These are the ones who won me over since I started watching figure skating in 1992. Otherwise, it's too hard and I'd list a whole bunch of skaters that I only know from reputation and fuzzy youtube videos, like Dick Button and John Curry.
And these are just my personal favs, not "the greatest" from any objective point of view.
1. Alexei Yagudin. Truly the whole package. Power jumper who always made you feel his passion. He makes the whole debate over artistry v.s. athleticism in figure skating moot. Just like Kim Yuna. And he gave by far my favorite gold medal performance in all the Olympics I watched since 1992.
2. Paul Wylie. I wish more men skated with his elegance and beautiful lines these days. And he gave one of the most heart-warming moments in Olympic history. A moment named later named after himself, no less! How can he not be on the list
3. Rudy Galindo. Ditto with Rudy for elegance and lines. If I had to choose only one men's program to watch for the rest of my life stuck on a deserted island it would be Rudy Galindo's 1996 LP at nationals.
4. Ilia Kulik. If he hadn't worn that stupid giraffe outfit at the Olympics maybe he'd be at the top of my list. No, just kidding.
But he's just the type of gorgeous, perfect skater that I love.
5. Stephane Lambiel. Wished he'd had his two perfect skates but his qualities are obvious. Thank goodness that even with his bobbles he was good enough for World gold twice. (wish Sasha could have been that lucky.
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6. Evgeni Plushenko. Too bad he made such a big deal about the quad this year because Plush is so, so much more than just a jumper. Maybe he didn't show it off as much as he could have in 2010 but he certainly did in past years. And his rivalry with Yags was as epic as the Battle of the Brians. Hope we get to see two such surpassing men in such a rivalry soon.
7. Evan and Johnny. Come on. Let's give them both some credit for lifting U.S. men's skating from the dolldrums it was in dangerous of slipping into with their rivalry and with Johnny's gorgeous skating and wackiness, and with Evan's success and gold medal wins at a time when a lot U.S. fans were feeling down about skating.
8. Jeremy Abbott. His success came late and will he ever finally prove himself on a big international skage? If he does the world will finally know what an amazing skater he is. Just like Paul Wylie.
9. Ryan Bradley. Well, since this is just a perfonal favorites list, I get to put one guy who obviously would make any objective "greats list." But what a fun skater.
Well, that's 10 since I tied Evan and Johnny.
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