Who is the fastest skater in NHL history?

[crobro]

Wasn't bret hedican considered uber fast.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

hedican was a wonderful skater. but i don't know how i feel about a guy whose wife skates better than him making this list.

and on that topic, one guy who definitely isn't the fastest skater in NHL history is brett hull. his mom was a professional figure skater, his dad was his dad. what the hell happened with him?

 

[Claude The Fraud]

Darryl Laplante.

The Hockey News named him the fastest skaters of the NHL in their MVP Premiere issue, back in 2000.

 

[nabby12]

Peter Bondra

 

[crobro]

Certainly among the fastest Soviet players. The best overall skater at least, if not the fastest. Sergei Makarov is there too - especially with the puck. Other really fast non-NHL Russians: Sergei Kapustin (straight-ahead speed), Viacheslav Bykov, Valeri Kharlamov (with the puck & lateral movement).

Reijo Ruotsalainen had very fast feet too; Herb Brooks used to rave about his skating.

Balderis did play in the NHL

 

[Coldplay619]

Chimera is pretty damn fast.



http://youtu.be/-krvPLTqLK8

 

[VMBM]

Balderis did play in the NHL

I know, and Makarov did too, of course. Their best (and speediest!) years were still spent in Soviet Union/international competition.

 

[iamjs]

Konstantin "The Russian Rocket II" Koltsov

This is the only video I can find of Koltsov on youtube. Not a good angle but it shows him blowing past a defender.



It's a shame his hands never caught up to his feet.

 

[The Panther]

Probably the fastest skater I have ever seen was Russ Courtnall.

 

[Killion]

Probably the fastest skater I have ever seen was Russ Courtnall.

Welcome to hfBoards TP, and ya, Russ Courtnall could seriously move. Unfortunate & beyond frustrating thing with him though was that his stick couldnt keep up to his feet & mind. So many rushes, beaten everybody, but just couldnt close the sale, seal the deal.

 

[The Panther]

Welcome to hfBoards TP, and ya, Russ Courtnall could seriously move. Unfortunate & beyond frustrating thing with him though was that his stick couldnt keep up to his feet & mind. So many rushes, beaten everybody, but just couldnt close the sale, seal the deal.

You're right, and he had a tendency to carry the puck too much without using linemates well. He did improve his overall skills quite a bit by the early 90s, however, and after all, the guy did lead both Toronto (87) and Montreal (91) in scoring, so not too many players who've done that!

 

[Jacques Trap*]

On sheer top end speed

Bobby hull
Paul Coffey
Mike gartner

(Not in any particular order)

 

[Corey Bryant]

Cyclone Taylor, with Howie Morenz a close second

 

[Filatov2Kovalev2Bonk]

Going to throw some love to Howie Morenz. "Stratford Streak" known to blaze past all competitors, able to change speeds, just an incredible skater. Not the biggest guy either, by era standards, but geez...

 

[Hanson Hockey]

Anthony Duclair

 

[Sadekuuro]

This is the only video I can find of Koltsov on youtube. Not a good angle but it shows him blowing past a defender.



It's a shame his hands never caught up to his feet.

The same could be said of Maxim Afinogenov, but at least he had good enough other skills to be a useful NHL top sixer. Koltsov was insanely fast but had nothing else, like Fata.

 

[crobro]

Helmut balderis

 

[Rebuilt]

My vote is for Mike Gartner but Pavel Bure should be up there as well.

 

[Passchendaele]

I'm not sure why almost exclusively all-stars are named.

Surely, there must've been some 4th line plug who was a speed demon, but couldn't do anything else (Koltsov is a good example).

 

[Hippasus]

I heard in another thread that Ray Bourque was clocked at about 50 km/h, which must be top speed. If we're talking a lap of about 14 seconds, about 40 km/h.

 

[Big Phil]

I saw Yvan Cournoyer at a Toronto Sports show in November and told him that he scored one of the nicest goals that no one ever talks about in 1972 against the Russians. Game 2, the one where he just blows by the Russian defense like they aren't even there at full speed. He remembered it of course.

Anyway, it was a thing of beauty and that's what I think of when I think of a fast skater, a guy who has the wheels when he has the puck. Bure was like this too. Gartner as well. Coffey. Perreault (although as fast as he was I think he is known for being just as elegant as fast).

We could make up some lists and name Rico Fata as a fast skater but how well did that apply in the NHL game for him? It has to translate on the ice for it to be effective in my opinion.

 

[RorschachWJK]

Selänne before the achilles tendon injury was damn fast. Deserves to be mentioned at the very least.

 

[Copmuter*]

Bondra has been mentioned a few times in this thread...

What about Amonte? He was pretty quick as well

 

[Theokritos]

Helmut balderis

He was 37 when he finally got to play in the NHL. Pretty sure he wasn't the fastest skater in NHL history.

 

[yukoner88]

I'm not sure why almost exclusively all-stars are named.

Surely, there must've been some 4th line plug who was a speed demon, but couldn't do anything else (Koltsov is a good example).

Todd Marchant was a speed demon in his 20's