Shot (ice hockey)
A shot in ice hockey is an attempt by a player to score a goal by striking or snapping the puck with their stick in the direction of the net.
Current and former NHL players known for their wrist-shot include Joe Sakic, Alexander Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Connor McDavid, Marián Gáborík, Jeff Carter, Evgeni Malkin, Jack Eichel, Teemu Selänne, Alexei Kovalev, Pavel Datsyuk, Phil Kessel, Wayne Gretzky, Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Peter Forsberg, Artemi Panarin, Markus Näslund, Nathan MacKinnon and Vladimir Tarasenko.
Current and former players noted for their snap-shot include Joe Sakic, Ilya Kovalchuk, Phil Kessel, Thomas Vanek, Nathan Horton, Anže Kopitar, Vincent Lecavalier, Alexander Ovechkin, Mike Bossy, Evgeni Malkin, Connor McDavid and Dany Heatley.
Many consider Joe Sakic to be the father of the modern snapshot, as he demonstrated incredible scoring ability while utilizing this quick-release shot throughout his career.
Current and former NHL players known for their slapshot include Bernard "Boom Boom" Geoffrion, Al MacInnis, Zdeno Chára, Daniel Alfredsson, Ilya Kovalchuk, Dustin Byfuglien, Alexander Ovechkin, Shea Weber, Sami Salo, Mario Lemieux, Guy Lafleur, Christian Ehrhoff, Brian Rolston, Evgeni Malkin, Sheldon Souray, P. K. Subban, Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Al Iafrate, Ray Bourque, Bernie Federko and Jason Garrison.
Players known for their backhanders include Jyrki Lumme, Joe Sakic, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marián Hossa, Milan Hejduk, Patrick Marleau, Mike Richards, Mats Sundin, Pavel Datsyuk, Paul Stastny, Henrik Zetterberg, Derek Roy, Claude Giroux and Daniel Brière.
Due to the elasticity of the rubber (albeit frozen) puck, it can also generate significantly more energy, giving it more speed and faster elevation.
Current and NHL players known for their one-timers include Leon Draisaitl, Steven Stamkos, Alexander Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Nikita Kucherov, Brent Burns, Shea Weber, Brett Hull, P. K. Subban, Evgeni Malkin, Artemi Panarin and Patrik Laine.
Many players, such as Connor McDavid, Pavel Datsyuk, Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky, Evgeni Malkin, Bobby Orr, Gilbert Perreault, Bobby Ryan, Alexei Kovalev, John Tavares, Rick Nash, Artemi Panarin, Denis Savard, Jaromír Jágr, Joe Sakic, Nikita Kucherov, Pavel Bure, Mikael Granlund, Johnny Gaudreau and Patrick Kane have picked up the skill of "dangling", which is more fancy deking and requires more stick handling skills.
The shot has been attempted by players such as Sidney Crosby, Mikael Granlund, Ryan Getzlaf, Tyler Ennis, Miks Indrašis, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Viktor Arvidsson, Claude Giroux, Patrik Laine, Auston Matthews and Trevor Zegras.
Tipping the puck involves positioning oneself in the vicinity of the net and redirecting an incoming shot with, generally, the blade of the stick.
The shaft of the stick and even body parts (legs, posterior, chest, back, even head and face) may also alter the trajectory of the puck and result in a valid goal, although scoring this way generally involves as much chance as deliberate effort.
At close distance a well-directed tip that maintains some modicum of speed will pass by the goalie and into the net without the keeper having any possibility to react to the change in direction.
