Cale Makar is a player for the record books, but could he be one for the history books too?
Cale Makar is a player for the record books, but could he be one for the history books too?
All statistics are from NHL EDGE.
For the second year in a row, the Bobby Orr-level defenseman known for his lightning-fast skating, hard shots, and offensive prowess is an NHL All-Star. With fierce competition from the legendarily fast skater Connor McDavid, how might Cale Makar do in that contest?
Makar is a blur on the ice whose abilities have impressed in the past. This year, Makar will compete against the Leafs' William Nylander, Canucks' Quinn Hughes, Islanders' Matthew Barzal, and the elephant in the room, the Oilers' Connor McDavid.
McDavid is the fastest of the five, with a top speed this season of 24.05 mph. The Oilers star is in the league's 99th percentile for skating speed versus Makar in the 88th.
Makar narrowly fell short to McDavid for Fastest Skater in 2022, with a time of 13.834 seconds versus McDavid at 13.690 seconds around the course.
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That being said, McDavid didn't win in 2022.
The winner was St. Louis Blues' right-winger Jordan Kyrou, who was behind McDavid's top speed of 24.14 mph that season. Kyrou merely hit 23.71 mph.
Despite that, Kyrou won in the All-Star competition with a time of 13.55 seconds to get around the course.
This gives hope to skaters with similar numbers, including Makar at a top speed of 22.97 mph.
In this year's predictions, all numbers point to Makar being in the middle, the third-fastest skater of the five competitors.
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Highest Top Skating Speeds for the 2024 Competitors:
1. Connor McDavid, 24.05 mph
2. Matthew Barzal, 23.53 mph
3. Cale Makar, 22.97 mph
4. Quinn Hughes, 22.40 mph
5. William Nylander, 22.35 mph
Sadly, Makar's skating record this season in individual speed does not stand well either against the easy betting favourite - McDavid.
McDavid is faster on average than the rest, with more bursts of between 18 and 22+ mph. He has charged down the ice at 18-20 mph 427 times compared to Makar's 212 times.
That was in less ice time for McDavid too, averaging 21:30 per game this season compared to Makar at 24:55. McDavid has played 43 games this season versus Makar at 44.
Centreman Matthew Barzal may give McDavid a run for his money. Barzal beats both for 18-20 mph bursts, at 489, and has charged to between 20 and 22 mph 187 times.
Barzal also beat McDavid for Fastest Skater in 2020, with a time of 13.175 seconds compared to McDavid's 13.215 seconds. So, with those two, Makar may rank no higher than third place.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOJ_vu9-uO0[/embed]
But McDavid has gone "super-duper fast" more than Barzal, with 227 bursts of between 20 and 22 mph.
Arguably McDavid's most impressive stat is 43 bursts of over 22 mph, which means McDavid has either come close to or outstripped the league's average top speed (22.03 mph) 43 times.
His speed has made impressions in sports headlines ever since his career's early days.
But Makar too has proven himself at extreme speeds, with 12 bursts of 22 mph and over, tied with Barzal, and Hughes and Nylander falling well short, with both at just two.
With McDavid and Barzal likely to dominate in the top two spots, Makar will be more competitive against Quinn Hughes (Vancouver Canucks), with a top speed of 22.40 mph, and the Bud William Nylander, with a top speed of 22.40 mph.
Makar and Hughes compare well with 212 18-20 mph bursts for Makar and 223 for Hughes.
And don't forget Nylander, who has 278 bursts at that competitive speed.
The Maple Leaf also competes with Makar at faster bursts, with 84 between 20 and 22 mph versus Makar at 98. If Nylander can give it his all and skate that fast, he too may be competitive.
The most likely place for Makar is third, although he could end up higher depending on the performances of McDavid and Barzal.
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