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Best puck cycling you've ever seen?

grentthealien

Registered User
Oct 2, 2016
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Newfoundland
Since it's the off season I have found myself binging on old hockey highlights once again. As a Canucks fan I've always been somewhat enthralled by the way the Sedins cycle the puck especially when they were in their prime. Watching a dominant shift where the opposing team is hemmed in their own zone honestly excites me just as much as a flashy deke or individual highlight reel play even if it doesn't lead to a goal. Of course if it ends in a goal it is absolutely magical.

Obviously the Sedins are well known for cycling as it has pretty much been their bread and butter for nearly 20 years in the league, however besides them what other players throughout history that you've seen are known to be exceptional at cycling? Name the player and if you can find video examples it would be appreciated as I'd love to watch more highlights.
 
During the so-called "Dead Puck era" a couple of tandems stood out:

1. A young Hossa and his centerman Bonk used to go around and around with the puck;

2. Forsberg with Kamensky

apr-1998-center-peter-forsberg-and-leftwinger-valeri-kamensky-of-the-picture-id304547
 
Wiemer, Scatchard and Blake were pretty good on the cycle. I had seen quite a few teams struggle with them.

Arvedson - Bonk - Hossa
Somebody dumps the puck in. Arvedson goes in on the forecheck and interferes with somebody (bearhug, pin against the boards, etc), kicks the puck to Bonk. Bonk looks up and makes a simple 10 foot pass to Hossa. Hossa skates through half the team and scores. Rinse and repeat.
 
Matt Cooke - Jordan Staal - Tyler Kennedy

This is probably the best 3rd line I have ever watched. The would dominate puck battles, cycle to wear down the defenders, and then give way to the Crosby or Malkin line to do their business. The caused a number of standing ovations in the Igloo with their cycle possessions.
 
I'm not a big fan of this sort of play honestly. I think it makes the game less dynamic and it turns hockey into a bit of basketball.

The best I have seen quite recently were probably Straka, Jagr and Nylander with the Rangers.
 
Co-sign for Legion of Doom.

They would cycle endlessly. Big, strong, skilled.
 
The three Stastny brothers with Quebec in the early 80's. Saw them work their stuff live at Madison Square Garden and became an instant fan.
 
The Sedins.

Bit of a story from ten years ago or so. Before playing pick up hockey us guys would always talk about the NHL. I always played with my brother and we were bigger skilled players who would cycle and create many chances. We were very good at it. We were called the Sedin twins as a joke. Well one day we were talking about the best defensive forwards. The usual suspects were named (Bergeron, Brind'Amour, etc.) I had then said the Sedins and got laughed at. I then said whenever they are on the ice that the puck is in the offensive zone for prolonged periods of time. They may not have been the best defensively but the puck was usually a long ways away from their net.
 
Probably not the best ever, but maybe the best cycling ability as a line per talent ratio:

For a few years, the A-line (Patrik Elias - Jason Arnott - Petr Sykora) was often called the best line in hockey (or co-best with the West Coast Express), and their cycling game was probably their greatest strength. Often went strength-on-strength against the best lines of the opposition - with the idea that the other team can't score if you have the puck.
 
NHL - Detroits Russian 5 is most likely the number one answer.
All-time? The green unit.
 
Habsrule said:
The Sedins.

Bit of a story from ten years ago or so. Before playing pick up hockey us guys would always talk about the NHL. I always played with my brother and we were bigger skilled players who would cycle and create many chances. We were very good at it. We were called the Sedin twins as a joke. Well one day we were talking about the best defensive forwards. The usual suspects were named (Bergeron, Brind'Amour, etc.) I had then said the Sedins and got laughed at. I then said whenever they are on the ice that the puck is in the offensive zone for prolonged periods of time. They may not have been the best defensively but the puck was usually a long ways away from their net.
Click to expand...

Playing in the offensive zone all the time is the best way to play defense. Doesn't really matter how you play defense as long as the puck is on the other end.
 
That clip of the Russian 5 cycling is awesome. They were truly amazing to watch. I've always described them to people who haven't seen as "imagine if there was Sedins."

The Sedins are definitely the masters of the cycle in recent years. The amazing thing to me is that the Sedins weren't just about skill and movement either. Most guys legitimately could not move them off the boards either, which always impressed me. They were a blast to watch in their primes and especially peaks.


Habsrule said:
The Sedins.

Bit of a story from ten years ago or so. Before playing pick up hockey us guys would always talk about the NHL. I always played with my brother and we were bigger skilled players who would cycle and create many chances. We were very good at it. We were called the Sedin twins as a joke. Well one day we were talking about the best defensive forwards. The usual suspects were named (Bergeron, Brind'Amour, etc.) I had then said the Sedins and got laughed at. I then said whenever they are on the ice that the puck is in the offensive zone for prolonged periods of time. They may not have been the best defensively but the puck was usually a long ways away from their net.
Click to expand...

Most of the time, yes. Except against Datsyuk and Zetterberg who the Sedin's only had a 39% and 45% Corsi against.
 
VanIslander said:
During the so-called "Dead Puck era" a couple of tandems stood out:

1. A young Hossa and his centerman Bonk used to go around and around with the puck;

2. Forsberg with Kamensky

apr-1998-center-peter-forsberg-and-leftwinger-valeri-kamensky-of-the-picture-id304547
Click to expand...

I am a Sens fan so I saw these giys a lot. Hossa, Bonk, Arvedson. They would cycle and cycle and cycle the puck. It was the dead puck era so they seemingly just cycled the puck without really that much focus on getting the scoring chance... moreso to keep possession so the other team couldn't have it. Though Hossa did score quite a few goals off of it.

For Sens players of that era... Arvedson and Schaefer were experts of keeping the puck along the boards.

Not sure how these Sens players rate in an all-time sense or anything. But they were experts at cycling and board battles and such.
 
threetimer said:
I'm not a big fan of this sort of play honestly.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't want to watch it all game long, but when you're near the end of the game with a one-goal lead and you're just cycling away and they can't get the puck away from you to save their lives, that's the most satisfying feeling in the world. It's like taking a victory lap, but with time on the clock.
 
Maybe it's my faulty memory, but I always feared Bertuzzi-Morrison-Naslund even more than the Sedins.

The 2 Sedins were smarter and more dangerous, but we NEVER found a way to match up to Bert in his prime.
 
When I played hockey, our cycling drills involved TWO skaters offensively.

I've seen plenty of great examples of it at the NHL level (yeah, the Sedins own the last decade or so in such a formation).

It's a tandem not a trio.
 
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