A slapshot in ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 is the hardest shot. It has four stages which are executed in one fluid motion:

1. The player winds up his hockey stick
   Hockey stick
   A hockey stick is a piece of equipment used in field hockey, ice hockey or roller hockey to move the ball or puck.- Field hockey :Field hockey sticks have an end which varies in shape, often depending on the players position...
   
    by raising it behind his body, sometimes raising the blade to shoulder height or higher.
2. Next the player violently "slaps" the ice slightly behind the puck
   Hockey puck
   A puck is a disk used in various games serving the same functions as a ball does in ball games. The best-known use of pucks is in ice hockey, a major international sport.- Etymology :The origin of the word "puck" is obscure...
   
    and uses his weight to bend the stick, storing energy in it like a spring
   Spring (device)
   A spring is an elastic object used to store mechanical energy. Springs are usually made out of spring steel. Small springs can be wound from pre-hardened stock, while larger ones are made from annealed steel and hardened after fabrication...
   
   . This bending of the stick gives the slapshot its amazing 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

The point (ice hockey)

In ice hockey, a player in the opponent's end zone at the junction of the blue line with the boards is said to be at the point. Usually the players at the two points are the defensemen, and the name is taken from the former names of the defense positions, point and cover point...

, especially during a power play

Power play (sport)

"Power play" is a sporting term used in various games.*In ice hockey, a team is said to be on a power play when at least one opposing player is serving a penalty, and the team has a numerical advantage on the ice...

, although a forward

Forward (ice hockey)

In ice hockey, a forward is a player position on the ice whose primary responsibility is to score goals. Generally, the forwards try to stay in three different lanes, also known as thirds, of the ice going from goal to goal. It is not mandatory however, to stay in a lane. Staying in a lane aids in...

 will sometimes find an opportunity to use it.

The invention of the slapshot is credited to Bernard "Boom Boom" Geoffrion

Bernie Geoffrion

Joseph André Bernard Geoffrion , nicknamed Boom Boom, was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Generally considered as one of the innovators of the slapshot, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972 following a 16-year career with the Montreal Canadiens and New York...

 (a nickname alluding to the thunderous clack of his slapshots) of the Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...

.

During a hockey

Hockey

Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...

 game, a puck

Puck

-Fictional characters:* Puck , a folklore character* Puck , a Shakespeare character** Puck, a Faeries character** Puck, a Gargoyles character** Puck, a Puck of Pook's Hill character...

 can reach the speeds of 100 miles per hour (160.9 km/h) or more when struck. The current NHL speed record belongs to Zdeno Chára

Zdeno Chára

Zdeno Chára is a Slovak professional ice hockey defenseman. He is the captain of the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League and won the Norris Trophy while playing for them in 2008–09. At 6 ft 9 , he is the tallest player ever to play in the NHL...

, of Boston Bruins

Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...

, whose slapshot clocked 105.9 miles per hour in the 2011 NHL All Star Game SuperSkills competition, breaking his own earlier record. The current world record is held by Denis Kulyash

Denis Kulyash

Denis Kulyash is a professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for Ak Bars Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League . Kulyash has been a long-time member of Russia's national ice hockey team known for his extremely hard slap shot, which gained him a nickname "Tsar Cannon"...

 of KHL's Avangard Omsk, who slapped a puck at the 2011 KHL All Star Game skills competition in Russia with a speed of 177.58 km/h (110.3 MPH).

External links

• Shooting tips for beginners - Dunedin Ice Hockey Association
• How to Take a Slapshot Recent article with pictures, and easy to understand