Thanks for your thoughtful response. I wanted to focus in on one point: I do not think anyone has mentioned Oksana until now. What do we think of her legacy? I'lll go slightly off topic here. One of the reasons it kind of worries me when really young women win the Olympics is that it tends to shorten their participation in the sport. That's not to say they shouldn't win--there are just upsides and downside to everything. Oksana at 15-16 had more sophistication than most skaters have at 25. She should have been one of the greatest ultimately but I think her pro career mostly gets lost in the shuffle.
What skaters have left the biggest legacy?
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Thanks for your thoughtful response. I wanted to focus in on one point: I do not think anyone has mentioned Oksana until now. What do we think of her legacy? I'lll go slightly off topic here. One of the reasons it kind of worries me when really young women win the Olympics is that it tends to shorten their participation in the sport. That's not to say they shouldn't win--there are just upsides and downside to everything. Oksana at 15-16 had more sophistication than most skaters have at 25. She should have been one of the greatest ultimately but I think her pro career mostly gets lost in the shuffle.
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I think Oksana was a tremendous talent, but circumstances beyond her control ended her career early and I can’t think of what her specific legacy is — she won the OGM, but that, to me, isn’t a legacy. To me, a legacy skater is someone who has delivered performances that are iconic and have a through-line to later programmes; skaters who have pushed the sport as amateurs and professionals (such as Hamilton’s work with SOI, or Buttle‘a work as a choreographer); skaters who become synonymous with the sport; and/or skaters who have an outstanding talent in some component (jumps, spins, skating skills, etc.) that becomes associated with their name. By that metric, I can’t say Oksana has a legacy — but I don’t mean to imply she wasn’t an extraordinarily talented skater. (I really wish she’d been able to continue.)
More broadly, I agree with most of the names mentioned — Browning, Hamilton, Yamaguchi, Kwan, etc. I don’t think Lipinski left a real mark on the sport, though she arguably merits inclusion for 3Lo-3Lo, but Cohen makes the cut (for her artistry and the Sasha spiral).
Jeffery Buttle deserves inclusion for being one of the last skaters who was competitive without a quad and for what he did for men’s artistry. His work as a choreographer is also relevant. Patrick Chan also deserves inclusion, most likely, although I’d give it 5-10 years to truly assess his legacy. The gap between his skating skills and those of other top men was much narrower in the last few years of his career, but he’s arguably a big reason why skating skills became so prized among the elite men and that is a legacy. (I’m not shading Chan. I just think 5-10 years is almost always needed to truly get a feel for a skater’s impact.)
Yagudin and Plushenko, somewhat obviously, have rich legacies. I’d say Goebel also deserves a nod as the first “Quad King” and for being ahead of men’s skating by a few years — he was under-appreciated in the era of Yagudin-Plushenko dominance, but he arguably understood better than they did the direction the sport was heading.
Daisuke Takahashi belongs on the list, even though he’s returning to active competition. Another skater who expanded men’s artistry and became a role model for skaters competing now. And speaking of artistry... I think Weir’s legacy is deeper than he’s often given credit for (just ignore the commentary).
Bourne and Kraatz have a legacy within ID and Bourne has a separate one as a choreographer.
And, yes, Yuzuru Hanyu. Not for the OGMs, but for what he’s done for the sport and for bringing together the technical and artistic components. It’s unquestionable that he will have a legacy, but exactly what said legacy will he can’t be determined fully yet. Among the current men, I’ll be curious to see how Boyang is remembered in 7-10 years — I think history will be more kind to him than the present day view. Chen could very well come to define a modern aesthetic in men’s skating, but it’s way too soon to award either a legacy, as they just haven’t been competing at the senior level long enough.
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Have not ready every post but as anyone talked about the worlds greatest spinner Lucinda Ruh? I don’t know for sure because nothing is named after her but she must have originated some spin positions or combinations? Does anyone know more about Lucinda? I loved watching her. Tall so real so polished. Her lack of triple jumps didn’t bother me at all. It is good she was alive when there was a pro circuit and tours. We will never have that again and it is a shame so few competitions and shows are on the internet. COI has virtually nothing there nor are there enough SOI shows. It is a shame because it was the heyday of pro skating and we will never see anything like that again. Not even another whack could get people’s attention for this sport. Marquee ladies who turn pro don’t exist anymore. So sad.
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Champions On Ice hasn't run in years, Stars on Ice bought them out a few years ago.
