Most slap shot goals of all-time?

[Up the Irons]

I was watching the youtube clip of Gretzky highlights. There is about a 5 minute one, to the tune of "Welcome to the black parade", by My Chemical Romance. If you haven't seen it, check it out. Absolutely breathtaking and, if you get thru it with dry eyes, you are a rock.

but, i was surprised at how many slapshot goals the Great One actually had. Gretz is undeservedly under-rated in some ways, particularily in stickhandling, quickness, and shooting. how can a guy get over 1000 goals and have an average shot?

i venture to say that 99 is near the top of a slapshot-goals list. Probably #3 behind the Hulls.

does any know if there is a stat for this?

 

[King Forsberg]

 

[Big Phil]

You might be right with Brett Hull. I am going to throw in Ray Bourque and Al MacInnis as players who would be high on the list. Lots of powerplay goals and lots of shots taken in their careers. Most of those shots - especially for MacInnis - were windups from the point. I would reckon that MacInnis has a ton of slapshot goals.

Brett Hull would be #1 I think although we can't really officially know for sure. But that was his bread and butter. He would get down on one knee for the one time on the powerplay. He would set up in the slot and someone would find him. He also scored over 700 goals and he didn't do it a whole lot of other ways.

Gretzky didn't have a hard shot but the reason he scored so much with his slap shot was because he had a very accurate shot.

 

[redbull]

Stamkos is one of the very few forwards today that uses the slap shot pretty frequently, but the vast majority of scorers now use the wrist shot. The sticks are so light and flexible, most players have rocket shots at the flick of the wrist now so slap-shots don't offer much of a relative advantage given the extra time to get it off.

Bossy scored on a lot of snap-shots (like a half wrister, half slap shot) with a very small wind-up but incredibly fast release. That's gone way of the unicorn though.

I'd say Gretzky scored a lot of total slap-shot goals, certainly the highlights show a disproportionate amount of slapshot goals because they look great, but he scored in dozens of different ways, ugly, pretty, rebounds, right spot, right time. My favourite Gretzky goals were when he came out from behind the net and was able to lift a quick backhand over a goalie. I haven't seen anyone able to score this way with any regularity since.

Close second was the cross-his-body as he cut through the slot. He was able to keep goalies off balance with low corner shots, with great precision. Mario was incredible at scoring goals by catching goalies off balance. Made them look silly or out of position.

Bossy was able to release shots before goalies were set, which was incredible as well (in a Brett Hull, Stamkos way) but 99 & 66 seemed to take slow/deliberate shots that would catch corners, they looked stoppable. But obviously weren't.

The most slap-shot goals by percentage of goals would have to be MacInnis but total goals scored, I'd guess Brett Hull (Bobby was before my time). Lafleur had a great slap shot, Rick Vaive as well. But Gretzky just scored so many goals, he'd be up there for sure. Mario, not so much, he rarely took slapshots but he could score easily in a number of ways.

 

[Offtheboard412]

are we talking regular slapshots or are you including one timers?

 

[Up the Irons]

You might be right with Brett Hull. I am going to throw in Ray Bourque and Al MacInnis as players who would be high on the list. Lots of powerplay goals and lots of shots taken in their careers. Most of those shots - especially for MacInnis - were windups from the point. I would reckon that MacInnis has a ton of slapshot goals.

Brett Hull would be #1 I think although we can't really officially know for sure. But that was his bread and butter. He would get down on one knee for the one time on the powerplay. He would set up in the slot and someone would find him. He also scored over 700 goals and he didn't do it a whole lot of other ways.

Gretzky didn't have a hard shot but the reason he scored so much with his slap shot was because he had a very accurate shot.

those two would be up there, fosho. 99 had that last second kinda twist that i think came off his stick at a unusual angle that would fool goalies.

are we talking regular slapshots or are you including one timers?

i didn't really think about, but, i guess you have to include one-timers. come to think about, Kurri might be up there.

 

[Killion]

The most slap-shot goals by percentage of goals would have to be MacInnis but total goals scored, I'd guess Brett Hull (Bobby was before my time). Lafleur had a great slap shot, Rick Vaive as well.,,,

I suspect you may well be right about that. MacInnis had a heck of a slapshot & points to prove it, Brett Hull using that shot on a fairly large % of goals scored.... other honourable mentions would be Al Iafrate, Lemaire who although a defensive forward had quite the weapon with his slapshot when he did get the opportunity to let fly (had practised endlessly as a kid using a steel puck).

