Who is the fastest skater in NHL history?

bobholly39

Registered User
Mar 10, 2013
22,076
14,579
Pavel Bure is the first name that came to mind

whether he was actually the fastest or not, i dunno. but he was fast, and he was known for being fast
 

livewell68

Registered User
Jul 20, 2007
8,680
52
1934 Writers Poll: Fastest Skater - Howie Morenz 10, Busher Jackson 5, Hec Kilrea 4, Mush March 4, Jimmy Ward 3, Herbie Lewis 2, John Sorrel 1, Cecil Dillon 1, Jerry Shannon 1, Buzz Boll 1, Georges Mantha 1

1958 Coaches Poll: Best and fastest skater - Henri Richard, Montreal (closest thing possible to a unanimous choice)

1965 Coaches Poll: Fastest Skater - Dave Keon (Bobby Hull, Henri Richard, Gilles Tremblay, Ralph Backstrom)

1971 Coaches Poll: Best Skater - Bobby Orr (Dave Keon)

1974 Coaches Poll: Best Skater - Bobby Orr (Yvan Cournoyer)

1976 Coaches Poll: Best Skater - Bobby Orr (Gilbert Perreault, Rick Macleish, Errol Thompson)
1976 Coaches Poll: Fastest Skater - Yvan Cournoyer (Marcel Dionne, Bobby Orr, Gilbert Perreault, Inge Hammarstrom)

1979 Coaches Poll: Best Skater - Guy Lafleur (Borje Salming, Bob Gainey)
1979 Coaches Poll: Fastest Skater - Guy Lafleur (Dan Labraaten)

1984 Coaches Poll: Best Skater - Paul Coffey (Denis Savard, Rick Middleton, Mike Gartner, Gilbert Perreault)
1984 Coaches Poll: Fastest Skater - Glenn Anderson (Mike Gartner, Denis Savard)

1990 Players Poll: Best Skater - P Coffey (53), M Messier (25), D Savard (8), M Gartner (6), P Lafontaine (4)

1993 Coaches Poll: Best Skater: Pavel Bure (8), Mike Gartner (4), Paul Coffey (3), Sergei Fedorov (2), Teemu Selanne (2), Pat Lafontaine (1), Chris Chelios (1)

1994 Coaches Poll: Best Skater: Sergei Fedorov (8), Teemu Selanne (3), Paul Coffey (2), Mike Modano (2), Mike Gartner (2), Pavel Bure (1), Alexander Mogilny (1), Jeremy Roenick (1)
1994 Coaches Poll: Fastest Skater: 1. Sergei Fedorov (10) 2. Pavel Bure (5) 3. (tie) Paul Coffey, Mike Gartner, Mike Modano, Alexander Mogilny (2).
Others: Jaromir Jagr, Nelson Emerson, Phil Housley, Slava Kozlov, Jeremy Roenick.

It's nice to see Jagr get some recognition by coaches early on in his career that he was a fast player. I remember before he started to bulk up and started getting groin pulls, he was pretty darn fast, he used to blow by people rather easily despite being 6'3 and 205-215 lbs at the time.

Jagr never is usually remembered for his speed but I also saw this being the most underrated aspect of his game, he was sort of like Kovalchuk or Ovechkin in the sense that they were all big and strong and fast.
 

TheDevilMadeMe

Registered User
Aug 28, 2006
52,271
6,980
Brooklyn
It's nice to see Jagr get some recognition by coaches early on in his career that he was a fast player. I remember before he started to bulk up and started getting groin pulls, he was pretty darn fast, he used to blow by people rather easily despite being 6'3 and 205-215 lbs at the time.

Jagr never is usually remembered for his speed but I also saw this being the most underrated aspect of his game, he was sort of like Kovalchuk or Ovechkin in the sense that they were all big and strong and fast.

By 1 coach. He got a vote from a single coach.
 

Big Phil

Registered User
Nov 2, 2003
31,703
4,144
It's nice to see Jagr get some recognition by coaches early on in his career that he was a fast player. I remember before he started to bulk up and started getting groin pulls, he was pretty darn fast, he used to blow by people rather easily despite being 6'3 and 205-215 lbs at the time.

Jagr never is usually remembered for his speed but I also saw this being the most underrated aspect of his game, he was sort of like Kovalchuk or Ovechkin in the sense that they were all big and strong and fast.

I thought Jagr had a nice stride to him and he certainly wasn't slow by any means but it is a little like saying Crosby is the fastest in the NHL now. Fast, faster than normal, nice set of wheels but not what I'd call among the fastest. Jagr was more about one-on-one stickhandling in his prime, getting by the defender that way, using his hands. You don't see a lot of footage of Jagr blowing by a defender with sheer speed a la Bure. Same with Crosby.
 

BobCole

Registered User
May 21, 2014
1,682
1,282
I thought Jagr had a nice stride to him and he certainly wasn't slow by any means but it is a little like saying Crosby is the fastest in the NHL now. Fast, faster than normal, nice set of wheels but not what I'd call among the fastest. Jagr was more about one-on-one stickhandling in his prime, getting by the defender that way, using his hands. You don't see a lot of footage of Jagr blowing by a defender with sheer speed a la Bure. Same with Crosby.

I generally agree, although one thing Jagr had a knack for was suddenly "changing gears" and catching defenders off guard. He would chug along the wall at one pace and suddenly go into hyperdrive. As you say, his hyperdrive wasn't faster than everybody else's in the league, but it was deceptive and hard for defenders to play against.
 

