Slapshot
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This page is about the ice hockey shot. For other uses, see Slapshot (disambiguation)
A slapshot in ice hockey is the hardest shot. It has four stages which are executed in one fluid motion:
- The player winds up his hockey stick by raising it behind his or her body, sometimes raising the blade to shoulder height or higher.
- Next the player violently "slaps" the ice slightly behind the puck and uses his or her weight to bend the stick, storing energy in it like a spring.
- When the face of the stick blade strikes the puck, the player rolls his or her wrists and shifts his or her weight so that the energy stored in the stick is released through the puck.
- Finally, the player follows through, ending up with the stick pointed towards the desired target.
The slapshot is harder than other shots, but because of the violent motion involved, it is 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 defenseman at the point, especially during a power play, although a forward will sometimes find an opportunity to use it.
At the yearly NHL all-star "hardest shot" skill competition, the winning slapshot typically propels the puck at around 100 miles per hour (160 kilometers per hour).