Why Has The Slap Shot Gone ‘Extinct’ in NHL Hockey?

[@Childofbhaal]

I kind of miss the slap shots being more frequent. Nothing like seeing someone just absolutely laser a puck with perfect accuracy in the net. Watching the Hawks back when they won the cups they had very good defensemen who would throw slap shots from the points all day.

[@SolidPain6624]

Bobby hull was the ultimate example for the hawks

[@johncassens1821]

Watch the video all the Devils goals 2022-2023 Watch Doug Hamilton Jasper Brat Zetterland, holtz etc. not just slapshots but the more difficult one timer slapshots ... I didn't count but its over 20 percent I believ

[@TheRTD420]

As a Hawks fan I hate to admit this, but one of the best/most memorable slap shots for me was the one Stevie Y made in double OT against the Blues. He put an absolute laser high to the far side past John Casey from the blue line. Watch the replay at roughly the 3 45 minute mark of this video and you'll really appreciate what a snipe this shot was. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mmm1lX2or7N7fsk

[@narsakucanada154]

A few years ago I repented to God then begged for help, "I was until then an Atheist." I then had a dream of Jesus coming before God and he spoke of the Tabernacle in perfect context, "A word I didn't know existed.", and what I felt from Jesus when I held him was unlike anything I've ever felt before - A lifetime of Love every second - It brought me to sobbing and it changed my life, forever. I've had other experiences since, "Several witnessed", one was seeing a bright orb of light pass across my face in the dark, hours before a major surgery the second I gave up in my heart. Know that God and Jesus ARE real and that they Love us deeply. Let go of your hatred and Imagine yourself holding the people who've hurt you. Tell them you Love them. Always have hope, I believe that prayer, following God's laws & Love is the answer, and through that, Truly becoming humble, merciful, welcoming, giving, gentle, respectful and forgiving, To All.

[@RomainWhatever]

This is a bit sad because it is so silly and so cool to watch like it is a visible violent spectacle a clean slapshot 😅 but the newer drag-shot style is soo efficient and fast 😳

[@Josh-fg5if]

Gretzky had a great and tricky slap shot. He constantly changed the timing of his shot, which made it unpredictable and basically unstoppable.

[@johnlawson523]

He'd also hover with space & time with a high windup, then sort of bring the stick down 30 degrees then hesitate again, then either deliver a slap pass or launch a bomb (his slapper had underrated velocity). In the 2-3 seconds he'd have glided 30-40 degrees of angle on the net that the goalie would be struggling to shuffle fast enough to keep up with him and still watch the pass option, so when he let a hard shot go they'd really struggle with it

[@nobrainsnoheadache2434]

Mike Vernon is still looking for one shot . . .

[@jmadratz]

Gretzky didn’t have a great slap shot, he just used it a lot because he had an even worse wrist shot.

[@zeroceiling]

@@jmadratz why do you say that?…have you actually seen him play?…or is it the grainy old video footage from the 80’s and 90’s?

[@metalzonemt-2]

@@jmadratz Right...Imagine how many goals he could've scored if he was any good.

[@pdog547]

We must mention Al MacInnis and Al Iafrate - two of the hardest shots in history (wooden sticks of course).

[@franciscavallaro6356]

Yup first two that came to my mind

[@aqn1976]

Funny I thought of this exact thing the other day and low & behold this vid lol... But oh yes, the two "AL's" will be in the Top 5 for sure!!!

[@10.11.9]

@@franciscavallaro6356 Mine too.

[@10.11.9]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJKnlYeog82mh8U

[@ThePerpetualStudent]

Al MacInnis was my favorite.

[@HarryLali-z4t]

Bobby Hull and Guy Lafleur were the best at scoring with the slapshot, combining power and accuracy.

[@billyhomeyer7414]

I think of Phil Esposito

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

Another guy back in that era who was an absolute beast was Buffalo Sabres winger Rick Martin. I remember sitting down at ice level behind the glass at the old Chicago Stadium while the Sabres took warm-up and Martin's slap-shots hitting the glass sounded like a cannon going off. Bobby Hull was a freak of nature when it comes to his strength and speed. Modern-day folks are often skeptical of the claim of 118mph for his slap-shot - which was radar-timed - but I'm not. I saw the man in person, and he could put the fear of God in a goalie with that thing. So could his brother, Dennis Hull, the "Silver Jet," who also had a very hard, heavy shot. I actually saw Dennis Hull smash a pane of plexiglass with his shot. I don't know what their mother was feeding them on that farm where they grew up, but whatever it was, those Hull boys were strong! Brett Hull, too, who took after his old man. Lethal one-timer. In the modern era, Big Z - Zdeno Chara - and Shea Weber were two of the guys known for having not just fast shots, but ones with a ton of torque and spin, too, which made them "heavy." The kind of shot you don't want to block. Ask me how I know; I was a d-man when I played and know whereof I speak about being hurt by hard shots. Thank goodness I never had to face anything like those two! I was very saddened when we lost Guy Lafleur a few years back. I remember watching him and those all-time great Canadians teams from the 1970s, and they were some kind of special. Another guy who could put his shot right where he wanted it. Don't forget "Big Bird," Larry Robinson, he had a cannon of a shot, too.

[@mattblom3990]

As a Canucks fan, I remember when Daniel Sedin suddenly developed a slap shot over an off-season and it was pretty lethal.

[@CurriedBat]

Hopefully Boeser can do the same

[@lukestone365]

April 26th 1994, One of the best slap shots I remember, Game 6 against Calgary in Overtime, Geoff Courtnall coming in all alone against Trevor Kidd & just buried it! Great squad, Great memories, Go Canucks Go!!

[@ninenine2438]

From 2010-2012 the Sedins really peaked. It was beautiful to watch. I don't think we'll ever see twins lead a sports team with such insane chemistry like that in sports ever again. Such a rare thing.

[@coryryder9070]

micheal ryder my cuzin bruins that year :P dont hate me

[@lukestone365]

@@coryryder9070 Mad love for Boston! Only time I was there people were great, terrific scenery, especially the Cheers bar, Norm Peterson was my favourite on the show! Yep! Let's definitely skip any Bruins talk though!!

