The Bizarre, Unstoppable, Shootout move

Today I wanted to take a look at one of my favorite players in the NHL - Mats Zuccarello - and his almost unstoppable shootout strategy, which he's employed as a star for both the New York Rangers and the Minnesota Wild.

[@xViperGTR]

What was heartbreaking for the Rangers when they traded Zucc was Lundqvist’s interview after he was traded, he was so heartbroken

[@patricklarsen8078]

What was heartbreaking was the org low key promising to resign him when he signed a lowballed contract just so their cap wouldn't go up. Him and Hayes got straight up fooled. And don't give me " it's a business" line. When players do it they are selfish and arrogant.

[@shargor]

Hunk was as heartbroken as the rest of us.

[@masonbrashear6428]

Over in Dallas we love our newly acquired Lundqvist we promise to take care of him

[@TheY2AProblem]

That “I can’t” still hurts.

[@abrahamben-dayan9843]

Panarin actually has a 65% Shootout Percentage- which is just absurd.

[@709mash]

The dude is a mutant. Such good hands.

[@damonm3]

I just looked up his stats. Did you realize he was undrafted? Holy shit! Sounds like he didn’t have the cookie cutter hockey life. It’s nuts to think a guy like him could slip though the system.. in Russia of all places. Maybe it was personal situation. I’ll have to read more.. he just had a 4 goal game too. He could be peaking in mid 30s due to a lot of factors.

[@abrahamben-dayan9843]

@@damonm3 Panarin just lives life on a different plane than the rest of us. Guy doesn’t own a smart phone either iirc. He has a flip phone!

[@damonm3]

@@abrahamben-dayan9843 I’m reading his story now… hold on a sec… haha Edit: ok, ok.. wow! Sounds like a good friend to have. What a story! Did you know he scored 2 goals in the world junior final? Down 3-0 and came back and won. Scored game winner too! Just shows how upbringing and parenting are what make you who you are. Or at least in your teens and 20s. He’s lucky as a mofo he had such great grandparents raising him. They did everything they could to get hit to a chance of making it. And with it he barely made it. Undrafted!!!! And a 7 year journey from 18 to nhl. So glad he’s doing well!

[@Kmartsmart]

He is a shootout God. It’s basically an automatic goal for him

[@snerdproductions424]

As a wild fan I am so glad we picked up Zuccarello, especially because his chemistry with Kaprizov is simply amazing on and off the ice.

[@evann-t2915]

Agreed. He and Kaprizov definitely have the best chemistry i’ve seen on the wild in my 20 years of being a fan. Zucc’s def one of the smartest players in the league

[@samuelluria4744]

As a 45 year Ranger fan, I'm also a Minnesota "fan", partly because of Zuccs, but also for Mike Gartner, Ulf Dahlen, and Marian Gaborik... 😂...and other players that we've "shared" over the years....I am a huge Kaprizov fan, and wish you guys tons of success! Minnesota should NEVER have lost their team (same with Winnipeg!)...and I'm just glad there's a good thing going on there again.

[@CelticSlayer93]

Absolutely, it is so beautiful to watch.

[@bencarroll8397]

Yeah, he really adds something big to the Wild team with Kaprizov and it's impressive to see them play that well.

[@MrNater41]

I only wish the rest of the team had the connection Kirill and Zuccarello have. Those two have like esp on the ice.

[@Bizbappo7171]

One of the most underrated players in the league. Still absolutely killing it at age 35 and I never hear his name on TV or radio

[@samuelluria4744]

The Rangers have a knack for letting go of really good, underrated players....

[@ohitsshallows]

Zuc is definitely in my Top 5 favorite all time Rangers

[@dms5341]

As a Wild fan, I speak for all of us that we adore Zuccy and feel very lucky to have him. And his chemistry with Kirill has been a treat to watch.

[@darkphoenix2]

The mental aspect of the shootout and just accurate shooting is really interesting to me. I did karate for 15 years and learned how to go into a flow state in order to perform at a high level. Many people experience this in all kinds of things, but especially people with high skill in a complex activity. I imagine a shooter like Zuccarello doesn't go in with any plan, he simply turns off the thinking part, and does what feels right. As soon as he feels an opening, he shoots for it, like a reflex more than a decision.