Popular Mechanics back in the 60's clocked a number of NHL'rs shots, Bobby Hull's supposedly & really quite unbelievably reading 118mph & change, and that with a wooden stick. They also "claimed" Beliveau's wrist shot hit 105mph. Obviously faulty equipment, primitive, as the average speeds as measured with reliable equipment since the 80's at least are around 100mph, Iafrate, Chara, MacInnis and others hitting 105 & change, composites or woody's. Some guy in the KHL at last years All Star Game purportedly hit 110mph & change, but Id seriously doubt that, likely rigged, publicity stunt.

The big difference between wood & composite with a slapshot is that the shot is not necessarily faster, but its consistently "heavier", and very painful in stopping if it hits you in the wrong spot. The rise of composites precipitated the increased & much derided size of goalie equipment, pads, blockers & catchers, chest protectors & so on, outsized. Few players using wood back in the day had heavy shots, though there were enough, guys like Dennis Hull who's shot was fast, heavy & wild, whereas Orr's like Gretzky's was neither all that fast, not very heavy, just extremely accurate, and usually fired through a screen or deliberately targeting a blind spot most goalies had with moulded masks. Glove or stick side, about a foot off the ice, and close to the outside of the pads. Sort of whispering by if you will. Composites & the cycle changing the way goaltendings played, all BF, "blocking" not "saving" per se'. But I think Im digressing here.....

 

[Big Phil]

those two would be up there, fosho. 99 had that last second kinda twist that i think came off his stick at a unusual angle that would fool goalies.

Exactly. It is hard to explain but a perfect example would be the goal against Vernon in overtime during the 1988 playoffs. It wasn't a howitzer or anything but Vernon didn't even move on the shot. Gretzky had time on that play and he set up shop perfectly. Watch the replay of that clip from the angle facing Gretzky, he does seem to literally do a twist with his wrists as if to see where he wanted to place it.

 

[Ohashi_Jouzu*]

those two would be up there, fosho. 99 had that last second kinda twist that i think came off his stick at a unusual angle that would fool goalies.

Also had the best little subtle fakes that allowed him to change the angle last minute on goalies who tried to cut the angles down on him by drifting out to the top of their crease to challenge his shots. Look at the "simple" play at 1:32 of that video in post #2 for an example. That, and the threat of finding an open man somewhere else with a pass, backed up a lot of goalies, kept them on their feet in case they had to slide across for a pass, and opened up room to take advantage of his accurate shot - which, you're right, may have also been quite hard to read.

 

[Up the Irons]

Also had the best little subtle fakes that allowed him to change the angle last minute on goalies who tried to cut the angles down on him by drifting out to the top of their crease to challenge his shots. Look at the "simple" play at 1:32 of that video in post #2 for an example. That, and the threat of finding an open man somewhere else with a pass, backed up a lot of goalies, kept them on their feet in case they had to slide across for a pass, and opened up room to take advantage of his accurate shot - which, you're right, may have also been quite hard to read.

definitely.

 

[Charlie McAdaddy]

Hull was the first to come to mind, both of them actually.

 

[LeBlondeDemon10]

Love the empty net goal at 2:34 against the Jets. What a move he makes to get the puck back to his forehand and fake out the defense man. I'm pretty sure I was at that game in the spring of 84. I think he had something like 7 points that night.

Edit: April 25, 1985 3g, 4a.

 

[Up the Irons]

Love the empty net goal at 2:34 against the Jets. What a move he makes to get the puck back to his forehand and fake out the defense man. I'm pretty sure I was at that game in the spring of 84. I think he had something like 7 points that night.

Edit: April 25, 1985 3g, 4a.

sweet.

so, it seems most of us agree that Brett Hull probably has the most slap goals. I would go with McInnis as having the best slapper of all-time. Maybe give Gretz the trickiest slapshot title.

One of McInnis' best plays was the long slapshot from his own blueline, making it bounce about 15' infront of the goalie, a planned play. I don't know how many times it worked for a goal, but I'm sure its at least 3 times.

 

[Crease]

Stamkos is one of the very few forwards today that uses the slap shot pretty frequently, but the vast majority of scorers now use the wrist shot. The sticks are so light and flexible, most players have rocket shots at the flick of the wrist now so slap-shots don't offer much of a relative advantage given the extra time to get it off.

You bring up a great point redbull. It's incredible to think how different the game might look today if the NHL snapped their fingers and went back to wooden one-piece twigs and 70's sized goaltending equipment.