Hurry (and I do mean hurry) over to A Theory of Ice, for a wonderfully written piece "On Speed." Here's a snippet:
‘Hockey sense’ is actually a bit of a spooky phenomenon, like ESP, and indeed the players who have it give the eerie impression that they see the future. They are where they need to be, simply and unfailingly, even before the rest of the team realizes that someone needs to be there. They pass to the place where there teammate is going to be in a few moments, not to where he is. And a fast enough mind can, sometimes, compensate for a slow body, because a quick enough read of the play can see the game geometrically and position accordingly, rather than trying to chase it down. Forwards, maybe, can afford to have bodies faster than their minds, but a good defenseman and especially a good goalie is defined more by the ability to think faster than the opposition, rather than move faster.Sounds like a perfect description of Larry Murphy to me...