[@GuinnessMichael]

That Kariya goal was iconic. Would’ve loved to have seen Stevie Ys clapper against the blues on here too

[@romaliop]

The function of the slap is to bend the stick against the ice. With the old wooden sticks you simply had to do that to get the stick to flex, because they were so stiff. With modern sticks you don't need as much power to bend the stick so you can just do a snap shot instead.

[@CalgaryDynastar]

Ever heard of Shea Weber?

[@007Hutchings]

No. I’m sure every hockey fan has never heard of Shea Weber.

[@saschaganser9671]

Very true, with modern sticks there`s so much power ins snap, wrist and 2 point shots, that you simply don`t need to wind it up that much anymore.

[@johncassens1821]

The purpose of the Slap shot is to get your whole body into the shot arms shoulders chest core legs of course the stick will bend. Yes the stick will bend with a wrist or snap but you don't get all those muscle groups full strength together mainly arms and one leg for the snap / wrist

[@1rtt1]

Yeah that may be the result of a slap shot but it isn't the function. Especially during the wooden stick era's. Those sticks didn't flex much at all. Those shots were pure power shots done by the shooter not the stick. A proper slapshot will have more velocity and speed then any snap or wrister ever will regardless of the stick.

[@HockeyTownHooligan5]

Brett Hull was the Ben Hogan of slap shots. If you want to learn how to use proper form for a clapper, watch Brett Hull. I’d say Ovi is the top just because of how many goals he’s scored off a slapper. Nick Lidstrom had a very effective slap shot. Daniel Alfredsson, Stamkos, Yzerman, Mathew Schneider, all had awesome shots.

[@Seriously_Unserious]

All the ones you mention were great, but the King of Slapshots has to still be Al MacInnis. No one was as fast, hard or accurate as Al when it came to blasting it from the point. Heck, that guy's slapper was deadly enough he could score them from centre ice and still have it be one the goalie had little chance on. Who else in NHL history can claim that?

[@JonLeejw]

Al Iafrate has entered the chat.

[@thenationalparksguy.1718]

wrong. His Dad Bobby, better yet, his uncle Dennis Hull. Both played for the Blackhawks. Look it up. Brett would agree.

[@tommywallbanger]

Yeah his shot was legendary.....and he used a wooden stick. I remember reading an article about him in like 1989. At that point of season he had put like five guys on to the injured list because they got hit by his slap shot. Most of them were opponents but there were a few of his own guys I guess who are standing in front of the net trying to screen the goalie. That's pretty brave. I also remember back in the day playing hockey video games and he had an absolute blast even on those. Him and Ray bourque.

[@DrBdan8]

I'd be interested in seeing stats on the average Slapshot speed vs wrist shot speed over the last 20-30 years. I wouldn't be surprised that with improved technique and stick technology the speed of wrist shots has gotten closer to slapshots

[@seethe313]

That's an excellent point. I remember watching Joe Sakic's wrist shot in the 90s and early 2000s and how quickly he released it with accuracy and mustard on it. It seems like guys now all have that skill and the better sticks just amplify that. I also think goaltenders are too good if they commit to the shot. Without the element of potentially passing, they get aggressive and cut off the angles quickly. Plus, these goaltenders today seem to be much bigger guys.

[@longlifetometal1995]

​@@seethe313Goalies have grown bigger statistically, it's not only an impression.

[@bltsammich9760]

@@seethe313 the average height of goalies is around 6'2", with the shortest at 5'11", and the tallest at 6'6"

[@poika22]

@@longlifetometal1995 But goalie gear has become a lot less bulky to compensate.

[@extragoogleaccount6061]

And perhaps the Bendy sticks that help increase the speed of a wrist shot or not as good for using on slapshots. So perhaps the wrist shot speed has gone up in the slapshot speed has gone down

[@HairyButWhole]

Ovi is the modern era slapshot king, but I loved Weber's blueline slappers and Pasta has a beautiful onetimer too.

[@CommieCat]

Ova is still lethal at an age where even most Ironman retire. It is truly an art.

[@Petersson69]

Chara

[@fajastata2]

He'a also a supporter of a mass murderer.

[@reaganharder1480]

What I find interesting in this whole "slapshots are extinct" talk is that in that chart showing the decline of the slapshot, the reduction from 2012 to 2020 is only about 30%. That is definitely a statistically significant change, but far from extinct. All your points about why the viable use case has reduced were spot on though. I think an underrated element of slap shots is using that huge telegraph of "i'm going to shoot" to your advantage with a slap pass. I've seen it done to great effect, where a defenseman winds up for the big shot and then hammers the puck onto the stick of a teammate waiting 2 feet off the side of the net for an easy tip-in goal. Any time there is an expectation, there is also an opportunity to subvert that expectation, and that may be one of my favorite things in sports, seeing players deliberately use expectations to their advantage.

[@dronlaa]

Kuch makes slap passes perfectly

[@reaganharder1480]

@@dronlaa there's a few players that do it well and do it often and I love to see it.

[@janzy1980]

100% agree, but surely you know that what is truly going extinct are KZbin videos without clickbait titles. ;)

[@hockeypsychology]

Great point. I scoured the Internet trying to find slapshot statistics specifically over the last 3 years also but couldn’t find any hard data like I did from 2012-2020. If anyone does have them, I’d love to see it. The inclination is to believe that decrease has continued but I don’t know for certain. Either way, I thought it was interesting to dive into why elite players in the game often opt for a snap/wrist… and so, that led us to this video lol

[@a_coleman11]

I LOVE the slap pass especially on the PP. use the "im going to shoot" to your advantage. but I think again with how fast the game is and how quickly guys are getting challenged on the rush, blue line, etc., im sure they've been taught to get the shots off quick. plus stick technology allowing a good wrist shot to be almost as fast as a clapper with better accuracy too.

[@TheHoneyBadgerDUDE]

Paul Kariya's slapper vs the Devils was insane, especially considering he didn't even remember the game due to suffering the concussion right before.

[@TheOriginalTuhat]

I’ll never forget Colton Parayko’s slapshot that hit Ben Bishop like a 12-gauge

[@ThePerpetualStudent]

Yeah!! And the following goal. Love your logo

[@TheOriginalTuhat]

@@ThePerpetualStudent RIP the fellas

[@trinawhitener7753]

That was so lovely to see!! I wish Parayko would practice that and use it more often. More often than not he misses the net by a county. At least he made it count that night.

