In what was probably the hardest slapshot of the 2010 Winter Olympics, Shea Weber paddled the puck through Germany’s net beating Thomas Greiss with such gusto that neither the players nor refs noticed his goal. Without celebration, the play continued for at least another 30 seconds and then the review showed Weber’s hard slapshot had passed through the net. It was such a hard slapshot that it stretched the netting and burst through it, careening off the boards undetected.
How fast is Weber’s slapshot? A Shea Weber slapshot was almost as hard as Zdeno Chara’s record breaking slapshot at the 2009 NHL All Star game. In fact, Shea Weber nearly won the 2009 Hardest Slapshot Competition with a 103.4 mph bullet. Who’s slap shot record did Zdeno break? Al Iafrate’s 105.2 mph slapshot in the All-Star game of 1993 was the previous slapshot record that stood for 16 years. Zdeno Chara’s slapshot won in All Star 2008, which defended his slapshot championship from 2007. Yup, Chara is the NHL’s three time slapshot champion.
NBC Olympics coverage of Olympic hockey in the first rounds was poor. Okay, non-existent.
Want to learn how to take a hard slapshot?
[…] A puck will fly faster and with greater accuracy if the body is slightly sideways to the target when you take a slapshot. This is difficult in the moving slapshot because it’s hard to move on ice sideways. So, it will be best to skate up to the puck on an angle before releasing the slapshot. If it’s a standing slapshot, this is not a problem, you’ll already be standing slightly sideways to the target. If you are skating with the puck, and the puck is slightly beside and ahead of your lower hand, without stopping, execute your wind up while facing the target realizing this will not be your hardest slapshot. […]