Worst skaters you've ever seen?

stokes84

Registered User
Jun 30, 2008
19,285
4,157
Charleston, SC
Mark Mancari. The guy is the definition of the AHL all star that just didn't have the skating to cut it in the NHL. I vividly remember when he initially got called up, I was talking about him to my roommate, basically explaining that he scored a lot, but I didn't think he'd make it because he can't skate. His girlfriend, who has never watched a hockey game in her life, looked up and said, "gotta be that guy", as Mancari wobbled across the screen completely out of control. It was hilarious. You know you can't skate when a girl who has never watched the sport can pick you out from across the room.
 

SomeDude

Registered User
Mar 6, 2006
16,895
27,411
Pittsburghish
Never played an NHL game, but Johannes Salmonsson. Pens drafted him 31st OA in 2004, and most called it a steal as he dropped in the rankings due to injury.

He came to the 2006 Prospect camp and could not skate backwards. The drills where the players had to skate backward, he did forward. I thought maybe it had something to do with an injury, but nope. Dude just couldn't keep up in those drills unless he was going forward. Never saw him in NA again.
 

firstemperor

Registered User
May 25, 2011
8,755
1,445
Probably not the worst but Hodgson in recent years of prospects/young players who had a lot of hype with them.

Also skated with the puck head down. Never really got the hype with him.
 

LaP

Registered User
Jun 27, 2012
24,287
17,391
Quebec City, Canada
I remember when i was young a team iced a guy who was like 350 lbs to hurt Mario Lemieux. His only job clearly was to hit Lemieux. I don't think the guy was an hockey player. Probably a bouncer or something they iced for one game. I was very young and the details are kind of fuzzy.

But i remember the guy was overweight and looked more like a donuts eating police officer than an athlete. Can't remember the name but that guy could not skate. Really he could not. Almost like it was the first time he was skating in his life.
 

THall4

Registered User
Feb 25, 2014
5,448
362
Edmonton, AB
So many of the players named have played for the Kings, damn. Allison, Smyth, Brown, King, Robitaille, Lucic...

You could probably add Michal Handzus to that list, too.

He was hardly an NHL player, but John Zeiler actually couldn't skate.

Since when was Ryan Smyth and aweful skater?
 

Goose of Reason

El Zilcho
May 1, 2013
9,564
9,111
End of career Heatley was just horrendous. You just felt bad watching him, knowing his time was up and that he was trying to keep up with the pace and failing miserably. Still scored 50 in '07 though.
 

Golden_Jet

Registered User
Sep 21, 2005
22,241
10,792
Jason Allison of the Leafs, in a shootout, I thought he'd never get to the net.
 

Javaman

Registered User
Jul 13, 2010
2,456
3,243
Vancouver
I'm surprised no one's mentioned John Scott yet.

Even if he's not the worst skater ever in the NHL, he's absolutely got to be the worst skating NHL all-star of all time.
 

TheUnseenHand

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Feb 5, 2010
47,718
18,532
David Clarkson in recent Devils memory.

It was tough to watch Volchenkov try to skate at the very end of his career, but you give the guy a pass because he was such a warrior; and I'm sure it was the 1958559694858 shot blocks he had over his career that lead to that.
 

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