[@TheOriginalTuhat]

@@trinawhitener7753 these days I’d like to see parayko do literally anything besides timid stick handling, avoiding all physical contact, and turning over the puck

[@trinawhitener7753]

@@TheOriginalTuhat FUCK YES!!! THANK YOU!! He’s the softest big guy in the league. Or throw the puck over the glass for a delay of game penalty. I hate to say he’s become my least favorite player on the Blues because he’s so soft and just not that great defensively. Frequently a minus. I think he only got that ridiculous deal for sentimental reasons.

[@icedo1013]

One of my favorite moments of a hockey game as a kid was when bedlam broke out down in the slot and the puck jittered free slowly toward the blue line; those were the moments I was hoping some ambitious D-man would come out from off-screen to lay every ounce of weight in his body into the puck.

[@achannell362]

You mentioned stick technology...I'm an '84 birthdate, and I remember all of our coaches played with stiff sticks and shafts and preached the slap shot, so that's what we did too. Sticks with more flex just weren't popular back in the late 90s and 00s, regardless of how much you weighed. One day, we received some pro return Brett Hull Z-Bubble shafts at the hockey store I worked at. These things were probably the equivalent of a 65 flex. Guys flocked to buy them, only to break them on the first use. That was when I realized Hull was one of the first guys to let the stick do the work for him, and now you see that everywhere in the show, especially with guys like McDavid and Bedard. Modern sticks provide the flex and kick point to fire the puck now, so there is no need for a big clapper to get the puck going like there used to be with mega-stiff wood, aluminum, and composite shafts.

[@the1andonly759]

This breakdown was top notch dude. Ovi is #1 for me but Chara could literally kill a man

[@hockeypsychology]

❤️

[@Kariakas]

Macinnis is up there also, he had a brutal shot with his old wood stick.

[@reaganharder1480]

I seem to recall at least one instance where Chara almost did kill a man with a shot...

[@dmun8508]

Can’t forget about shea weber guys were scared to block his slap shot from the point

[@10.11.9]

@@Kariakas kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJKnlYeog82mh8U

[@mangrove]

I was sitting a few rows behind the glass in Florida when Brett Hull wound up a ripped a one timer over Luongo's shoulder in OT, 2003. That was a sight to behold.

[@robnotwicz7002]

The increasing rarity of the slapshot seems to have added a demoralizing factor to scoring with it. The way goalies slump down after getting beat clean with pure power is different than for other shots.

[@teamground0229]

Watching Blackhawks hockey in the 70's as a kid, the defenseman slapshot was big stuff.

[@iceattack7]

I think one of the best slap shots was Shea Weber's. Dude had the HARDEST shot in the world

[@Filip-xu5vb]

what about zdeno chara

[@WillTBDud]

Cap... It's Martin Frk but Weber is likely more consistent

[@iceattack7]

@@Filip-xu5vb True

[@iceattack7]

@@WillTBDud I said ONE OF, not THE best

[@michaellamontagne6626]

Souray fear a lot of player at his prime on power play with Markov

[@tkyntola]

Best slapshot of all time... I probably would like to say someone else for their shear power or for whatever other niche quality, but not saying Ovi here would just not be honest. He is so persistent and effective from the circle that it's just bonkers. Every goalie _knows_ exactly what's coming, yet a blistering fast pass from Carlson, Oshie or Bäckström and Ovi just keeps hammering them in, year after year. You're free say what you want, but I can't get past that.

[@kashmoney2752]

The goalie gets a piece of them a lot of the time too. His shot is remarkable because its so powerful, that combined with the curve on his stick, just creates this knuckling puck that goalies have a hard time reading in the air due the unique and unpredictable trajectory at the speed its traveling. So even the pucks the goalies get a piece of, it often trickles past them. I really don't know if we are ever going to see a player like Ovi again.

[@bangyahead1]

Youre talking about a guy who just ended a 17 game goalless streak lol

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

There's having a hard slapshot when you tee it up yourself - which is an achievement, no question - but it takes it to a whole different level when you are shooting off the pass, a.k.a. "one-timing" the puck like Ovie and others now do so well. I was a defenseman when I played hockey and took a lot of slap-shots from the point when in the O-zone especially on the power play. They were good hard shots, too - but I'd have made a fool of myself trying to one-time it like the best payers do now. It wasn't a skill that we worked on in those days.... I sure didn't anyway. Brett Hull's one-timer was phenomenal and in today's game, Ovie, Stamkos, Pasta, Panarin and some others come to mind. Ovie's hand-eye coordination and strength in getting his shot off accurately and so quickly, is the stuff of greatness. Everyone knows it is coming and where, but he still beats goalies regularly. Amazing. Far as the hardest shot, I am old-school and would nominate Bobby Hull. I saw Bobby and his brother Dennis - who also had a very hard and heavy slapshot - play in person and it sounded like artillery going off when those guys missed the net and hit the boards or the glass. Bobby Hull was a freak of nature how strong he was, and his technique was also peerless. One radar timed shot of his measured 118-mph. People claim that the measurement was off; that his shot could not have been that hard... but seeing him live and in person, I have no trouble believing it. The Hull brothers also had "heavy" shots, which means that they had high rotational torque on them due to the spin imparted. Goalies can feel it when they block or save the shots, and so can defenders and others who block them. In the modern game, Chara and Shea Weber were the kings of the hill far as All-Star competition was concerned. Couple of big, mean, and strong guys, those two - at least on the ice. Weber blasted a shot clean through the net more than once in his career. Both guys broke plenty of plexiglass, too.

[@marc-antoinemarcoux697]

Love your channel ! Alwayhs goes deep in game analysis instead of focusing exclusively on players stats! That's what makes it special.

[@amelielamothe467]

I also appreciate the non-clickbait-y titles!

[@D_TedHitchcock]

I've been tell my youth players for at least two or 3 years now to quit trying to take clappers for all the reasons that you laid out. I also learned that every tenth of a second you can get the shot off can be like adding 5-7 mph on that snap or wrister. I've spent a lot of time researching this and been coaching hockey for the past 8 years and as a full time job for the last 5. Good video, thanks

[@johnlawson523]

I think that's a shortsighted "win now, develop later" mindset

[@jena3566]

This type of maximization of perfection is killing hockey. Its a shame that many youth coaches seek to remove all individuality and personality from young players

[@WilliamTheHeretic]

Awesome break down! Ovi is all time best, hands down. Brett Hull had the best slap shot prior to Ovi. Iggy was amazing considering his era and adding to the fact that his first 525 goals happened without a single future Hall of Famer on his team.

