Skating technique: "light on feet" vs. carving?

[LkptTiger 1]

Home Ice.

[dsjunior1388 81]

There are so many different circumstances in a game and so many physiological differences between skaters that I think your question is impossible to answer. When you are accellerating from a stop, you are likely to carve up the ice. If you are maintain speed or swooping into the offensive zone, you are probably light on your feet. I think it all comes down to efficiency--get where you have to be as quickly as you can but while expending minimal energy.

Your questions reminded me of a great quote written by Jack Falla--one of the godfathers of hockey journalism. He was taking part in an Oilers practice session, and he had the chance to compare Messier's and Gretzky's skating. It's from an SI article he wrote, and I think it's also in one of his books. How's this for a dream?

Just curious what Falla book is this in as I am interested in obtaining it?

Is it in

Home Ice,Open Ice: Reflections and Confessions of a Hockey Lifer, Saved or Hockey: Learn to Play the Modern Way (Sports Illustrated Winner's Circle Books)?

Any help is appreacated..

the particular passage is in home ice, but that and open ice are both amazing books of true anecdotes that really do a great job of putting into words the beauty of the sport, and Saved is a good novel.

[biff44 0]

It is easy to tell what type you are. If you are walking around in a room, are your feet slapping the floor and the room shaking with each step? Or when you run, do coaches tell you to get onto the balls of your feet? If so, you are probably a "heavy" skater. The problem with that is it impedes your agility. You might have people say you "have to work on your foot speed".