Goalies are so good in the NHL today that rare is the occasion when they are ever beaten cleanly on an unobstructed slap shot.
Gone, mostly, are the days when wingers would come down the wall, wind up with a big slap shot and see it go in. If that happens today, a goalie is more likely to be chastised for letting in a "bad goal" rather than the shooter getting much credit for a great shot.
The advent of lighter graphite sticks has also contributed to the decrease of the slap shot. A hard wrist shot from a graphite stick can have as much or more speed than slap shots of old from the all-wooden sticks of yesteryear.
But the slap shot is still a widely used tool in the game. While forwards don't attempt them much off the rush anymore, they do on one-timers on the power play. Getting "pucks through" on the power play still is most effectively accomplished with the slap shot, as it's often the only time in a game the shooter has any real time and space with the puck.
The following slideshow lists my picks as the 10 best slap shot artists in NHL history. For inclusion on the list, it took more than just pure speed from a shot. How accurate ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Adrian Dater
Ranking the 10 Hardest Slap Shots in NHL History
November 30th, 2016 by Adrian Dater Leave a reply »
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