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I know this is opinion but Oksana's free skate was wonderful and playful and if it isn't a legacy then her short program to Swan lake definitely was. And she truly was the cinderella story. The orphan waif. NO mother, no father, grand parents died. Taken in by coach. Viktor P comes in to help feed and provide her skates. She comes out of no where and wins 1993 worlds. She goes to the olympics and is accidentally stabbed in the back and back leg by the German skater who skates in the opposite direction. She is picked up off the ice by the grandmother of skating Katarina Witt. She is injured, Her back in pain. She has shots. She goes out and skates her fs as well as she can. She needs another triple. It is a double. then she does it again and gets it. But she needs a combo with seconds left she throws in a double axel double toe. She wins gold the olympic games over the American princess who over came being beaten on the knee in her $13,000 US vera wang dress versus the poor orphan waif. Kind of legendary to me.
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Being legendary doesn't equal leaving a legacy, though.
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I posted that somewhat in jest of course, but I really did end up going through that Wiki entry (and opened it up in the first place) because I didn't know of skating's origins (beyond that it was developed as a mode of transport/hunting in areas with frozen bodies of water). These are useful links, thanks!
I have found my LP music for next season: Inuit Wedding by Sainkho Namtchylac.
I wouldn't be opposed to this, either.
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The mood of the post was obvious
But as it happens, I had bumped into the "Finns invented skating" thing somewhere else recently and was provoked by that and the Wikipedia article to actually look into it again. I read some of the other articles on the theme by Formenti (with or without Minetti) and was amazed by poor quality research and tendency to pick and choose evidence to suit his/their hypothesis. In the abstract for his PhD dissertation, he even wonders about why there is no evidence for skates from the north - but that does not stop him/them from spinning the articles to make it sound as if there are old finds. Also, they were apparently well aware about the skiing and ski find sittuation, but chose to ignore that... 
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Math, this is one of my all time favorite pair skaters and programs. Thanks for posting it.
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Michelle Kwan
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Every once in a while they show Shen in the audience and she is just so beautiful.
To me legacy means influence over the sport or discipline. With that said-
Torvill and Dean- redefined the skating programmes are thought about over all four disciplines, from 1981 up to 1996, including show programmes and programmes of theirs that were adapted for the Duchesnays
Midori Ito- smashed through a technical ceiling and influenced the technical content of every skating female that followed even up to today; also was first Japanese skater to win a world title.
Yao Bin and Shen and Zhao- brought the Chinese on to the pair scene.
Dick Button- first triple jump, double axel in competition and also invented the camel spin. Commentary and other post competitive career achievements.
Tatiana Tarasova- was a skater, became the most influential coach of all time; particular influence in Ice Dance.
Proptopopovs- introduced three of the death spirals; other technical and artistic innovation.
Madge Syers- the reason we have ladies figure skating.
Stephane Lambiel- hard to find a top level male skater today who does not have content influenced by Lambiel.
Mishin, Plushenko and Yagudin- standardised the two quad programme FS for men at the top level between them.
Gordeeva and Grinkov- the byword for the gold standard of the Russian Classical style in pairs.
Current skaters that will leave a legacy- P/C and Hanyu. Also Eteri Tutberidze and her school- albeit potentially a negative legacy as much as positive one (such as the rules having been changed with regard to backloading, for example)
Torvill and Dean- redefined the skating programmes are thought about over all four disciplines, from 1981 up to 1996, including show programmes and programmes of theirs that were adapted for the Duchesnays
Midori Ito- smashed through a technical ceiling and influenced the technical content of every skating female that followed even up to today; also was first Japanese skater to win a world title.
Yao Bin and Shen and Zhao- brought the Chinese on to the pair scene.
Dick Button- first triple jump, double axel in competition and also invented the camel spin. Commentary and other post competitive career achievements.
Tatiana Tarasova- was a skater, became the most influential coach of all time; particular influence in Ice Dance.
Proptopopovs- introduced three of the death spirals; other technical and artistic innovation.
Madge Syers- the reason we have ladies figure skating.
Stephane Lambiel- hard to find a top level male skater today who does not have content influenced by Lambiel.
Mishin, Plushenko and Yagudin- standardised the two quad programme FS for men at the top level between them.
Gordeeva and Grinkov- the byword for the gold standard of the Russian Classical style in pairs.
Current skaters that will leave a legacy- P/C and Hanyu. Also Eteri Tutberidze and her school- albeit potentially a negative legacy as much as positive one (such as the rules having been changed with regard to backloading, for example)
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In terms of impact on how pairs execute a number of technical elements (for instance the twist), yes they have a big legacy.
All that makes a good narrative but that's no legacy. Her skating and moves look very dated to the contemporary eye.
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When I read the Shen also help coach the Chinese team, I googled to see what she's up to since she's not the "face" of Chinese figure skating officially. I LOVE that she and Zhao got the family (little girl) they wanted. So happy for this fairy tale continuing.
