Who are the very best players in history who were the best at skating? Any poor skaters?

[Gorskyontario]

Rico Fata wasn't a top 25 player from the 1998 draft...much less history...

What does that have to do with his skating ability?

 

[Michael Farkas]

What does that have to do with his skating ability?

The thread is about top 25 players of all time.

 

[MadLuke]

Looking at the latest top 25 from the hfboards lists.

Morenz is one that was considered particularly strong skater yet to be named, I could be all wrong and maybe the legends was from the tragic death, but my feeling from some reading of why the legend was bigger than the numbers, was the edge over the competition his skating gave him defensively in a very important position to take advantage of it.

Makarov is an other one:


really beautiful skater to watch while ridiculously fast and agile as well and as a good candidate for Top 25 of all time resume.

 

[authentic]

Brett Hull-Robitaille-young Chara are some to come to mind as great player that were held back at least early with their skating ability.

Has for the great player being also good at skating, I imagine that would be quite common, Crosby-Gretzky are exceptional skaters

Was Gretzky really an exceptional skater in the same vein as Crosby? I don’t believe so. He had great agility and edgework but other than that he looked average at best as far as elite players go.

 

[MadLuke]

Not sure, Crosby being so strong core-legs, open options few have, but I feel he did look average (or at least not a beautiful skater at all) while being excellent:



When you watch highlight, from time to time Gretzky do really impressive things with is skate, even if they are not looking good or particularly gracious

At bit like Lemieux did not look particularly good like the great skater can, but was deceptively fast, I feel with tend to overcredit is brain for why he is so often alone with lot of space to take those slapshot, skating has something to do with it has well, same for how much minutes he could log, could be extaordinary vo2 max which I think he had, but must have been efficient despite how it did look.

 

[carjackmalone]

Scott Neidermeyer could skate with the best of them

 

[JackSlater]

Was Gretzky really an exceptional skater in the same vein as Crosby? I don’t believe so. He had great agility and edgework but other than that he looked average at best as far as elite players go.

Yes, probably the same level. Gretzky being one of the most agile skaters in the league during his prime is impressive enough on its own.

 

[VistamarCroissants]

LaFleur, Orr, Kharlamov, Bure, McDavid, Datsyuk