[@Katie-hb8iq]

Or he has practiced the shot 10,000,000 times. Which is the truth. There is no such thing as instinct - only experience so that everything can be on auto-pilot because you've done a million times before. Guys don't shoot through impossible screens and angles because they 'feel' it. They've been practicing this since they were 6.

[@ellemourto1527]

@@Katie-hb8iq Because he has practised it he doesn't need to think. That's instinct my guy

[@ravikkar]

@@Katie-hb8iq Wrong. You think that every impressive, unorthodox goal that you’ve seen has been practiced? The flow state that Tyler describes is real, it has been measured in controlled experiments. Most people call it “in the zone”, I call it “being able to see everything”. You’re so trained that you can enter a state where you’re simultaneously aware and focused on everything relevant to your goals, while totally ignoring everything else. You process and react to all information almost totally subconsciously. This is how players achieve “no look” passes, or similar plays. If you’re interested in more, this is a good place to start reading. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)

[@zillatattoo]

lol, like youre the main character in a movie.

[@darkphoenix2]

@@zillatattoo thanks

[@abrahamben-dayan9843]

Why you gotta do Rick Nash like that😂

[@I1K5]

It was warranted. Real Rangers fans know that was dead accurate lol

[@abrahamben-dayan9843]

@@I1K5 Oh trust me, I know😂

[@sethers]

As a Rangers fan he’s absolutely right. Guy was solid on the regular season but a ghost in the playoffs, if he performed at the level he should’ve in the 2014 or 2015 runs, well cant say for sure of course, but I think they at least go further than 5 against LA and possibly beat Tampa. I actually remember in that 2014 final he got bullied by Doughty a couple times, including in scoring position, and just seemed whatever about it

[@I1K5]

@@sethers Mans missed a wide open net that would extended the 2014 Final past game 5. We win that game, Hank gets his cup

[@Brett3598]

@@I1K5 i remember crying when they lost lol. I was like 15 and just randomly broke down lol. I wanted hank to win so badly

[@xFATALxX]

As a leaf fan, I miss Bozak who was our Zuccarello when it came to shootouts. He was over 50% when he was a Leaf and was just a skate forward, pick a spot and shoot player. Made it look too easy, including the 2014 Winter Classic shootout where I was lucky enough to see him do it live

[@LoowheezeBreeze]

Note the length of Zuc's stick... it probably comes up to his nose when he's on skates As someone who uses a long stick, it really does provide a huge advantage

[@LowgaenSchmidt]

A Rangers fan myself, Zucc is still my all time favorite. Even got a Reebok jersey with his number. The guy is such a trooper. Takes a puck to the head that lead to a serious brain injury, had to relearn some of his speech and comes back the next season to be the Rangers' leading scorer.

[@innova4366]

I saw Zucc play in Hartford way back in the day, and I could tell he was a special player with great hands, smooth skating, and good intelligence. I miss him the Rangers too but glad that he is playing a big role with Minnesota. not sure if he has ever been an All-star but I know that he would kill it at the accuracy competition.

[@johnjohnmajortom]

what team is in Hartford? I assume the minors?

[@innova4366]

@@johnjohnmajortom It was the Hartford Wolfpack, at that time. Wade Redden was also on the team

[@Blackenedin92]

I was actually watching Devils Wild the other night and saw Zucc going first and immediately KNEW he was gonna pull the disconnected controller

[@saviorofthelion]

I was at that game Rags vs Wild and I loved seeing Zucc in the shootout. I was even wearing his jersey and cheered when he scored. I'll always love that guy

[@Xzyum00]

Zuccarello is my favorite player here in Minnesota and so I was happy that this video happened to be about him. He's super fast and he's so humble. And him and Kaprizov are such an unstoppable duo. I can see why everybody in New York misses him.

[@DaRadicalCavy]

As a goalie I must say, I loved it when folk got fancy as it instantly made me more confident as not only do you need to get the handling perfectly but it gives us time to get a read. If you just skate towards us and don't even have a corner in mind until about to release, odds are we are guessing and 1:4 we pick same corner to commit most cover to isn't good odds. However if you start skating all over the ice and moving your stick about options become much more limited so with good positioning it's just waiting for your mistake.

[@zacharyreichert5035]

We are quite happy with him in Minnesota.

[@squeakyevil4]

He did it again last night, which is what I imagine inspired this video. Love Zucc, and he's one of the few sports of hope on the wild rn

[@dezxvv]

back when zucc was on the rangers I would go to 1 game every year and make a sign for him, every year for 4 he would give me a puck, in my option hes the most underrated player in the league and the nicest.