1989

Registered User
Aug 3, 2010
10,361
3,865
Who cares if they're the fastest if they don't have the brains or hands to help their team offensively?

Over the decades, there have been countless bottom-6 speedsters with hands of stone getting 2-3 breakaways a game and scoring precisely less than 15 goals a season usually.

Players like Pavel Bure are the exception to the rule, but even then he might not have been the absolute fastest. No way to guarantee it, but he certainly would be in the category of "fastest with high-quality offensive talent" which makes all the difference.
 

BobbyAwe

Registered User
Nov 21, 2006
3,442
883
South Carolina
Youtube or it didn't happen. ;) No, but this anecdote has a touch of urban myth to it. Not saying it didn't happen, only that the story probably transforms a little in shape when it's passed on.

It's on one of the youtube Orr bio's (trying to find it again) but, anyway, it is told by Larry Robinson who was there when it happened so it is really first-hand.
 

someguy44

Registered User
Apr 6, 2004
2,715
247
Space Jail
Does anyone remember that both Bure and Russ Courtnall played on the PK together for the Canucks at one point in time? I remember them giving the opposing teams headaches when both were on the PK. I remember they scored shorthanded goals in 3 straight games. One of the commentators even mentioned during the game that it would be better off for the opposing team to decline the powerplay. I can not find any footage of this, but those 2 together on the PK was really fun to watch.
 

Man Bear Pig

Registered User
Aug 10, 2008
30,995
13,739
Earth
Probably Bure. In recent memory, Stalberg may have the quickest 2-3 first strides I've ever seen. Those first few strides were a thing of beauty. Shame his hands and brain never caught up.
 

The Panther

Registered User
Mar 25, 2014
19,110
15,573
Tokyo, Japan
Does anyone remember that both Bure and Russ Courtnall played on the PK together for the Canucks at one point in time?
I wasn't following the Canucks in that period, but I'm glad you mention Courtnall again. I maintain he is the fastest guy ever. Certainly since the mid-80s (when I began watching the NHL), I've never seen anyone fly around the rink like he could.

Paul Coffey is the best skater I've ever seen. I don't necessarily think he was the fastest (he almost surely wasn't), but nobody else could skate like that, before or since. It almost seemed like Coffey was effortlessly gliding around the ice.
 

Big Phil

Registered User
Nov 2, 2003
31,703
4,144
I generally agree, although one thing Jagr had a knack for was suddenly "changing gears" and catching defenders off guard. He would chug along the wall at one pace and suddenly go into hyperdrive. As you say, his hyperdrive wasn't faster than everybody else's in the league, but it was deceptive and hard for defenders to play against.

Yes for sure, he had gears. In a way Jagr is like Lemieux this way because he too had deceptive speed and seemed to be able to turn the switch just like that.
 

begbeee

Registered User
Oct 16, 2009
4,158
30
Slovakia
From the players I have seen, Bure pass the eyetest the best.
Bure, Gartner, Bondra - the fastest
Fedorov, Coffey - the best style (not like they werenot fast)





Orr
B.Hull
Lafleur
Bure
Cournoyer
Gartner
Coffey
Mohns
M.Wilson
Perrault
Fedorov
Gaborik
There is a serious mistake without Bondra. He had the reputation, he had the time to prove his speed.
 

VMBM

And it didn't even bring me down
Sep 24, 2008
3,796
754
Helsinki, Finland
No love for Mark Messier?

BTW, the 1987 Canada Cup final is interesting to watch also when you pay closer attention to the fastest skaters there; Coffey, Gartner, Messier, Anderson... Makarov, Bykov, Krutov, Khomutov... none of them really seem to have a notable edge over the others, speed-wise.
 

Big Phil

Registered User
Nov 2, 2003
31,703
4,144
No love for Mark Messier?

BTW, the 1987 Canada Cup final is interesting to watch also when you pay closer attention to the fastest skaters there; Coffey, Gartner, Messier, Anderson... Makarov, Bykov, Krutov, Khomutov... none of them really seem to have a notable edge over the others, speed-wise.

Someone I would describe as "quick". Messier had good quickness, could get to where he wanted to and skated well with the puck on his stick too. But Gartner was a guy who had "blinding" speed.
 

nutbar

Registered User
Jan 19, 2011
1,588
9
Kind of an obscure name, but David Jensen who played a bit for the Whalers and Capitals in the mid 80s had some great wheels. He was on the Diaper Line with Lafontaine and Olczyk in the 1984 Olympics, but he never amounted to much.
 
Last edited:

FrozenJagrt

Registered User
Dec 16, 2009
10,446
4,488
A name that I haven't seen mentioned is Andrew Cogliano. Dunno how he's been with the Ducks, but the kid was an absolute blur in Edmonton
 

double5son10

Registered User
Jan 20, 2011
1,149
456
Denver
Flyers fans, where are you? Rick MacLeish & Pelle Eklund were two of the fastest skaters I ever saw, playing for notoriously slow footed teams.
 

BraveCanadian

Registered User
Jun 30, 2010
14,516
3,352
Paul Coffey is the best skater I've ever seen. I don't necessarily think he was the fastest (he almost surely wasn't), but nobody else could skate like that, before or since. It almost seemed like Coffey was effortlessly gliding around the ice.

Yup, he was incredible to watch.

Coffey appeared to glide by people who looked like they were working so hard in comparison.
 

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->