[@d2c341]

Al MacInnis was the OG

[@bradr539]

Brett Hull doesn't need a power play unlike Ovi to score...

[@WilliamTheHeretic]

@@bradr539 Hull is 3rd over all with PPGs. Only 45 less than Ovi.

[@davidreynolds6718]

@@bradr539 All-time even strength goals: Alex Ovechkin - 518 and counting. Brett Hull - 456.

[@ClydeFrog13]

@@davidreynolds6718 And that gap widens even further when you consider era adjusted statistics.

[@mrpibbyo]

As a Habs fan, I already miss Weber's slapshot. This was deadly good!!

[@tommywallbanger]

Yeah so many NHL guys have really hard slapshots especially the real big strong dudes like Weber. Didn't Sheldon Souray have a pretty hard slap shot too? Sorry if I misspelled their names

[@DatCheeseCake]

As a hockey fan in general, I loved seeing byfuglien, weber, and ovi rip some solid slappers

[@alexpayne1364]

ahh the good ole days when walking into a slapshot from the point was the meta play

[@stephentraskos3130]

As a Caps fan... I can't help but enjoy the "This applies to everyone not named Alex Ovechkin"

[@phhdvm]

I remember Bobby Hull and maskless goalies. He said he’d send one in, around face high, early in the game just to get in the goalie’s head

[@tommywallbanger]

Yeah and the next one he'd leave right on the ice

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita had experimented around with curved sticks after Stosh accidently cracked a blade and practiced with it a while, when he noticed the puck behaving in a wild and unpredictable manner. It took some experimentation with the degree of curve before guys figured it out. Too much curve and the puck would go into the stands if you weren't careful. It was around that time that goalies started to "get religion" and started wearing masks. I sure don't blame them, the prospect of being nailed by one of those laser beams isn't a pleasant one.

[@Mo_Ketchups]

I ain’t watched shinny since ‘99. No clue how this got in my feed. *BUT* … what a TALENTED writer/speaker this kid is, and I’m no cheap date! Great work, buddy! 👏👏🤘

[@mrdeeds72]

Al MacInnis has the best and most feared slapshot of all time.

[@bluesbrother2383]

Looking at him you'd never suspect he had a bullet like he did

[@joeshmow1583]

Definitely wasn't the most feared that was shae Webbers and it had to do with the height. His shot was consistently just above the toes to just over the top of the skates where you have minimal padding. He was not allowed to use it in drills where there was a teammate between him and the net. Now if we are talking feared by goalies then ya the Al's take the cake no doubt about it. Wish they could have tried today's sticks they would no joke injure goalies on a regular basis.

[@10.11.9]

@@joeshmow1583 Al MacInnis once clapped one through Jocelyn Thibault's glove, breaking his ring finger in the process.

[@joeshmow1583]

@@10.11.9 Shae Webber literally blew a hole in the net in the Olympics. They went back to video review after iggy swore it went in. I would not have wanted to block either guys shot lol

[@10.11.9]

@@joeshmow1583 Ditto. Big Shea was just so damn strong. Tough way to end a great career.

[@bettingpicksandparlays8087]

Bobby Hull ( Black Hawks ) and Bill Goldsworthy ( MN. N. Stars ) Very Hard Shots. I Really enjoy your outlook on the game it's refreshing and with your allotted time straight to the point, Really Good Channel keep up the Great work.

[@dourmoose]

Not many of us still around that remember Goldsworthy 👍🏼😎

[@stevenkirby4471]

@@dourmoose Bobby Hull or Goldsworthy are the obvious picks for me, too. One of my most cherished memories from my youth is Dan Kelly calling "a cannonading drive by Goldsworthy" on a CBS Sunday afternoon broadcast. If I see or hear the word slapshot, though, the first thought that pops into my head is "Bobby Hull".

[@james.w]

Brett Hull made me want to learn how to take a slap shot when I was playing hockey as a kid. Guy had a rifle of a shot.

[@MartinAtanasu]

Best one-timer of all time

[@sanaon7453]

When I think of an NHL player taking a slapshot, I think of former Canuck Sami Salo.

[@Tacquito]

The Finnish MacInnis!

[@esperago]

Speaking of Canucks, Elias Pettersson is one of the best new school kids with a snapshot. He's got a great bomb off the rush.

[@WasteYuteeee]

balls of steel!

[@lynchmob72]

I have loved watching Stammer's one timers through the years, but Ovi is probably king of the Slapper.

[@Lazarus294]

MacInnis, Iafrate or Ovechkin. Depends on the era and what kind (slap vs 1T), PP or on the rush? I’m a sucker for an on the rush slapper but Ovy is staring at Gretzky’s record with that usual, predictable 1T that teams have a hard time defending against for a multitude of years. It’s only a matter of time till we recognize that not only there’s a Gretzky’s office but there’s also an Ovy’s office that deserves that level of respect

[@morrisalanisette9067]

people forget though that ovi only started doing that half way thru his career. he was originally known for being a guy to skate down the whole ice and find some way to score through sheer force of will. but then teams learned how to play against that and he had two down years and struggled before discovering this new way which people all know him as doing. he wasn't really known for his slap shot in the early days

[@Haolekine888]

Fear the skullet!

[@AlexeyBeganov]

this is giving me massive Thinking Basketball vibes. I was looking for a channel like that for hockey, so glad I found you

[@anonymous134y]

ovi has the best slapshot of all time and it's not even close. Every goalie and player know it's coming from the exact position but somehow the Rocket Richard Trophy, should be called the OVI, is always won by Ovi due to his lethal slapper.

[@darylmorrison6598]

Ovi's shot for sure is lethal, but I'd define his as more of a one-timer, rather than a traditional slap shot. A slap shot is when you have possession of the puck already, wind up, and let it go. Ovi's shot gets fed to him, he never has actual possession of it before he winds up.