[@samuelluria4744]

Cool story....he's really a very nice guy.

[@starscape09]

I got his player jersey back in 2014 and was the last player jersey till I got K'Andre Miller this year. Zucc is the best

[@heyitsbranigan]

Was at that game, and you can bet I was "Zuuuuing", wasn't even mad when he scored that goal lol

[@justinkramer1073]

Great video, I miss zucc being in the Rangers wish we could have kept him, and anytime I come across a wild game I'll watch alittle just to see him play. It would be awesome if he was in the team now with the players we have currently!

[@brettrossi034]

I'm a devils fan and last night all tied at 2 against Minnesota, OT passes by and into the shootout. Zucc did it again last night too with the shootout

[@colossus4219]

Met the guy when he was still playing in Sweden. He gave me his stick, its still in my room to this day

[@seancoakley9640]

Fellow Rangers fan here. Zucc will always be one of my favorites. Absolutely love rooting for him even when he's playing against us.

[@reallifetoiletpaper]

Yea lol I’m a massive ranger fan myself and every time we play the I’ll be cheering him on ZUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUC

[@phillipemery572]

As a Wild fan, he is an absolute joy to watch, especially in the shootout. Few players can place the puck as accurately and as nonchalantly as he does.

[@MatthewOSullivan]

I feel ya, I miss Zucc as well.

[@lits5984]

Just learned something! Thank you, great video!

[@yessir6810]

I am from Calgary and have cheered for the flames and rangers for as long as I can remember, mostly because my dad cheer for them. When I was I think 8 I was at a Calgary rangers game with my dad in my Lunquist jersey and was given a puck by zuc and will forever remember that moment. At the time I had no clue who he was but after that he become one of my favourite players

[@donaldculp3759]

On a shootout, all his shots are high. Perfect! Lift the puck ! Brilliant

[@garthvater]

As a goaltender, what tends to happen is we read the play and tend to cheat to what we read. The problem with this is when a player does something unreadable like a controller dc. It's still possible to read and make the save but only when the move begins. Elite players are so fast the window to make that read and than make the save is so small. It's how top tier NHL goalies get beat so badly sometimes. For the player, when they have no pressure like in a shoot out, they can advantage of how goalies play. It's like a western stand off, but the player is the only calling the turn and has the advantage because of it. It still takes extraordinary skills to pull off what they do, but the advantage is there non the less. When a goalie saves a shoot out shot like that, one performed very well, it make look like a basic save but its actually quite an impressive save.

[@SomeoneElsesStory]

Really miss Zucc from his short time with the Stars. Awesome player.

[@CarlosMensuckass]

He had a HELL of a run with us in such a short time too.

[@guccilibrarian4728]

We love Zucc here in Minnesota! I'd love to see this team get him a championship at some point, but we've been abysmal in the playoffs for years (not as bad as the Leafs), and he is getting older

[@markdaire4708]

Being a Wild fan I was wondering why the Wild picked him up, but as you all know, the absolute perfect chemistry the veteran has with our young star Kirill, this pick up was a match made in hockey heaven.

[@AlexMC7528]

Wow, I've stumbled on and Ekharts ladder alt channel randomly. Ive been watching a lot of hockey recentley and this came up on my fyp. I used to watch a lot of his star wars videos and I was suprised when I notices the dodge and Eck.

[@JesterC88]

Even though he's not on the Rangers anymore, Zucc is still my favorite player. He's been my favorite player since the BPZ line.

[@Crunchbricks778]

I love the Rangers as well. I am living in Tampa, so obviously a bolts fan to Ryan McDonough and Ryan Callahan were my favorite players for a long time until McDonough got traded to the predators and Callahan retired. Very sad.

[@MrDrProfPatrickSr]

As a wild fan, I love zucc as well

[@andrewcarroll7641]

The Rangers kit, both Home & Away top to bottom may just be the finest in all of Team Sports. Damn those Blueshirts look deadly.

[@L0v3_Murd3r_0n3]

I miss having Zucc on the Rangers. I think they could have found a way to keep him but they just didn't want to give him the longer contact he wanted.

[@joelavalle7313]

My dog is names Zucca. My son's name (in 2 months) will be Matt (Mats). So I might be a bit obsessed lol but he's my favorite player in the league and it isn't close. His play & attitude on and off the ice are second to none. There is basically nothing I wouldn't give to have him back in NY. What he's done with Kaprisov is amazing, just think of the effect he could have on the kid line.

