How fast do nhl hockey players skate

Yvan Cournoyer was known for being able to leave defenders behind in one step and won 10 Stanley Cup titles with the Montreal Canadiens in just 16 seasons. Cournoyer credited longer blades on his skates for giving him an advantage with his speed, but let's not forget he was also only 5-foot-7 and pounds soaking wet.

Sami Kapanen is one of the more unheralded players on this list but definitely deserves a spot among the NHL's fastest skaters of all time. Syl Apps was the first winner of an NHL speed competition — his prize for winning was a wristwatch. Apps' granddaughter, Gillian Apps, won three Olympic gold medals for Canada in , and Howie Morenz's elite speed earned him two nicknames that stuck — the "Stratford Streak" and the "Mitchell Meteor.

His death was one of the biggest tragedies in NHL history. Moretz fractured his leg in four places in a game on Jan. Less than two months later, on March 8, he died of a coronary embolism that was a result of blood clots in his leg. The only thing missing from Erik Karlsson's resume at this point is a Stanley Cup. He's a six-time All-Star and has won the Norris Trophy twice.

Karlsson owns almost all of the Senators' records for a defenseman from his nine seasons with the club, including a single-season record 78 points in , when he won his first Norris.

He also had one of the single greatest nicknames in the history of sports. Canadian Governor General Earl Grey gave Taylor his nickname after remarking to a sportswriter he was like a "cyclone" on the ice.

Bobby Hull's nickname gave some pretty good insight into how fast he was on the ice. He was known as the "Golden Jet" over his year career.

Larkin, who made his only All-Star Game as a rookie in , was drafted No. Despite injuries and left-wing locks, Bure managed to register goals among points.

He was enshrined into the Hockey Hall of Fame in There was Bobby Orr and then there was Paul Coffey, two of the best skating defensemen to ever patrol a blue line. This apparently gave him the control he needed to fly across the ice.

Well, it seems to have worked for him as he holds the mark for most goals in a season by a defenseman 48 in and ranks second in career goals , assists 1, and points 1, A four-time Stanley Cup champion and three-time Norris winner, Coffey played roles in three titles with the Oilers , and and one with the Penguins Able to outrace forwards, Coffey often collected loose pucks and pinched in the offensive zone to challenge the reflexes of opposing goalies.

He just disappears on you. Cournoyer was small 5-foot-7, pounds , agile and quick from the first step. He capped his Hall-of-Fame career with goals and helped propel the Canadiens to 10 Stanley Cup championships during his year career, which ended in He also earned the Hart Memorial Trophy.

A center who often played the point on power plays, Fedorov was able to quickly drive from one end of the rink to the other and cover plays. Fedorov endured a cloak-and-dagger beginning to his NHL career. Mike Gartner was generally known as the fastest skater in the NHL while he played. Gartner was exhausting. Just ask any defender who attempted to match stride-for-stride with him. The mark stood for 20 years. He maintained his elusive speed throughout his career, scoring plus goals for 15 consecutive seasons.

Related: Hall of Famer Mike Gartner. If Gartner exhausted opponents, imagine how difficult it was for his linemates to match strides with the Hockey Hall of Fame inductee? Talk about exhausting. Some players are fast skaters. The moment that players will have the highest speed is when they are racing in a straight line across a large distance of the ice.

A start involving crossovers is the best method to gain speed quickly. Skating over a long distance allows players to attain a high speed that continues to grow as they stride down the ice. In previous decades, it was considered impressive for players to reach above 30kph 20mph. It times how long it takes players to complete one lap around the outer edge of an NHL-sized ice rink. Keep in mind that this competition tests skating speed and ability. It requires players to take corners around both nets, which requires skills beyond just pure speed.