[@wormsonly]

they should make a new award called the ovi that's awarded to the player with the most disregard to others safety

[@darylmorrison6598]

@@wormsonly Ovi shoots hard and hits hard!

[@trinawhitener7753]

Has Ovechkin ever sent a puck through a glove, broken a finger and scored a goal with a slap shot? No? That would be Al MacInnis. The true king of the slap shot. Ovechkin has nothing on him as far as slappers are concerned.

[@darylmorrison6598]

@@trinawhitener7753 And MacInnis used a wood stick! Imagine his shot if he had a composite ….

[@johnnewell4849]

The slapshot took over in the early 60s with Boom-Boom Geffrion, Bobby Hull and Frank Mahovalich leading the way with the most booming shots using solid sticks, no flex. You had to connect squarely with the puck. Jamming your stick into the ice and hoping it wouldn't break didn't work. The most amazing slapshot ever taken was by Maple Leaf's Frank Mahovalich. Against Boston in the mid-60s, crossing the blue line facing goalie Eddie Johnston. Frank a tall guy, wound up as only Frank could, and let fly. Eddie knew what was coming, had time to get set and he caught the puck easily. But the shot was so hard, it knocked him on his ass and into the net. This was before there were face-masks. All slapshots were fearsome. It took real courage in those days to face a slapshot. no one knew whether the goalie would live if he stopped the puck with his face. They did too. when they did, there they'd be, out cold on the ice. they'd be hauled off the ice on a gurney. Everyone waited to hear whether he made it. Then we'd be told he was okay. Minutes later, he'd skate back out and keep playing like nothing happened. Johnny Bower was the most famous for that, but all NHL goalies in that era went through it. That aspect of life threatening danger made those slapshots an order of magnitude more exciting than any since masks came into play. By the end of Bower's career, his face looked like a road map from all the stitches.

[@Khorney]

Gretzky actually talked about this as far as back as in the 80's. He mentioned having a quick release being more important than pure power slapshots, because what good is power when it takes an eternity to load up?

[@kashmoney2752]

Well unless you're Ovi apparently... Gretzy was such a smart player smh. GOAT of any player in the history of any sports league ever, no doubt.

[@tommywallbanger]

I totally agree with that statement. As hard of a slap shot as I had, I hardly ever scored goals on it because once you wind up the goalie comes out, cuts down the angle and people try to stand in front of it or get a stick in the lane. When I used to play goalie, which wasn't very often it was just a fill in but I would always come out and cut down the angle whenever I saw somebody winding up

[@WhatALovelyDisaster]

As someone just getting into hockey, could you explain the method you’re talking about re: coming out (of the crease maybe ???) cut down the angle(putting yourself where the puck is likely to go?) @@tommywallbanger

[@supersoniq3506]

I think it's a combination of factors: 1) the modern, one piece, carbon fiber hockey stick. Easy to load and produce a powerful, accurate shot. 2) speed of the game. Clappers take more time to get off and are less accurate that a wrist/snap shot. 3) the size and athleticism of modern goalies. These guys are huge and you have to be hyper accurate to beat them clean. 4) Don't discount the improvement of goalie equipment - better head protection, chest/arms, pants, pads, gloves. Modern goalies don't fear the big shots anymore. I've seen 12-14 year old goalies fearlessly take shots from adults.

[@Dahkeus3]

I imagine the speed and power of wrist/snap shots has increased substantially as well, making them a higher value per time spent shooting than they used to be.

[@anthonygreenwood286]

Gosh so many amazing rifleman over my 40 years of watching the game! My personal favorite has been big John Leclair, especially during his Philly years. That massive back swing and his strength and accuracy was legendary and just so fun to watch!! 226lbs entering the left zone and full stride and just cranking it +100mph was always exciting! Honorable mention to Al M, Freddy Modin and about 50 others!

[@seethe313]

Good example with LeClair! Also good example was when he faced Lidstrom and Murphy in the Finals with how it can be neutralized. They would get sticks out and poke the puck away quickly when they'd wind up.

[@tommywallbanger]

Man, I'm a flyers fan and totally forgot about John LeClair's slapshot but he didn't use a slap shot much. He was usually in front of the net (with defenseman that couldn't move him cross-checking him in the back) or cycling down deep. But yeah he really had a Canon. Didn't use it much. I used to play, I forget what video game. It was back in the day and even he had a cannon on that thing. Probably NHL '99. There's a lot of guys like that that have a really hard slap shot but don't use it much, especially the guys that are grinders and do all the hard work in front of the net like John leclair. But I mean as big and strong as he was, he should have a hard slap shot. That guy was an ox

[@JackArctic]

Buddy I love your videos, keep it up!

[@illjhero]

Ridley Greig sends his regards.

[@pdog547]

Best all time with one-timers? Brett Hull, Ilya Kovalchuk, Steven Stamkos. Just lethal.

[@marianmacko4598]

Peter Bondra

[@stevef4010]

Ovie

[@ianferch7970]

Jari Kurri

[@KingQuate]

i love seeing them, ekholm had a really nice one for his first as an oiler this season

[@Quakes4R]

Hardest slap shot of all time - Dennis Hull. Best slap shot of all time - Bobby Hull.

[@markkramer487]

Hands down correct. I lived down the street from bobby hull when he played for the Hawks.

[@-BUGZ-]

Yee, Yzerman in 2OT about 1:30am in the playoffs hit a nice one from center ice and won the game (might have been a series winner but I can’t remember) I remember it was so quiet and he was just putting it on net and when everyone heard the clink of the bottom back pipe, it was CRAZY.

[@-BUGZ-]

Or basically any of Lidstroms slapshots from the blue line, redirections were beautiful to see back then, or using the defense as a screen. But you’re right, the game has changed so much over the years I feel like im getting too old to pay attention sometimes and im only 33.

[@-BUGZ-]

That hybrid is called a snapshot, homie lol it’s been around forever and after wrist shots, it was my 2nd go to.

[@grangerjung4129]

Was Orr the only player to use the half-slapper effectively? I remember seeing him wind up for a slap shot, wait for the defender to flinch, move by him and only bring his stick back parallel to the ice, then let 'er rip, often into the net.

