Editing Slapshot (section)

{{Short description|Shooting technique in hockey}}
{{redirect|Slap shot|the 1977 film starring Paul Newman|Slap Shot||Slapshot (disambiguation)}}
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[[File:Weberslapshotwindup.jpg|thumb|200px|right|[[Shea Weber]] winding up for a slapshot]]

A '''slapshot''' (also spelled as '''slap shot''') is a powerful [[shot (hockey)|shot]] in [[ice hockey]]. Its advantage is a high-speed shot that can be taken from a long distance; the disadvantage is the long time to set it up as well as its low accuracy.

It has four stages which are executed in one fluid motion to launch the puck toward the net:
# The player winds up his [[hockey stick]] to shoulder height or higher.
# The player violently "slaps" the ice slightly behind the [[Hockey puck|puck]] and uses his weight to bend the stick, storing energy into it like a [[spring (device)|spring]]. This bending of the stick gives the slapshot its 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.
# 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.
# Finally, the player follows through, ending up with the stick pointed towards the desired target.

The slapshot is a hard and fast shot, and difficult to make accurate. It also takes longer to execute; a player usually cannot take a slapshot while under any significant pressure from an opponent because they could easily interfere during the windup. Offensive players, when wary of a defensive player intervening, may elect to take a shot that is quicker to set up, such as a [[wrist shot]]. The slapshot is most commonly used by a [[defenceman]] at [[The point (ice hockey)|the point]], especially during a [[Power play (sport)|power play]], although a [[Forward (ice hockey)|forward]] will sometimes find an opportunity to use it. Slapshots are iconic to hockey's image due to their capability to score as a surprise turning point, the loose equivalent of a [[home run]] in baseball or a [[Hail Mary (football)|Hail Mary]] in American football.<ref name="wsj-2017">{{cite news |last=Rush |first=Curtis |date=November 24, 2017 |title=The Death of the Slap Shot in the NHL |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-death-of-the-slap-shot-in-the-nhl-1511547355 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |location= |access-date=November 21, 2022}}</ref>