Best Pro skater- men (singles)

[Vash01]

Since we no longer have any real pro skating/competitions, we are dealing with a fairly narrow time period here- the 1980s, 1990s and some beyond that (2000-2010).

Who are the THREE best pro mens skaters in your opinion, regardless of what their eligible careers were like.

You may use any crtieria to define 'best'- e.g. consistent jumps, creativity/artistry, pro competitions won, and so on.

I made a big mistake, leaving out Paul Wylie. Can the admin please close this poll? I will start a corrected one. Thanks.

[seabm7]

Sorry, I voted before I read the part on "missing" someone.

[paskatefan]

I hate to limit this to only three! My choices - Kurt Browning, Todd Eldredge, Paul Wylie, Brian Orser, Brian Boitano, Ilia Kulik

[aliceanne]

John Curry is missing too. Lambiel and Buttle have made their reputations has pros.

[blue_idealist]

Kurt Browning (creativity/longevity), Toller Cranston (creativity), Scott Hamilton (creation of Stars on Ice)

[Vash01]

Can the admin please lock this poll, so we can discuss it in the "corrected poll"? Thanks.

[aftershocks]

I'm absolutely shocked that Brian Boitano is not ahead in more votes. He's clearly the best male pro skater ever! Brian B redefined what it meant to be a professional skater in that he raised the bar re technical content for professionals and maintained a high level of excellence over a long period.

IMO, Yagudin, Orser, Kulik, and even Petrenko did not really grow or improve as professionals (altho' I will give Ilia credit for maintaining excellent shape and conditioning, as well as technique during his professional career). Yags suffered from injury of course, and also Kulik and Yags really didn't have the benefit of being able to compete in many professional events because there weren't as many as there were for their predecessors.

A GLARING OVERSIGHT!!! Paul Wylie definitely belongs on this list -- I would vote Paul Wylie ahead of Scott Hamilton. Kurt is truly loved, respected, and obviously adored for a reason, but I'd put Brian B and Paul ahead of Kurt. I think Kurt and Scott are really on a par in terms of their pro careers which is in the excellent range but definitely behind what Brian B and Paul Wylie achieved as professionals, IMHO!

Yes, I agree Todd Eldredge should be on the list too, especially if Petrenko, Yags and Ilia are on it.

I voted for Brian B, Kurt B, and Scott H, before realizing that Paul Wylie was missing .... "Other" simply does not suit when it comes to Paul Wylie's achievements as a professional skater!

[Vash01]

Why did you not read the opening post before criticizing me?
I have asked twice to close this thread. All you have to do is read a couple of posts and you would have gone to the corrected poll

[judgejudy27]

I think Kurt and Scott are really on a par in terms of their pro careers which is in the excellent range but definitely behind what Brian B and Paul Wylie achieved as professionals, IMHO!

It depends what you mean by achieved. Browning definitely won alot more of the big pro competitions than Wylie did. Remember he is the one who dethroned Boitano as the pro king, and it took him only until his 2nd pro season to do it, and he would proceed to dominate the mens pro ranks for the next 3 or 4 years until the silly pro ams and the amateurs and their big jumps with amateur judges came into play. Meanwhile Hamilton was often finishing above Wylie in pro competitions (real ones, not the ones like Too Hot to Skate or where the crowd picks the winners) in his mid to late 30s. Wylie only won the World Professional Skating Championships once and the other competitors that year were a past his prime Brian Orser who never was a successful pro skater, a 36 year old Robin Cousins who didnt do any triple jumps anymore, Gary Beacom, and Petr Barna. Boitano and Petrenko were taking a year off to be at the Olympics that year (Wylie never once finished higher than Boitano at the World Pros btw), while Browning had not gone pro yet.

As for show skaters, Browning is still skating on Stars on Ice all these years later which is telling in itself, while Hamilton was the one who originated it and much of the pro skating circuit.

The one thing I agree on is Boitano should be winning the poll, although he was a better pro competition skater than a pro show skater.

[orbitz]

Paul Wylie - his passion and intensity on the ice were unmatchable.

Kurt - showed the most versatility and innovation of any of the pro skaters. Should arguably be ranked first, but I enjoyed watching most of Wylie's programs better.

Boitano - I enjoyed his first few years as a pro. In his later years he seemed to have stuck to a same formula.