[@tommywallbanger]

That's one Bobby or story I've never heard. I was born in 73 so he was a little bit before my time. I heard a lot of great stories about him, but never that he had that snapshot. Mostly hear about his skating

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

Hall of Famer Marian Hossa used a half-slap shot very effectively in his career, even on penalty shots and break-aways. He was such a bull, so strong, that he didn't need a big windup and his shot was very accurate, too.

[@scliff7]

Bouchard still runs a pretty nasty slapshot. Love watching him use it.

[@esteads2.010]

Al Macinnis, still the best clapper

[@saschaganser9671]

New composite sticks with the low kick points let you get so much power in the (snap)shot, that you don`t need to tee it up to the horizon anymore. You can get so much energy in that it`s almost a slapshot, while the quick release makes it way harder for the goalie to read. You can still see the slap shots but mostly one timers during PP.

[@seethe313]

Do you think the new sticks might also be inclined to give less control over the slapshot? Like, maybe because they allow you to get so much power on a wrist or snapshot, perhaps it gets too out of control when you do the full windup?

[@bumpin0]

It's not less control. It is just almost no difference in power unless if your a defensemen with a high flex stick. Hard to justify using a slapshot when you can have a quicker release wrist/snap shot with the same power. @@seethe313

[@tommywallbanger]

Yeah I'm wondering the same thing. I've never used one of the new carbon shaft sticks. I mean when I played I used a wooden one piece stick. Maybe because I'm cheap and didn't want to spend the money on the carbon fiber or even back in the day aluminum shaft. My whole stick cost less than one of those replacement blades for either aluminum or carbon fiber. But I was wondering if the new shafts give less accuracy on the slapshot? I used to always bring like three sticks with me in case I broke one and this one guy was like man. You must have a million of those things at your house I was like. Yeah I do. I always like the Jagr model. I had a pretty hard slap shot and I just wondered if using the other sticks would give you more pop on your shot. I did try a carbon fiber once but I went with the real stiff one because I didn't want to break it and that thing had no flex whatsoever. It had less flex than the wooden stick. My carbon fiber stick days were just a phase

[@BlueFlash25]

Chara, holder of the hardest-hitting slapshot.

[@newfie1613]

Martin Frk would like a word

[@Gantzz321]

Al MacInnis laughs in your face with a wooden stick

[@Desecrator6]

But only one is almost 7ft tall BIG Z

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

@@Desecrator6 - Forget hardest shot, however impressive that may be.... the dude is 6'9" and weighed 250-260 lbs. during his playing days, but could do more than thirty pull-ups! That's not even fair!!

[@SethFinberg]

Great video! You always bring up topics that I noticed but never really thought about. Speed and spacing is the biggest difference now for lack of slappers. Plus, when you miss, you generally lose possession.

[@bangyahead1]

When you hit the goalie you also create rebounds and since slap shots bounce further, the goalie has less chance of recovering it, possibly allowing the shooter or his teammates to jump on the rebound..

[@SirPotato72]

With goalies better than ever today (with bigger pads as well) , I think accuracy and quick release are much more important than power. Also, on average there is not really a ton of additional velocity provided by a slap shot vs a wrist shot IMO, at least with modern sticks.

[@pena380]

False the pads are smaller now they were biggest before 2017-18 rule changes. The game is made more open for scoring which especially helps good players.

[@shrekislove170]

This is an awesomely edited video and great and easy to understand. You my good man, deserve a sub.

[@benoitrobitaille5235]

Marc-André Bergeron Despite a small size he could make shots rivaling some of the greats 103-105/mph if i recall correctly, it was very impressive to see, sadly that small size if compared to other defenseman, or power forwards he had to deal with, visibly limited his abilities defensively which limited his ice time, so he became a 3rd pairing/7th defenseman power play specialists. Still 82 goals in 490 games with limited ice time is nothing to sneeze at.

[@manitobamatt1554]

He could throw some pretty nasty hip checks too. Another lost art.

[@SnowyTaco]

I remember trading for him in NHL video games back then and liking him a lot

[@patriciablank597]

Thank you! I learned a lot here. The slap shot is not gone but rather overcome by the game's evolution. This happens with all sports so I'm OK with that. I'm old so I just love to see the game slow down momentarily just long enough to witness this almost-lost art. Can hockey have moments of nostalgia? I think so.

[@jlalonde1000]

The STICKS a flexible stick not so good a slapshot a hard stick won't bend for snapshot chara used a 130-150 and it still would bend where some guys use 70

[@reaganharder1480]

The flex of the stick is actually a significant factor in getting good power in a slapshot. The flex of the stick allows it to load up like a spring and then release that stored energy, flinging the puck faster than the player is able to swing the stick. To maximise that power you do need to match the stiffness of your stick with how much force you're going to be putting into your shot of course, so guys using a 70 flex are gonna have a harder time firing big clappers, but they chose that flex because it suits their playstyle, they didn't adapt their playstyle to suit their stick. I would wager the flexiness of composite sticks are what allow smaller and lighter guys like Elias Petterson can match shot velocity with much bigger and stronger players.

[@dzh1239]

I believe Ovechkin uses a stiffer stick on powerplays for this purpose. I'm sure a lot of powerplay triggermen do this

[@bobbys5580]

St. Louisan here. I loved Hull's one-timers or his low slappers from right wing on a rush, but I remember cringing in fear almost every time I saw MacInnis load one up from in close. Frightening. Beating Osgood from center ice with an absolute laser is something I'll never forget. And his overall point totals say something as well. Lots of knuckleheads had big slapshots but weren't terribly productive.

[@mr_funkyface4811]

good video

[@Seriously_Unserious]

When talking about the most feared slapshot of all time, it has to be Al MacInnis. He could unload his epic cannon from the point with wrist shot accuracy and even do it with a quick 1 timer. Even as the NHL entered The Dead Puck Era in the mid to late 90s, he could still get those bombs through and goalies still had a hard time stopping them clean, leaving a lot of clean Al MacInnis point shot goals and juicy rebounds for those slot crashers to bang in there.

[@gameburn178]

Imagine him with one of these new synthetic sticks... lol MacInnis also had a really long stick... which is good for defending but it might make it trickier for shooting.

[@themanhands5599]

I love the "time and space" hockeyism. That's all. That's my comment.

[@hockeypsychology]

We do seem to use that a lot.... eh? lol

[@caseykalinowski1159]

To be fair, I've heard this my whole sports career in lacrosse and basketball as well.

