What allows McDavid to skate so much faster than his peers?

[Colezuki]

This may be controversial question but I enjoyed reading this thread, and I'm just contemplating it. Because so much of McDavid's game is based around speed and his skating does anyone think that as he ages and he loses the step he'll decline faster then past greats?

 

[foshizzle]

I don't believe he's that much faster than everyone else. His credentials let him get away with an insane amount of floating (and rightfully so because he has proven times and times that he is splendid at his role). No effort in D zone = More energy on the counter.

Lol, what a horrendous take. One of the worst I have read on here in my 20 years of being on this board. Yes, he is that much faster than everyone else. He also has ridiculous hand speed. Your assertion of floating in the defensive is ridiculously bad and lazy.

McCurdy- an actual Mathematician, did an appropriate assessment of McDavid’s defensive play- and it was very good. McDavid, throughout his career, has been saddled with poor goaltending and horrendous defence. Even this year, with their much improved defence- he leads his team (and I think the league) in successful zone exits…by a long shot. His team cannot outlet the damn puck unless he goes and gets it himself. Why people assume he is bad is they see a failed breakout (because no one can outlet a puck) and he is skating his route when the puck gets turned over. All the forwards are then caught out of position. He has made a concerted effort to come back even deeper to exit the puck himself.

 

[Canovin]

I have the equation but I would have to charge you

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

This may be controversial question but I enjoyed reading this thread, and I'm just contemplating it. Because so much of McDavid's game is based around speed and his skating does anyone think that as he ages and he loses the step he'll decline faster then past greats?

He will probably adjust his game like Lemieux and Crosby did when they got older.

Crosby is 35 and at least a step and half slower than when he came into the league. Ppl forget he was insanely fast when he was younger, but he’s nowhere near how explosive he used to be, and he’s going to likely hit 90.

Mcdavid has that legendary IQ like Crosby/Lemieux, so even without being blazing fast, he will still wreck teams I think.

Maybe be “only” a 100 point type guy then.

 

[puckpilot]

This may be controversial question but I enjoyed reading this thread, and I'm just contemplating it. Because so much of McDavid's game is based around speed and his skating does anyone think that as he ages and he loses the step he'll decline faster then past greats?

Here's something to consider, it's not only McDavid's speed that makes him special. It's the speed combined with his ability to think the game at the same speed as his feet, with the hands to match. There are a number of players in the league that would give McDavid a run for his money step for step, but they can't even come close to McDavid's production. Take Andreas Athanasiou and Ilya Mikheyev. Blazing speed, but they both are only roughly half a point a game players. They simply can't skate, process, and execute while going at full speed like McDavid does.

If you throttle back McDavid's speed so he's only above average, he still has his ability to process the game and execute. If you look through the history of the league, there are lots of players who were not fleet of foot, but could simply produce. This is because their ability to process the game let them maximize their skating ability. Look at Mark Stone, one of the best two way players in the game. Not the fastest nor the most graceful skater, but he thinks the game at the highest levels. He's not McDavid, but with his combination of offence and defence, he impacts the game way more than his offensive stats indicate, and his offensive stats are pretty good.

 

[McJedi]

He's nuts.

Is it his technique? Leg strength? Leverage? Diet?

His nuts.

 

[LTIR]

developing muscel memory and hos parents spending shit tonne on his skills development

 

[bambamcam4ever]

Lol, what a horrendous take. One of the worst I have read on here in my 20 years of being on this board. Yes, he is that much faster than everyone else. He also has ridiculous hand speed. Your assertion of floating in the defensive is ridiculously bad and lazy.

McCurdy- an actual Mathematician, did an appropriate assessment of McDavid’s defensive play- and it was very good. McDavid, throughout his career, has been saddled with poor goaltending and horrendous defence. Even this year, with their much improved defence- he leads his team (and I think the league) in successful zone exits…by a long shot. His team cannot outlet the damn puck unless he goes and gets it himself. Why people assume he is bad is they see a failed breakout (because no one can outlet a puck) and he is skating his route when the puck gets turned over. All the forwards are then caught out of position. He has made a concerted effort to come back even deeper to exit the puck himself.

Why exactly should I care about a mathematician's analysis of a hockey player?

 

[foshizzle]

Why exactly should I care about a mathematician's analysis of a hockey player?

I mean, I don’t know you so I don’t care what or who you care about

 

[bambamcam4ever]

I mean, I don’t know you so I don’t care what or who you care about

Well that's needlessly hostile. My point is that knowledge in one field doesn't necessarily translate to another. Would you ask a top surgeon how to design a car?

 

[foshizzle]

Well that's needlessly hostile. My point is that knowledge in one field doesn't necessarily translate to another. Would you ask a top surgeon how to design a car?

My apologies for coming off hostile. Your analogy completely ridiculous and not remotely similar. You do know there are analytics in every aspect of business right? McCurdy is a mathematician who happens to be a hockey fan. If you follow him on Twitter- he is always posting analytics on players/teams/probabilities, etc. His analysis is based purely on numbers. Numbers hold no biases nor have favourite players.

A similar analogy you could have suggested a mathematicians assessment of a race car’s performance.