[@seancosgrove1]

When the Wild signed him to 5 years under Paul Fenton, I thought the term was pretty terrible. But now, seeing how he pairs up with Kaprizov, it's really nice that we have him locked up for one more year. He'll be 37 after his contract is up so, no idea how effective he'll still be, but for the right price, a couple more years could be pretty sweet.

[@mattwodziak1750]

Zuccarello was a pretty criticized pickup here in MN. He really is the backbone of this team since he came here.

[@davidgerard761]

rangers fan here, i was at the wild game where zucc got the shootout goal. Was so happy to see a zucc shootout goal and a rangers win

[@de-fault_de-fault]

Loved this guy from the first time I saw him play. Thinking back on the Rangers’ rebuild a few years ago I think I miss him more than anybody else who got moved. I loved me some Ryan McDonagh…I was one of those guys who wanted AV tried as a war criminal for making McD keep Weeekend at Berniesing around the broken body of Dan Girardi all that time. But if Mac was the heart of that team, Zucc was the soul.

[@darrinstefaniak]

Reminds me of old Sabres Thomas Vanek. His shootouts were beautiful snipes.

[@seanreynolds970]

If you’d like to make a series on the small Norwegian man, I would not be upset.

[@MetallicaMan172]

Was at that Wild game, we were doing the Zuuuuc everytime he had the puck. I miss him

[@whoshotashleybabbitt4924]

“Regular Season Rick Nash” lol

[@geo4_punter8]

Mats zuccarello! Love him so much!!!

[@Statsy10]

This is actually a signature move from Sydney Crosby on a breakaway. The shot just comes a little earlier than goalies are expecting it to come, which means they aren't quite set for it.

[@dha1078]

Years ago at a Ranger game when Zucc we still on the team, an elegant woman next me whom I didn't know leaned in and asked "why are the Rangers booing Zuccarello?". i said that is not a boo the fans are screaming his name Zuuuuuuch! She paused and laughed and said "that's a relief - I am from Norway and was hoping the fans here didn't dislike a fellow Norwegian!"

[@cameronpower]

Had me LOL when you said the controller died move

[@XxIkeWittxX]

As a Stars fan I was disappointed when they didn't resign Zuccarello

[@Brandonkentclark]

You gotta check out Matt Hendricks shootout. The mastered “the paralyzer“ and for a grinder he was wildly successful in the SO

[@itsarnoldbruh]

We were blessed to have Zucc for half a season in Dallas

[@yboryt]

Wanted to hate your vid as soon as I heard you're a Ranger fan but it's a perfect vid: interesting, concise, effective. Pleasant narration. Congrats you bastard.

[@dcaf94]

The Zucc shootout comparison to McDavid is actually pretty apt. What McD has been doing this year is a masterclass in deception, hiding his release with body language. For him, it's easier because so much of his overall game moves at such a high pace-when goalies just don't have time to react to his next move, they certainly won't have time to react when he simply shoots instead of making that move. Zucc takes that idea and condenses it into a micro game, going into this game of chicken. On a breakaway, goalies are taught to force the shooter into making the first move. You establish your angle, you measure your distance from the net and retreat into the crease, and overall those things dial down the shooting percentage of the player until/unless you get straight up beaten on a move. Zucc's shootout arsenal includes two shots and two dekes, all four of which are calculated to *take the first move and beat the goalie with it*. He either does that disconnected controller shot where he just plain picks a corner, or he throws such a demonstrative deke at the goalie that he has no choice but to bite...before Zucc pulls the puck back in a simple play and tucks it in the net. It's friggin genius.

[@icecoldpolitics8890]

#36 the wingman of the thrill #97 and the two go together like peanut butter and Jelly.

[@williamsoto8583]

So glad to have a lundqvist jersey signed by zuccarello from 2011 after a rangers devils game

[@dannydangles6575]

I’m a rangers fan and was at the game last month where Zucc scored in the shootout and I still couldn’t help but root for him tho whole game

[@dalepurinton2157]

His shootout deke when he first broke onto the rangers was unstoppable and he still did it what seemed like every game.

[@RinnosukeETQW]

Stars Legend Mats Zuccarello

[@dspf68]

Could not agree more.

