty of honorable mention...just because I havn't seen his name yet, Mogilny!
 

VanIslander

A 19-year ATDer on HfBoards
Sep 4, 2004
35,134
6,428
I love the combination of banging with hustle and puck action of Peter Forsberg and a young Ovechkin (when he used worldclass wheels and constant physicality).

For fluidity of end-to-end rushes, Gilbert Perreault, Paul Coffey, Jyrki Lumme and Pavel Bure come immediately to mind (there were more open-ice rushes back then).

While Hasek was more entertaining than most, and better than arguably all, he broke every aesthetic principle on way to getting the job done, whereas goalies like Ken Dryden, Olaf Kolzig and Henrik Lundqvist had poise and control in spades.

Gretzky was like Hasek in being totally eye-pleasing but it's because they constantly did the unexpected, so aesthetics per se are beside the point, unless one is referring to Wayne's work in his office behind the net.

 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: ehhedler

BigBadBruins7708

Registered User
Dec 11, 2017
13,579
18,347
Las Vegas
Im assuming you mean purely from a skill perspective here, but for me its Cam Neely.

had moves, an incredible shot, laid huge hits and used his physical play as a weapon, and would fight anyone
 

habsrule4eva3089

Registered User
Nov 22, 2008
4,195
896


At 20 seconds, Kovalev would pull this move nightly, it would never result in goals, but it looked so pleasing, and 22,000 at the Bell Centre would be up on their feet just because of one single deke. I don't think anyone in the game today could pull this simple move as beautifully and stylishly as he could. Faking left with your head and body and going right. This was the epitome of the move, with his hair flying and eventually leads to a goal. There's not many entertainers like him anymore, but he reminded you that Hockey first and foremost is an art before anything.
 

lawrence

Registered User
May 19, 2012
15,883
6,620
Pavel Bure, maxim afinogenov, Sergei Fedorov was just a beautiful skater, Oleg Tverdovsky, (Lots of Russians)
 

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->