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go
kovalev was such an unreal stick handler it didnt matter if his legs were broken hed still be my top pick
McDavid has the craziest combo I've seen, he has high-end hands, but absolutely unreal skating. Bure and Patrick Kane would be shortly behind him.
Datsyuk was a pretty average skater. He might be the only guy I'd ever give an 80 out of 80 grade on the scouting scale for hands though. It really depends on the balance you are looking for.
I hope this is a joke.
kovalev was such an unreal stick handler it didnt matter if his legs were broken hed still be my top pick
Lol why, this is about skating and stickhandling and he clearly wasn't as effective as a lot of these other guys even when he skated good.
MacK has to be up there, i'd even put him #3 because he's both a fast skater and great stickhandler.. just to a lesser extent compared to Bure and McDavid.
If we're talking about stickhandling alone then Kovalev is the GOAT.
McDavid is the new Bure. These two are in a league of their own when putting the stickwork and skating abilities together, but the nature of Bure's much larger body of work puts him ahead, to me.
Bure played almost entirely in the dead puck era, scoring 51, 58, and 59 goals in three of those seasons. Factoring in older equipment, I'd say Pavel faced far greater challenges in putting his abilities to effect, and did it better. McJesus has a long, long ways to go to catch the Russian Rocket.
Live in person:
Crosby
Karlsson (Skater)
Malkin
P. Kane
Datsyuk
McDavid (World Cup exhibition game)
Jagr (didn't see him til he was old)
Kuznetsov
TJ Oshie
I always think it's tough to decide who's a better stickhandler between Kovalev and Datsyuk but at the end of the day Datsyuk's dangles were a little more impressive to me. I forgot to mention MacKinnon.
I'd have Lemieux at #1, just because how much better he was at stickhandling than everyone else.
I disagree. I've seen plenty of those 4 (heck Kovalev was on the pens for years) and they make quicker moves, but Lemieux was just way more effective. It was rare for Lemieux to try and deke someone and fail - truly an unparalleled magician with the puck.He wasn't even the best stickhandler though (but right up there obviously), what made him extra deadly as a player was his size and reach, and of course his hockey sense. Based on pure stickhandling abilities he wasn't better than Datsyuk, Kovalev, Kane or McDavid.
He really gets overlooked in terms of his skating ability. I've been lucky enough to see him play 3 times and every time he just wows me with how effortless he looks when flying down the ice.Watching Karlsson live was amazing. His skating and skill stood out a lot over guys like Backstrom, Kopitar, Hossa and Filip Forsberg.
Ooo, forgot about Coffey!In order that they come to mind:
Wayne Gretzky
Mario Lemieux
Connor McDavid
Sergei Sansonov
David Pastranak
Paul Coffey
That’s who comes to mind off the top of my head. I’d put Bobby Orr on this list, too had I seen him play during his career.
He really gets overlooked in terms of his skating ability. I've been lucky enough to see him play 3 times and every time he just wows me with how effortless he looks when flying down the ice.
I agree, and Lemieux also had that innate hockey sense that allowed him to make the right move at the right time. I don't understand why reach and size is discounted as part of skill. His ability to protect the puck, and show, then take away the puck with his ginormous reach was unparalleled. Beliveau was similar, although he had a more understated style, and playing with a straight stick, made much more use of the backhand. That made him near impossible to read, i.e. was he going to shoot, pass, or continue to hold the puck. Espo had a bit of what Lemieux had. Not nearly as slick, but effective. Not a graceful skater, of course. I think it's forgotten just how great he was.I disagree. I've seen plenty of those 4 (heck Kovalev was on the pens for years) and they make quicker moves, but Lemieux was just way more effective. It was rare for Lemieux to try and deke someone and fail - truly an unparalleled magician with the puck.