Watch Alex Ovechkin Casually Shoot a Wrist Shot 127 km/h During Warm-Ups (2024)

FAQs

How fast is Ovechkin's wrist shot? ›

His slap shot hovers around 100 mph and is a go-to shot for power plays when one fewer player is between him and net; seven of his 11 slap shot goals came on power plays.

A wrist shot can vary in speed from player to player, but the player with the fastest wrist shot is Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. Ovechkin holds the record for the fastest wrist shot in ice hockey, with a record time of 79.4 miles per hour.

The Average Slapshot Speed in the NHL

The average speed of Slap Shots in the NHL today is right around 100 miles per hour, compared to 10 seasons ago where the average was around the low 90's!

Wrist shot – Alex Ovechkin

The wrist shot is the most accurate shot in hockey and typically the first one taught to children when they begin to play.

A good wrist shot can often reach speeds of about 85 miles an hour and it's a lot quicker to get off than a slap shot. If you can release the shot quickly and accurately, it can produce a lot of problems for goalies.

Zdeno Chara

Big Zed is a five-time winner of the NHL's hardest shot competition, and his blast of 108.8 mph, accomplished in 2012 at the All-Star Skills Competition in Ottawa, remains the all-time record. There isn't a lot of mystery as to how Chara can get such force on his shot.

However, by 1990, the power of Gretzky's slapshot was average compared to the rest of the league—in the old clips, his shot looks like it's 150 MPH.

Brazilian left-sider Ronny, whose full name is Ronny Heberson Furtado de Araujo, was famed for his powerful shooting. He was so characterised by his strong finishing that he earned the nickname “Homem-Bomba,” translated as the “Human Bomb.” One of his shots was once measured at 210.9 kmph or 131.82 mph.

Timo Meier has taken the most shots this season, with 137 taken.

Sharks Forward Tony Granato talks about the wrist shot. Unlike the slapshot, no one clocks the speed of the wrist shot. While it can still be a relatively fast shot (80 or 90 miles per hour is not out of the question), the quick release and control is why some players like it.

How fast is the hardest hockey shot? ›

Zdeno Chara holds the record at 108.8 mph.

The fastest hockey players reach top speeds of approximately 25mp/h or 40km/h. While in game action they would play in the range of 20 to 25mph to 30 to 40km/h. Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers is acknowledged as the fastest skater in the NHL.

To pass Gretzky, Ovechkin will need to average between 28 and 29 goals over the next four seasons. However, history has shown that goal-scoring for most NHL players drops off significantly from age 37 to age 38.

Retired goalie Henrik Lundqvist was the last to use a wood Bauer stick, switching to composite in 2018-19, almost 12 years after the company started leading the NHL trend toward composite goalie sticks.

The fewest NHL games required to reach the mark was 424, set by Wayne Gretzky. Second quickest was Mario Lemieux, achieving the mark in his 513th game.

Ovechkin scored his 600th career goal in his 990th NHL game, trailing Wayne Gretzky (718 games), Mario Lemieux (719) and Brett Hull (900) as the fastest to reach the 600-goal plateau.

Who is the fastest NHL player to reach 500 points? ›

Wayne Gretzky is fastest, reaching 500 points in 234 games, and Mario Lemieux is second at 287 games. Former Oilers forward Jari Kurri is sixth at 356 games, behind Peter Stastny (322), Mike Bossy (349) and Eric Lindros (352).

At Borussia Dortmund last season, Haaland recorded the third-fastest sprint in the Bundesliga, clocking 36.3 km/h (10.1 metres per second).

The fastest recorded kick of a football is by Ronny Heberson when he scored a bullet free kick for Sporting CP. His powerful shot was recorded at 130.5 mph.

Once he gets going, he can be incredibly tough to catch: his top speed of 21 miles per hour in 2017/18 was only exceeded by one of his teammates, flying French winger Kingsley Coman.

LAS VEGAS -- Third time was the charm for Victor Hedman in the EA Sports NHL Hardest Shot. The Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman won the event for the first time at the 2022 NHL All-Star Skills presented by DraftKings Sportsbook at T-Mobile Arena on Friday.

