1. See also

2. External links

3. References

A slapshot (also spelled as slap shot) in ice hockey is the hardest shot one can perform. It has four stages which are executed in one fluid motion to make the puck fly into the net:

1. The player winds up his hockey stick to shoulder height or higher.
2. Next the player violently "slaps" the ice slightly behind the puck and uses his weight to bend the stick, storing energy in it like a spring. This bending of the stick gives the slapshot its speed. Just like a bow and arrow, the stick's tendency to return to being straight is transferred to the puck, giving it much more speed than just hitting it alone could.
3. When the face of the stick blade strikes the puck, the player rolls his wrists and shifts his weight so that the energy stored in the stick is released through the puck.
4. Finally, the player follows through, ending up with the stick pointed towards the desired target.

The slapshot is harder than other shots and, because of the violent motion involved, somewhat less accurate. It also takes longer to execute; a player usually cannot take a slapshot while under any significant pressure from an opposing player because the opponent could easily interfere during the windup. The slapshot is most commonly used by a defenceman at the point, especially during a power play, although a forward will sometimes find an opportunity to use it.

The invention of the slapshot is credited to Eddie Martin of the Halifax Eurekas of the Colored Hockey League of Maritimes in Nova Scotia in 1906.^[1] Bernard "Boom Boom" Geoffrion (a nickname alluding to the thunderous clack of his slapshots) of the Montreal Canadiens, is also credited with popularized the technique in more modern times, though the tactic had been in use long before Geoffrion's spectacular shots captured the popular imagination.^[2][3] Dick Irvin, who was a star player in the WCHL and PCHA – and who later coached Geoffrion with the Montreal Canadiens – was also renowned for having a hard and accurate slap shot. Growing up in Winnipeg in the 1890s and 1900s, he would practice shooting against a doorknob in his attic during the winter months for accuracy. In the summertime, Irvin would draw a chalk outline of a net onto his family's sled garage, and practice one-timers off a piece of wooden board embedded into the ground.^[4] Bobby Hull, who lead the NHL in goal scoring seven times in the 1960s, was also renowned for his slap shot. The increasing use of slap shots by players such as Geoffrion and Hull in the late 1950s and 1960s led to goaltenders using face masks beginning with Jacques Plante in 1959. By the end of the 1960s a high percentage of goaltenders in the NHL wore such masks.

During a hockey game, a puck can reach the speeds of {{convert|100|mph|km/h}} or more when struck. The current NHL speed record is held by Zdeno Chára of the Boston Bruins clocked 108.8 miles per hour (175.1 km/h)

See also

• Shot (ice hockey)
• Backhand slapshot
• Wrist shot

External links

• How to Take a Slapshot Recent article with pictures, and video

References

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