 

[bambamcam4ever]

My apologies for coming off hostile. Your analogy completely ridiculous and not remotely similar. You do know there are analytics in every aspect of business right? McCurdy is a mathematician who happens to be a hockey fan. If you follow him on Twitter- he is always posting analytics on players/teams/probabilities, etc. His analysis is based purely on numbers. Numbers hold no biases nor have favourite players.

A similar analogy you could have suggested a mathematicians assessment of a race car’s performance.

Math is not interchangeable with statistics, I don't know why people conflate the two. Statistics uses math, as do a other disciplines.

And yes, well aware that businesses utilize analytics, but those are only as valuable as the data you collect. Garbage in= Garbage out. And since you will rarely have completeand accurate data, overreliance on it can lead you down the wrong path. My own office implemented a new network solution a few weeks ago and the IT team claimed that the performance was much more reliable for employees connecting based on the metrics from their IT management software. Of course, half the building has been having their connection consistently drop out every 3 minutes, but hey, score one for analytics.

McCurdy has his own proprietary model and is making money by selling access to that black box model. People seem to have a lot of blind faith in this guy.

 

[authentic]

His ancestors ate a lot of potatoes

 

[tarheelhockey]

If you throttle back McDavid's speed so he's only above average, he still has his ability to process the game and execute.

This is something that strikes me every time I watch him. His reactions are instantaneous and accurate. It's like he views the game in slow motion... not quite a Gretzky-level of anticipation, but more like ninja reflexes. It's incredible how often he seems to just step right into the path of passes or loose pucks, or flash his stick to knock a moving puck into a space where he can pass or shoot.

Assuming he eventually loses that blinding speed and is "only" above-average fast, a player with that level of speed and those high-end skills would still be a very good PPG type player. I expect him to be that until pretty late in his career, barring disaster. Kind of like Gretzky and Ovechkin "only" being at that level in their late 30s.

 

[Oil Gauge]

I don't think McDavid is really that much faster than the leagues other faster players. He is just so much better at all the other aspects of the game while doing it at top speed.

 

[BraveCanadian]

What allowed Usain Bolt to run faster, Michael Phelps to swim faster, etc. etc. etc.

He's just better. Simple as that.

Actually not that simple. Both of them are physically unusual in a way that optimizes them for their sport.

 

[604]

What allowed Usain Bolt to run faster, Michael Phelps to swim faster, etc. etc. etc.

He's just better. Simple as that.

Really bad take.

Physics along with crazy work ethic is a better breakdown.

Phelps comes from a swimming family so he trained a crazy amount from a young age but his wingspan is also massive relative to his height, so his genetics is a game changer.

 

[WolfgangPuck]

McDavid and McKinnon has similar style
Very quick burst of speed from those short choppy crossovers that they perform with either leg
can skate and turn the D inside out or outside -in .

 

[Fight4yourRight]

I don't believe he's that much faster than everyone else. His credentials let him get away with an insane amount of floating (and rightfully so because he has proven times and times that he is splendid at his role). No effort in D zone = More energy on the counter.

What a joke.

 

[Boxscore]

He watched a lot of Pavel Bure videos.

If I had to guess -- genetics, conditioning, body composition, and his desire to fly. The kid has a wicked motor and speed is his greatest weapon.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

Ya I remember reading how Mcdavid’s mom said he would be bewildered/angry in Pee Wee when kids would talk about video games and such on the bench during games.

He thought they should be talking about strategy and what they were seeing out there, etc.

Kind of like how Gretzky would watch HNIC and map out where the puck would go so he could find patterns.

He traded personality for pure speed.

I kind of jest, but he’s definitely just wired differently. Singularly focused from a young age. You ask him his favorite color and he’s saying a fresh sheet of ice white. Favorite ice cream? No thanks, can’t have lactic acid buildup or somethin. It makes him incredibly boring, but I think the training focus from a young age puts him on another level.

 

[Video Nasty]

Like most of the greats in any field, he cared about being the best at a young age. It’s dedication to his craft more than anything. Genetics is an easy excuse for why someone else couldn’t hack it.

 

[Acallabeth]

I don't think it's a very interesting question, McDavid isn't 50% or 100% faster than everyone else. What makes him so special isn't how fast he skates, but how fast he plays hockey. I would much rather read opinions on how he developed that talent of his.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

I don't think it's a very interesting question, McDavid isn't 50% or 100% faster than everyone else. What makes him so special isn't how fast he skates, but how fast he plays hockey. I would much rather read opinions on how he developed that talent of his.

It’s no secret what technique makes McDavid so fast - his linear crossovers.

It makes a massive difference vs traditional skating.

Other players are using linears as well these days, but McDavid has perfected his mechanics.

I don’t think I’m going on a limb to believe he put in an ungodly amount of time practicing his linears as a kid… I know he did a ton of rollerblading at home to work on his technique.

His mom said he never understood why other kids talked about video games on the bench instead of being focused on the game.

So he was always laser focused on being the best.

That’s not really something you can teach.

Kids either want it or they don’t.

So McDavid’s speed was developed through strength training, speed training, mobility training, his rare commitment to being great… and I suspect rare genetics, but I don’t know how you prove that.

 

[Garbageyuk]

Fast-twitch muscle fiber, CNS recruitment of those fibers (time and percentage at once), and coordination.

AKA genetics. Training and technique on top.