It takes hard work, a positive attitude and total commitment to be a AAA hockey player. Competing at an elite level in hockey is not easy! It takes a total commitment on your part and support from your family too.

In a standing position with a neutral spine, hold the stick with both hands and elevate your arms to shoulder level. From this position, begin to roll the stick in your hands causing the string to wrap around the stick. You can execute this exercise using either flexion or extension of the wrists (forearms).

In addition to being first, Joe Malone holds the overall record with five five-or-more goal games, including the NHL record seven goals in a game, as well as a six-goal game and three five-goal games – all in the first three seasons of the NHL's existence.

Did Gretzky have hard shot? ›

While he was a magnificent skater with incredible balance, he was not the fastest player. He had a hard slap shot, but he did not rip the puck like Bobby Hull or Bobby Orr. But when Gretzky saw an opening, he could hit his spot like nobody before or since.

On December 8th, 1987, former Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ron Hextall was the first goalie in NHL history to score a goal from an actual shot on goal. Nine different goalies have combined to score 11 NHL goals. Ron Hextall and Martin Brodeur are the only two who have accomplished the rare feat twice.

NHL players can reach speeds in excess of 20 miles (32 km) per hour on the ice. Some speed skaters have been clocked at over 30 miles (48 km) per hour! What makes one player faster than another? A combination of strength and mechanics help a skater move efficiently and quickly on the ice.

There is not a player in the NHL right now that can match Alex Ovechkin's ability to stick handle and maintain possession of the puck at top speed.

Gretzky, who was 21 at the time, ended up finishing the season on a nine-game point streak during which he had 10 goals and 15 assists to bring his season total to 92 goals and 212 points. The 92 goals he scored that year remains a record to this day while he bested his mark of 212 with a 215-point campaign in 1985-86.

Blues' Jordan Kyrou beats McDavid, others for Fastest Skater

Check out the full Fastest Skater results, with the winner (Blues' Kyrou) in bold: Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets – 13.851 seconds.

Blues forward upsets three-time champion McDavid with time of 13.550. LAS VEGAS -- Jordan Kyrou won the Verizon Fastest Skater at the 2022 NHL All-Star Skills presented by DraftKings Sportsbook, but the St. Louis Blues forward didn't think he deserved that title.

The odds and predictions for the 2022 Stanley Cup are are as follows: The Tampa Bay Lightning are the favorites to win the Stanley Cup in 2022, with odds of 5/1. The Colorado Avalanche have the second-best odds at 6/1, followed by the Vegas Golden Knights at 7/1.

Only five players have achieved or surpassed a 150-point season: Wayne Gretzky (nine times), Mario Lemieux (four times), and once each for Phil Esposito, Bernie Nicholls and Steve Yzerman.

Four times, Gretzky scored 70 or more goals, twice 80 or more and once he scored more than 90. With players barely hitting 50 or more goals, there is no way that any player could ever top those statistics.

How many times did Gretzky get 200 points? ›

Gretzky, who amassed 200 or more points in a year four times during his career, accomplished this feat between the 1983-84 and 1985-86 seasons, when he recorded 205, 208, and 215 points, respectively.

Sharks Forward Tony Granato talks about the wrist shot. Unlike the slapshot, no one clocks the speed of the wrist shot. While it can still be a relatively fast shot (80 or 90 miles per hour is not out of the question), the quick release and control is why some players like it.

Ovechkin, who turned 37 in September, is 94 goals behind Gretzky. Given that he has averaged roughly 0.61 goals per game in his career, it would take about 154 games for Ovechkin to pass Gretzky if he continues on that pace.

Zdeno Chara holds the record at 108.8 mph.

The Marner effect

Matthews' goals are rarely fluky, as he beats goalies cleanly almost every time. The vast majority can be attributed to his brilliance as a sniper. The rest can mostly be linked back to the ace playmaking of Mitch Marner.

However, by 1990, the power of Gretzky's slapshot was average compared to the rest of the league—in the old clips, his shot looks like it's 150 MPH.

Connor McDavid

The best player in the NHL right now is also the fastest. Connor McDavid's ability to breeze by defenders while maintaining control of the puck and finding teammates is unmatched. There is no one like him in today's NHL.