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

 

[authentic]

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.

Yeah but Crosby had that too with speed and strength and explosiveness that Gretzky didn’t come close to.

 

[Primary Assist]

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.

Agreed, it always surprises me when people downplay the Great One's skating ability. He is literally the most elusive player ever. Imagine how great of skaters guys like Kane, Marner, Datsyuk are when it comes to elusiveness - and Gretz was in a whole category above them.

Sure, he wasn't the most explosive skater. But he was constantly in motion and didn't need that same type of acceleration other conspicuously good skaters have.

 

[The Panther]

Gretzky was overall probably a slightly above-average skater in his prime. He was extremely good at pivoting, turning, etc. and had reasonably fast one-direction acceleration. but in the latter area he was easily behind Coffey, Messier, and Anderson.

In Gretzky's case, though, being shot out of a cannon wasn't his game. His offensive strategy was almost never about speed, but was instead about making space and time for himself and teammates. It was actually more about slowing the game down.

Crosby has never struck me as on overly fast skater either, but what he's great at is balance and strength. Legs are powerful.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

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

Hey I was drunk by that point so I only read “best skaters in nhl history”

 

[pappyline]

Don't think I have seen Bobby Hull mentioned here. He was an incredible skater. Maybe the fastest of all time according to tests done by Lloyd Percival.

Going back farther in time, what about the pony line with the Bentley brothers and Mosienko. Mosienko won some skating speed competitions back in the day,

Kenny Wharram was another fast skater as was Doug Mohns.

 

[JackSlater]

Yeah but Crosby had that too with speed and strength and explosiveness that Gretzky didn’t come close to.

I don't know that Crosby was faster than Gretzky, especially after he hurt his ankle his second year. He's stronger obviously but Gretzky was more agile, to the level of being top three or so in the NHL, and that is what Gretzky's game called for. Both elite skaters with skating tailored to their gameplay, neither was the best in the league as a skater but both elite. I don't think you can place Crosby at some higher level than Gretzky when it comes to skating.

 

[authentic]

I don't know that Crosby was faster than Gretzky, especially after he hurt his ankle his second year. He's stronger obviously but Gretzky was more agile, to the level of being top three or so in the NHL, and that is what Gretzky's game called for. Both elite skaters with skating tailored to their gameplay, neither was the best in the league as a skater but both elite. I don't think you can place Crosby at some higher level than Gretzky when it comes to skating.

Oh I think most would agree Crosby was the comfortably better all around skater and faster, even after his high ankle sprain and especially during his peak when he regained a lot of that speed and explosiveness back. I would also say that Crosby was the best skater in the world for a number of years, infact this is the first I’ve heard someone place Gretzky as his equal in skating ability.

 

[authentic]

Gretzky was overall probably a slightly above-average skater in his prime. He was extremely good at pivoting, turning, etc. and had reasonably fast one-direction acceleration. but in the latter area he was easily behind Coffey, Messier, and Anderson.

In Gretzky's case, though, being shot out of a cannon wasn't his game. His offensive strategy was almost never about speed, but was instead about making space and time for himself and teammates. It was actually more about slowing the game down.

Crosby has never struck me as on overly fast skater either, but what he's great at is balance and strength. Legs are powerful.

I agree with you about Gretzky but I think you need to go back and watch some early Crosby highlights, he was fast and dynamic with the puck on his stick, he stood out in a big way and I even remember some announcers drawing comparisons to Bure before his high ankle sprain with the way he accelerated and pulled off high skill plays at top speed