Best hockey skaters?

[ktang 34]

This is related to gopens67's conditioning thread. Towards the end, we started talking about skaters in the NHL, like Niedermayer, Chimera, Kovalev, Fedorov, Bure, Afinogenov, etc.

So, which skaters stand out for you?

For me, they are:

Ugly buzz-saw chop strides, but very fast - Guerin, Koivu, and Kapanen

Quick starts, good agility and acceleration, but limited top-end speed - Kariya, St. Louis, Samsonov, Bure (pre knee injuries)

Quick starts and acceleration - same as above + Sakic, Forsberg, Naslund

Lateral movement forward - Fedorov, Sakic, Crosby, Leetch, Zubov, Zhitnik, Naslund

Lateral movement backward - Leetch, #2 on the Canucks (Swedish guy), Lidstrom

Long, smooth, "elegant" stride - Niedermayer, Coffey, Zubov, Zhitnik

Long, choppy stride - Jovanovski, Nash, Crosby, Gartner

Deepest knee bend - Kapanen, Coffey, Niedermayer, Crosby

Itty-bitty choppy starts, then long strides (almost too long) - Roenick

Best J-hook skidded turns - Nash, Gretzky, Naslund, Jagr

Spread legs wide, then glide laterally - Zubov, Zhitnik, Fleury, Makarov, Sullivan, Leetch

High top-end speed, but needs 3/4 of the rink to get there - Jovanovski

Curls - Jagr, Gretzky, Denis Savard, Forsberg

Stops - Yzerman pre-knee operation, Denis Savard, Gretzky, Ovechkin, Forsberg

Tight crossover turns - Housley, Bourque, Gretzky, St. Louis

Mid-range change-of-pace acceleration - Sakic, Forsberg, Lecavalier, Guerin

[Jason Harris 31]

It's been so long since I've seen him that I'm forgetting his style, but I'm sure Orr would have to fit into the "effortless" category.

Except when he's flying through the air to your left..... ;)

[ktang 34]

Bow-legged, super-fast skaters: Orr, Morrison, Russian winger on the Leafs in the mid-90s

[Eazy_b97 1]

Berezin?

[ktang 34]

Yup, that's him.

[Adam91 0]

ktang #2 on the Canucks would be Ohlund who you were refering to

[Hockeyman9621 0]

Shouldn't Lemieux be in the on of the long stride sections?

[Gongshow11 1]

lemieux has never taken a stride in his career

[Fletch 219]

I don't know what category he fits into, but Kovalev is an amazing skater.

[ktang 34]

ktang #2 on the Canucks would be Ohlund who you were refering to

Yup, there hasn't been hockey for so long that I forgot his name! I'm in the Vancouver area, too.

About Mario, he has a long, smooth stride when he needs it. He does a good stop along the LW boards, too.

About Kovalev, I think he does everything well, depending on what he needs at the time, but he doesn't have a signature skating skill. But I haven't seen too much of him, except for one time when he, as a Ranger, dangled himself into, and then out of, the offensive zone, not passing to anyone.

So a few more categories (feel free to add):

Best all-around and balance - Kovalev (?)

Best flowing hair - Guy Lafleur, when he had that mane, and Ron Duguay.

Easiest - Brett Hull, Lemieux

Slower, yet managed to carry the puck into the offensive zone - young Pierre Turgeon

[Gongshow11 1]

martin gelinas has sick balance too, along with friesen, who i hate as a player

[JR Boucicaut 3759]

No mention of Bret Hedican?

[ktang 34]

No mention of Bret Hedican?

I haven't seen too much of Hedican. I have read about how fast he is, but not about how he gets to that speed.

How would you classify him?

[hockeydude_49 0]

What do you guys think about Gaborik?

[ponty 0]

What kind of skater was Mike Gartner?

I would say Gartner was an efficient skater. Very little wasted motion and very fast.

Lowest skater ever has got to be Ken Linesman. I was a big fan of Coffey skating style. Picture perfect.

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

ktang #2 on the Canucks would be Ohlund who you were refering to

Yup, there hasn't been hockey for so long that I forgot his name! I'm in the Vancouver area, too.

About Mario, he has a long, smooth stride when he needs it. He does a good stop along the LW boards, too.

About Kovalev, I think he does everything well, depending on what he needs at the time, but he doesn't have a signature skating skill. But I haven't seen too much of him, except for one time when he, as a Ranger, dangled himself into, and then out of, the offensive zone, not passing to anyone.

So a few more categories (feel free to add):

Best all-around and balance - Kovalev (?)

Best flowing hair - Guy Lafleur, when he had that mane, and Ron Duguay.

Easiest - Brett Hull, Lemieux

Slower, yet managed to carry the puck into the offensive zone - young Pierre Turgeon

I have to go with the Kovalev as the best all-arround skater, because he can do everything well, sharp turn-crossover-straight skating-pivot and he's so strong on his skates + he's by far the best skater with the puck...But like I said he's not in the category fastest IMO there's at least 50 guys faster than him on a 1 lap contest...

Fedorov is a pure skater too...

[JR Boucicaut 3759]

No mention of Bret Hedican?

I haven't seen too much of Hedican. I have read about how fast he is, but not about how he gets to that speed.

How would you classify him?

Hell, I don't know. I can barely skate myself.

His kids will be amazing, considering who his wife is. Good genes...

[rausch27 1]

No mention of Bret Hedican?

i go to a lot of 'canes games so i see him a lot, hes a great skater

but Bure is the greatest skater of my time IMO

[Jason Harris 31]

Best flowing hair - Guy Lafleur, when he had that mane, and Ron Duguay.

Good ol' Nifty, Rick Middleton, had flowing blonde locks.

He had great balance, also; he'd jump over a player's stick and keep in stride.

[Cavs019 702]

I love gaborik's stride for whoever mentioned him. He's so damn explosive.

[J-Shera 0]

I dont think anyones suprised by Kovy_Ribs_Fedo's response lol

Edited June 25, 2005 by J-Shera

[mickz 107]

Jay Bouwmeester makes my list...

[deadboy 0]

FEDOROV and MODANO!!

[OTHockey96 0]

I love all the russian players so its hard for me to decide, but who do you guys think is the fastest russian skater? I'd definitely go with Bure for speed, because if you think about it he was a breakaway player. Fedorov and Kovalev seem to be more agile, because I always see them carrying the puck, kind of slow like but still very quick at the same time. A lot of the Slovakians are really quick too, like Palffy and Gaborik.

[Sven 1]

gaborik and modano

Edited June 25, 2005 by SvenKarlsson