Is Patrick Chan the best pure skater ever

[Izabela]

Patrick is like a tablespoon of butter gliding on a hot frying pan. I love the sound of his edges when I watch him skate. Is he single by any chance

Best description of Patrick's skating for me! And the constant worry that he might fall comes with it.

 

[Globetrotter]

One of the best but not the best in my opinion. Hanyu is the best EVER in the last 20-30 years. NO ONE has the same level of technical and artistic skills in one SPECTACULAR package. The H&L program at 2017 Worlds was OTHER WORLDLY!

Well, I agree that Hanyu has the best overall package but the member who started this thread was referring specifically to basic bladework and stroking. In that aspect and based on ISU judging criteria for SS, I do think PChan does own the strongest mastery over the basic bladework. Hanyu is good and I love his overall superiority but his basic SS and command of the blades are very good but not at the greatness of PChan in terms of edges and smoothness of turns and subtle speed changes - not yet at least. For the basics, I will always say we should all watch PChan and my other preferred SS skater Yuka Sato. I give the edge literally to Sato as her blade work over the ice has that awesome quietness which is very rare and a sure indicator that her edges are so deep they are just skimming over the ice.

 

[Globetrotter]

And this is where I interject and beg to differ. Hanyu has spectacular skating skills, but not legendary skating skills (if that makes any sense).

Prefer to call it as very good SS but not great - not yet. I guess I have a higher expectation where SS is concerned as that is my favourite aspect of the sport. Hanyu's mastery of the glide and the edge is not yet at the PChan level. I will say that Hanyu is somewhat like a Kim Yuna at her prime, a great competitor, technically brilliant, overall good in all components, no real discernable weaknesses but the basic SS is just good (Kim) to very good (Hanyu) but not great (PChan, Yuka Sato and very distantly, Mao Asada and CaroK)

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

In the modern era he is definitely the most pure skater. He has the best skating skills, and I think his upper body expression is sublime - especially his arms and attention to detail. A lot of the top men lack finesse in their upper body, or have comparatively sloppy arms, and don't generate the same speed and depth of edge with each stroke.

The only think lacking in his overall skating is better facial expressions, but as far as his skating from the chin down, he's the best out there.

 

[MIM]

Yes, I agree he is he master of the skating skills.

Watching his skating, everything is starting from blades. His upper body never goes ahead of his feet. ( ironically I feel this contributes partly the criticism he gains for lack of upper body movements. Although I admit his style of skating is not really flashy) When skaters get caught up in the moment and emotional, they tend to project more and move faster and larger. Upper bodies can do that, while their blades skills can’t keep up that enthusiastic energy. Also, We often see even the best skaters excel their skating skills in certain parts of the program(ie.footwork sequence) and look tired and somewhat heavy in other parts.

But, Chan doesn’t seem to be hindered by his feet. Rather, he emotes with his blades . He tends to skate bigger when he gets more emotional. There is no dull blading moment in his program. He changes directions and turns, always moving to the music (like red shoes). His skating to me is very dimentional, and brings the full force and effect out of the blades. Marina calls him her Rembrandt on the ice.

P.s. yes, I agree Yuzu has the best package and charisma, presence on the ice. Yuzu also knows how to feed the audience by controlling overall effect and flow of the program. He is his own director on the ice, which is very admirable quality. Fernandez uses the skating skills to act and perform( Javi can act that he skates better and sharper than he actually does, i.e. his malagueña sp.) Shoma has the best upper body control among the current top men. But the pure skating skills go to Patrick.. I am sad just thinking about the very much fact-like possibility that I can’t see him anymore in the competition.

 

[cruzceleste]

P.s. yes, I agree Yuzu has the best package and charisma, presence on the ice. Yuzu also knows how to feed the audience by controlling overall effect and flow of the program. He is his own director on the ice, which is very admirable quality. Fernando usues the skating skills to act and perform( Fernando can act he skated better and sharper than he actually does, i.e. his malagueña sp.) Shoma has the best upper body control among the current top men. But the pure skating skills go to Patrick.. I am sad just thinking about the very much fact-like possibility that I can’t see him anymore in the competition.

Fernando, do you mean Javier?

 

[ancientpeas]

Fernando, do you mean Javier?

*dons ABBA gear*
They were closer now Fernando
Every hour every minute seemed to last eternity
I was so afraid Fernando
We were young and full of life and none of us prepared to die
And I'm not ashamed to say
The roar of guns and cannons almost made me cry

 

[MIM]

Oops!! My bad! I’ll fix! And thank you for the correction.