[@bdubblemalone]

A slept on slap shot is Tomas Vanek, legendary shootout slappers

[@YT-qj8nn]

I wish you had included video of "The Greatest Slap Shot (that didn't count)" - Patrick Kane's OT "Winner" against the Vegas Knights (Feb. 21, 2023) : kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZuYameDobCfqqs It's because of shots like Kaner's that fans love the game.

[@clyde6401]

As a casual hockey fan, watching the caps set up ovi for a slapshot off the power play is always exciting!

[@severed111]

For d-men....Sheldon Souray when he could play was devastating, look at the video of that season where he scored 26 with Montreal or 23 with Edmonton. From when I was younger....Brett Hull's and Al MacInnis' were the most impossible to see slapshots that also happened to be hella accurate....and lastly, as Nords fan, Owen Nolan's was BRUTAL.

[@tommywallbanger]

I just made a comment about Sheldon Souray. Somebody brought up Shea Weber and immediately thought about Sheldon. I loved Owen Nolan. I only saw the end of his career but I don't really remember him having that awesome slap shot but I was young.

[@severed111]

@@tommywallbanger Cool! Look at old goals of his in the Nordiques/Sharks and you'll see what I mean.

[@misterknightowlandco]

I remember watching the all star game as a kid and during the skills competition they’d have a slap shot contest. Watching iafrate and macinnis hit shots over 100mph was a hoot back in the day. I used to look forward to it.

[@darkazon5343]

Zdeno Chara had a bomb of slapahot

[@hockeypsychology]

The gold standard for slapshot power

[@marblox9300]

The blazing slap shot is more fun to watch even if it is stopped but todays players are just on a different caliber than years ago. I played goal in the 1970s and the entire game today is faster and much more precise. Even the goaltending today is so much more advanced. These guys today are so good at finding the 4 corners of the net - it is amazing.

[@jasonfullerton7763]

Yzerman's G7 OT slap shot to end the 96 series against the Blues might be one of the most lethal slappers I've ever witnessed.

[@bobbys5580]

Ouch from STL. It was an absolute bomb.

[@XaviRonaldo0]

It's not just the speed of the game it's also stick technology making wrist/snap shots almost as powerful as slap shots and combine that with the fact they're far more accurate it makes them a better tool.

[@tommywallbanger]

I never tried one of those new carbon shafts. I always use wood. Even though aluminum and carbon fiber were available. I always liked wood. Maybe I was too cheap to spend the money on the more expensive shafts, but I wonder if the new carbon shaft since they've been so much aren't as accurate when you're taking a slap shot. I don't know this. I'm just thinking that might be the reason. I remember some face-offs that guy's lost because they're stick broke. Years ago. That was another talking point that maybe guy should have a different stick on key face offs, but that's a whole different conversation

[@kevinkirklen]

It’ll never get better than the late 90’s stars feeding Brett Hull clappers. Check out the Hullenimum. I was there - I remember the play where he snapped two sticks and kept getting back in the play and buried the third attempt. Legend.

[@ifubuildit]

The last one i remember seeing is Malkin on a penalty shot or shootout. Can't remember but that was a thing of beauty

[@googlestore4830]

I absolutely adored Brett Hull's slapshot. Once I think he even injured an opposing goalie's hand with it. Then there is Chara's iconic slapshot shootout move. The guy had a monstrous release. And let's not forget Peter Bondra's Patented Power Play Point Blast - a worthy harbinger of Ovi's.

[@cameronsnyder1246]

I know next to nothing about Hockey but that was fascinating, very informative, abd obviously well researched. 😊

[@BahamutBreaker]

Great video; excellent analysis. There’s still opportunity for back-scratching slapshots in the NHL, but a lot of skaters (even All-Star caliber players) just aren’t accurate enough with the slapper. As mentioned in the video, precision has become more important than power. Deflections and rebounds are how a lot of goals are scored in today’s NHL. A big slapper might “put a dent in the end boards”, but as cool as that sounds, it’s a missed shot. If a wrister is instead on-target, there’s a decent chance for a stick-tip or a rebound, either of which is way more dangerous than a dent in the boards.

[@NWAWskeptic]

As a non hockey fan, the slick ninja like “wrist” shots look savagely lightning fast and to me is more satisfying to watch. They go from just pushing the pick along to rifling the puck at the goal in the blink of an eye. That has to take crazy skills.

[@davidmills5286]

mackinnon is also good on the left wing for the "ovie" one timer set up. Ovi has the best clapper though, the stats dont lie. i wish they would implement a one timer competition in the all star events would be interesting to see speeds and accuracy. Its just a staple in todays game.

[@mrdcato]

You do a great job explaining all of your videos. Very Nice!

[@rogerbutchbouchard8019]

Did you forget how scoring has gone down over the years since the slapshot was used only rarely? Your video left out the amazing excitement of booming slapshots in hockey games. Look how often breakaways result in no goals since the slapshot has almost disappeared.

[@jena3566]

Honestly if modern hockey just means its more expensive while missing parts of the game that have been there since the beginning, then I don't think we need it. I've recently watched games from 10-20 years ago, so 2013-2003 and I can honestly say it's just a better version of hockey without a doubt

[@galaxy-aiden]

Thank you, I finally know why it is so hard to make a slap shot when I starts to grow up.

[@detectiveandy6323]

You still see slapshots, maybe not as frequent, but the players and the style of play have evolved into better techniques and ways to score, you see more snapshots, deflections, redirects and one-timers, so I'd bet that's why the breakaway slapshot have gone the wayside. The game has evolved into speed and guys are defending much faster, and blocking shots more often, it's just the way the game has changed.

[@ethanparker7900]

Ovi, Stamkos, Weber and Chara are ofc the kings of slapshots but others were quite solid like Maclnnis or Brett Hull!!

[@kevinmorrice]

that first one was not only an awesome slap shot, but considering that earlier the same game he was knocked out with a jaw shot and concust, people there didnt expect him to continue playing the match or even the season, but he came out and did that

[@ajbianchi85]

Always loved Chara’s devastating slapper but Ovi is just unreal. Those Gretzky goals are so funny with the goalie like 10 ft out of the net, Roy was such a game changer with the butterfly.