[@ericpetersen4185]

Zucc is incredible, we are lucky to have him in MN #wizard

[@gburyhockey9]

I remember the days of watching zucc back when he played for the hartford worlfpack. tickets were cheap, like 20 bucks if you wanted to sit on the glass

[@dleatherman4539]

All time Shootout King: Adrian Aucoin, used a similar approach way back when.

[@harrycharles7100]

Still got his jersey in my closet, growing up watching Zuc was classic

[@kuros2349]

I was always a fan of watching for the shooters legs to stop moving, then looking at the stick angle/position, but probably much better used in beer league

[@Enraged.]

Another player that is interesting to watch during shootouts is Suzuki. He feels like a mini datsyuk in his style during them (Not the puck skills department, Datsyuk will probably forever stay at the top). He is surprisingly good at making the goalie bite and popping the puck in weird spots. We've only seen him do very few of them but he's looking good so far.

[@frenchycanada]

Up until his last shootout goal he was batting 100%. Next year along with Caufield, they'll both help the Habs pickup a few points in that department. Caulfield is just sick in shoot outs and breakaways.

[@jetscapo9737]

Absolutely nothing to no like about Mats. Still to this day pretty sour over our inability to figure something out and retain him. The guy ages like a fine wine no bullshit

[@ROCKSTARR338]

No one has a more legendary shootout than T.J Oshie when he played for the usa hockey team

[@johnrwalker53]

My All Time Favorite Ranger-Zuuucc!!

[@johnhelms8226]

We miss him in Dallas, too. 🇳🇴🇳🇴🇳🇴

[@anotherguynamedgabe2573]

The original my controller died move

[@shy_panda]

i was sad to see zuccs go back then but the new age rangers are looking so good

[@prodwybie]

The fact that frederick gaudreau is number 4 on the shootout list is insane. Mans went to my elementary school

[@DoBap_]

Frans Nielsen will forever be the shootout king, 49 goals in NHL shootouts 😳

[@campion04]

When the shootout first started. For YEARS PBP announcers and hockey analysts would criticize shootout takers for not coming in with enough speed. Not realizing entry speed would in a penalty shot is quite irrelevant. These were “experts”.

[@ROBO_fx]

ZUUUUUUUUC! I def miss that dude, although I feel like the Bread Man kind of filled that hole for me.

[@mr.e8432]

“Regular season Rick Nash” 😆😆😆

[@harrodharrod5239]

You know you are doing things right, when people cheer for you even though you are beating their team.

[@ThePerpetualStudent]

What did you think of Tarasenko's break away goal??

[@DavinDog]

bro what about Duel in the D buzzer beater ot goal

[@icyedits686]

As a bolts fan I can definitely agree with the first 2

[@AmberMacKinnon-cu5wo]

i know this is off topic but i wanted to know your opinion on the events that happened with heureux with the moose what do you think should happen with him?

[@brettmcguinness191]

My favorite fact is that other Rangers shootout God Erik Christensen is literally Hayden's cousin

[@23snacKs]

omg erik christensen lmao

[@bradleynugent4991]

my brothers and i have been doing this in the NHL video games forever, we call it worlds longest deke

[@colmanbaldwinson9091]

i love players that actually shoot the puck for the shootout

[@julianb1550]

I was waiting for Sean Avery's name to be added to the list of Rangers you miss.

[@danielcurry1695]

Huge Pens fan but I always loved Zuc

[@samuelluria4744]

Still loved Hagelin, even when he was a 🐧

[@BillyBlazeIRL]

I remember when he was signed in Minnesota and I thought it was such a gross overpay. Needless to say, I don’t think that anymore

[@AzNightmare]

*Not surprised to see Linden at #7 overall. If you've watched him in the shootouts, it's basically what this video is describing. No deke, just skates in and picks a spot. Hard to stop if you have an accurate shot. Goalies can't read it.*

[@Dino-xh6xs]

i miss Pavel datsyk, he was so inspirational

[@Ranalla651]

As a wild fan I do appreciate the shoot out wins.

[@arkine11]

Linden #7. Not even surprised, if shootout was earlier in his career I'd guess he'd be even higher.

[@tiger5869]

We love the lizard in MN, too

[@coolguygdgaming5603]

Great video Eck! Also first :)

[@BunnyMuffins]

Any Zherdev fans here? that guy had style

[@patrickd1989]

Pulled off that move last night against New Jersey.