 

[BlackAxel]

Prefer to call it as very good SS but not great - not yet. I guess I have a higher expectation where SS is concerned as that is my favourite aspect of the sport. Hanyu's mastery of the glide and the edge is not yet at the PChan level. I will say that Hanyu is somewhat like a Kim Yuna at her prime, a great competitor, technically brilliant, overall good in all components, no real discernable weaknesses but the basic SS is just good (Kim) to very good (Hanyu) but not great (PChan, Yuka Sato and very distantly, Mao Asada and CaroK)

I agree with almost everything you mentioned. Though I am not quite sure that I would rank Hanyu alongside Yuna when it comes to SS. Since Patrick Chan is pretty much as good as retired, it can be argued that Hanyu has the best skating skills amongst the competing male skaters. And I dont see that changing before 2022 Olympics in Beijing. Of course this is just my personal opinion.

 

[cruzceleste]

*dons ABBA gear*
They were closer now Fernando
Every hour every minute seemed to last eternity
I was so afraid Fernando
We were young and full of life and none of us prepared to die
And I'm not ashamed to say
The roar of guns and cannons almost made me cry

Thought I do like Abba. My mind went to Lady Gaga

 

[rikaquegira]

The thing about Patrick Chan's pure skating abilities is he was taught to skate and do figures by the late great Osborne Colson, who was the Canadian Men's Champion in 1936 and 1937. Mr. Colson came from the "old School of skating" and passed this on to Patrick Chan and many other Canadian and World champions - Barbara Ann Scott and Donald Jackson.

Patrick speaks very highly of his first coach:

His coach, Osborne Colson, made him spend 30 minutes a day on basic stroking, edge work, cross-cutting and balance drills.[5] Chan said, "I tell people I owe the flow in my knees and the flow I generate from my edges to Mr. Colson. He knew he had to pull everything apart and start from the ground up on the basics of skating."


This is one of the skills that is sadly lacking in some of the training today. As Kurt Browning - who is my favorite on the blade says today even footwork isn't what it used to be. Kurt says skaters used to do footwork to show "hey I can do this better than you"

I always enjoy watching Patrick skate, when the pressures not on him. It is pure beauty to watch him. Even Kurt Browning says that.

I hope Patrick becomes a coach someday and pass on his beautiful skating.
I remember the first time I watched a program of Patrick on YouTube(never seen him live!!! ) I noticed after a while that my mouth was open. I was thinking the entire time "omg this is perfect, this is so beautiful, look at that flow, what? how? wow! how? it's like... water, wow, wow, woooow" LOL That's my reaction to Patrick skating. [emoji23]
So I hope we can see more skaters with that quality, it's such a joy!

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

*dons ABBA gear*
They were closer now Fernando
Every hour every minute seemed to last eternity
I was so afraid Fernando
We were young and full of life and none of us prepared to die
And I'm not ashamed to say
The roar of guns and cannons almost made me cry

There was something in the air that night
The stars were bright....!!!!

 

[ReasonOFF]

of course he is

 

[charlotte14]

What exactly is the definition of a pure skater? If you mean pure skating then where the hell are the ice dancers? Why they’re not mentioned? Where are V/M and P/C?

 

[rikaquegira]

What exactly is the definition of a pure skater? If you mean pure skating then where the hell are the ice dancers? Why they’re not mentioned? Where are V/M and P/C?

I think the poster meant single skaters.

 

[Crossover]

Best skating skills ever. None can be compared with his blade work.

 

[rain]

I love and enjoy many skaters across disciplines and across the years, but I've never seen another skater like Patrick Chan. He really is something once-in-a-lifetime special. I'm not sure you can even really understand it unless you've seen him live. It's a revelation.

 

[trevortryst]

He is a great skater with amazing basics but I wouldn't say best pure skater ever. For starters there would be some ice dancers that are better atleast.

 

[Krunchii]

I thought Patrick was a good skater when he skated clean (when he's a mess oh boy), but then I was blown away seeing him live and I became a big fan from that day on. He is really one of a kind, it's like he's not even touching the ice, just lightly skimming over the ice but moving at breathtaking speed. It's an unforgettable experience and I feel so lucky to have seen him live.

 

[Ophelia]

^Agreed. Seeing him live made my opinion of him do a 180. You really cannot appreciate Chan until you see him live. It didn't even bother me that he missed a bunch of his jumps.