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by Tim Falconer ([email protected])
It happens again and again in hockey. A player streaks down the wing
and winds up for a slapshot and before the goalie can move the twine behind
him bulges. It's one of the most exciting moments in a game and yet it's
over in the blink of an eye.
It seems unfathomable today, but the slapshot is a relatively recent development in the game of hockey. It is said Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion "invented" the shot in the 50s, but Bobby Hull popularized it by slapping his way to several 50-goal seasons in the 60s. Today, the slapshot is an essential weapon for all players. Even so-called defensive defencemen are expected to be able to serve up cannonading drives from the point. The hardest shooters in the NHL, such as Al MacInnis of the Calgary Flames and Al Iafrate of the Washington Capitals, have had their slapshots clocked at just over 100 mph.
While it takes a large man with great strength to reach those speeds,
mere mortals can develop hard slapshots through proper technique. "There
are a number of influencing factors," says Blaine Hoshizaki, a professor
of biomechanics at McGill University in Montreal who began studying the
dynamics of slapshot two years ago. "But skill is still the most influential."
Here, then, is a guide to help even 90-pound weaklings find a way to blind
opposing goaltenders.
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