What is "slapshot"

in ice hockey, 1942, from slap (v.) + shot (n.).

n. (context ice hockey English) (alternative spelling of slap shot English)

n. a fast shot made with a short powerful swing of the hockey stick

A slapshot (also spelled as slap shot) in ice hockey is the hardest shot one can perform. It has four stages which are executed in one fluid motion to make the puck fly into the net:

1. The player winds up his hockey stick to shoulder height or higher.
2. Next the player violently "slaps" the ice slightly behind the puck and uses his weight to bend the stick, storing energy in it like a spring. 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, especially during a power play, although a forward will sometimes find an opportunity to use it.

The invention of the slapshot is credited to Bernard "Boom Boom" Geoffrion (a nickname alluding to the thunderous clack of his slapshots) of the Montreal Canadiens. Black Canadian Eddie Martin, of the Coloured Hockey League's Halifax Eurekas, has also been credited with inventing the slapshot in the late 1800s.

During a hockey game, a puck can reach the speeds of or more when struck. The current NHL speed record belongs to Zdeno Chára of the Boston Bruins, whose slapshot clocked 108.8 miles per hour (175.1 km/h) in the 2012 NHL All Star Game SuperSkills competition, breaking his own earlier record. Alexander Riazantsev of KHL's Spartak Moscow slapped a puck at the 2012 KHL All Star Game skills competition in Latvia with a speed of 114.127 mph (183.67 km/h); however, the NHL does not recognize this as breaking Chára's record, as the puck travels a shorter distance to the goal net in KHL competitions than in those of the NHL.

A slapshot is the fastest and hardest shot in ice hockey.

Slapshot or Slap Shot may also refer to:

• Slap Shot (film), an ice hockey film starring Paul Newman
  • Slap Shot 2: Breaking the Ice, a 2002 sequel to Slap Shot
  • Slap Shot 3: The Junior League, a 2008 sequel to Slap Shot and Slap Shot 2: Breaking the Ice
• Slapshot (band), an American hardcore punk band
• Slapshot (mascot), the mascot of the Washington Capitals of the NHL
• Slap Shot (video game), a 1990 Sega ice hockey video game

Slapshot is a hardcore band from Boston, Massachusetts.

Slapshot is the official mascot for the Washington Capitals of the NHL.