[@bocogaming]

Very cool video breaking this down!

[@jyhina]

Improved stick technology has also made it so you can get a hard enough wrister off so you don't really need to clap it would be preferred in a lot of situations. So you're not really picking speed over power since the power today in a quick wrister is a lot higher than it was 20 years ago. I was never in the NHL but played pro and quit like 5-6 years ago and even in that short timespan the game and technology has changed a lot. Conor Bedard's wrister was unheard of even just a couple of years back (at least for guys that age)

[@matt-xe5km]

I didnt watch the vid so idk if he mentions this but i was a professional hockey player (goalie) the reason why the slapshot isnt around anymore is a couple things: it just isnt that much faster of a shot anymore people can get hella fast wristers and snappers now its way less accurate but the biggest reason is the sound, goalies react to a slapper by going into butterfly when the stick hits the ice, when screening the goalie (the most important aspect of hockey scoring today as it is very very rare to score if the goalie has full vision) if a person shoots a clapper you can hear it hence the nickname clapper and a goalie can react by the sound if you wrist it thru the screen the goalie has to fight thru the screen to get vision on the puck.

[@steamer1112]

I watched Stan Smyl's whole career from his arrival to the New Westminster Bruins as a 15 year old to his retirement from the Canucks. Stan had a massive slap shot for a not very big man. I recall many, many times seeing him cross the blue-line and blast a shot past a goalie.

[@zeroceiling]

Only to be outdone in that department by Wendel Clark from the Leafs. ..just as an aside…my brother played with Stan for 5-6 years…way back when..

[@mrchromaticable]

great video. The sticks of today can really sling the puck. so the puck is moving quite fast anyway. Its amazing seeing the accuracy of the players today. they can all wire the puck, some better than others obviously.

[@justinkrietemeyer8420]

Awesome video buddy! Very well done!

[@josh33172]

Not that it's a major reason, but sticks as well... If you look at Bauer and CCM (and others), they specialized their with a flex and kick point favoring a certain type of shot. They do have "hybrid" sticks that fall somewhere in the middle, but they're a bit less common. It's a big heavy piece of lumber from the likes of Sherwood where they really were just meant to stand up to the punishment the players dished out. Now they really dial in the stick to match and enhance their strengths

[@jwdepriest]

Tip drills via precise shots from the blue line now dominate D shots from what I see - for good reason (regardless of how much I miss a good slap shot).

[@ericepperson8409]

I grew up in St. Louis when the Blues had Al McGinnis and Chris Pronger on their D Lines. How they never managed to win a Stanley Cup with those teams in the 90's is the single greatest mystery of my life.

[@dstcoyote22rants]

As a fan who was at the 2003 game 6 SCF, that slap shot by Paul Kariya had the loudest pop I ever heard at the Honda Center... even louder then when the Ducks won the Cup 4 years later.

[@mattowens861]

Honestly- that season was peak for me. It was such a Cinderella story, JSG being a brick wall in the net- I don’t care that they didn’t win- it was such a great run. And while I was happy they did win a few years later, I still feel 03 was a “better run”

[@-mrquackers-4495]

I have watched 3 of your videos and have seen the Paul kariya clip in all of them, his dedicated video, Eric lindros, and now this one.

[@teddycaster248]

Hello! I from Eastern Europe, sorry for my poor English. 🙂 Yes, I agree, in last 12 years I recognize too, what unfortunately number of slap shots (or classic name "shellshock") go down. Especially sad what today no much defenseman left with good slap shot: Byfuglien, Jones, Burns, Chara, Trouba, Karlsson's 😉, Krug... well, we can remember some names, but from 1990 to 2000 where be a lot of perfect A-class Defs with exellent slapshot. 🚨And I want to admit important thing, in 80's, 90's and biginings of 2000 offensive and defensive zones be smaller, and they been increased by reduce of neutral zone size. Paradox, when zones be smaller in past, Defs do much more slap shots, when today even they has more space. So, yes, game changes, forwards have less time to operate free, and I understand why forwards do slap shots rare today. But, about Defs it different theme, and they still have space and time to do more slap shots. Many fans which reading this remember how many times when team play in PowerPlay, passing puck and fans saw perfect position for slap shot, but Def do some skate turn and pass the puck back to forward or in another side. Fans pluck at hats and ask "Why? So good chance and he left it!" When I watched Toronto games in late of 2000-s I waited slap shots from Tomas Kaberle, but he forgot how to do slap shot, he be so careful... too much careful about puck control. It realy interesting question "Why?" And here we can check out another factor which appeared in recent era in NHL - new technology in sticks. I think modern stick and it vulnerability - another factor (after game changes), because if you remenber first modern sticks broke very often, and sometimes they just fall apart in hands. Today, sticks more staying power, but even today if Def want to make slap shot - he have no right for mistake, because if he do mistake by grapple the ice by hook - it 100% stick broke; or if Def want to shot from blue line in Power Play it risk too, because if stick will broke (even if he shot move be perfect) - slap shot failed, puck lost, stick broken and it can turn in Shorthanded chance. So, new sticks is factor of more careful and passive attack play for Defs (when they think "better pass, not shot"). And another moment, I have filling what for Defs it more difficult to make accurate slap shot in net. We can see a lot of missed shots in boards and glass from very good positions from Defs and forwards too. Maybe new sticks so light weight and it difficult for players to feel and control it? I think many hockey guys agree, it much comfortable and more accurate to work with some sports inventory if you can feel balace of this, it weight and feel of right move how sensation, it important. So, how summary why today Defs do less slap shots: 1. Today Defs not so brave and madcap shooting machine, they play more careful, concentrate on positional play and puck control. Maybe coaches not allow them to shoot much, because not much trust in masterpiece of today Defs?; 2. New sticks too vulnerability, less precision in control for slap shot, so Defs afraid of risk to broke it and give opponent team scoring chance. 3. Modern Defs in majority, has less slap shot shooting practice, when Defs from decades before now. Less attention in practice on slap shots=less slap shots use=less accuracity=less of self-reliance for Defs guys=less slap shots goals by Def. Thanks everybody for attention.

[@b4ptist]

When I was watching hockey all the time, my favorite player was sami salo. The huge slapshots from the point were so sick. Miss the days when the canucks were good and slapshot were also good.