The Decline of the Slapshot (theathletic article)

[Pengwin7]

Good article today on TheAthletic by Fluto Shinzawa on the decline of the slapshot.
Twitter mention here:
https://twitter.com/FlutoShinzawa/st...26188033359872
One needs subscription to get past the paywall to read. (Sorry to those that don't have one).

BUT... before reading... it's a fun item to discuss.
WHY - say you, Dobber Country - has usage of the slapshot declined over past years?

(For context, shots per game in the NHL are UP... way up over same period... but slapshots themselves are down)


I have my own theories.
What are yours? (post a guess, then read... do we agree, disagree, what's the consensus?!)

[Axeman33]

I havent read the article yet but if I had to make a guess as to why the slapshot isn't as popular today, I'd say it comes down to the lack of accuracy and teams want/desire to hit the net with more accuracy to generate more scoring.

[2014olympicgold]

My guess is there's not enough time to take a full slapshot, and the reward of a slaptshot over getting a shot off quickly and accurately isn't that high.

I'm sure there's also an argument of injuring players in front of the net with a slapshot, and the risk/reward of that.

Sticks have likely also adjusted to more of a wrist shot and quick release which then shifts more away from the slapshots. Physiology of the players playing have shifted away from big guys, which the slapshot was always a thing for.

I'm quickly just spit balling so I'm sure it's not the best typed thoughts above lol.

[islefan31]

More blocks and turnovers that come from them would be my guess.

[PenguinHunter]

I feel its a combination of:

1) Speed of the games - there is simply not as much time to wind up for a big shot any more before a player is on you/or in your way.
2) Systems - the systems that coaches implement reduce time and space on the ice for a big shot.
3) Goalies and their equipment - the way goalies play and size of their equipment decreases a slap shot goes in
4) Players mindset - Players adapting to the above understanding that they have to get shots of quicker and that they are looking more for rebounds and deflections

[Invictus]

Public outrage over weapons of mass destruction has seeped into the hockey world.

With the retirement of the last of these massive weapons (Weber & Chara) the league is poised to phase out such weapons entirely.

All to appeal to the greater audience.

[2014olympicgold]

Public outrage over weapons of mass destruction has seeped into the hockey world.

With the retirement of the last of these massive weapons (Weber & Chara) the league is poised to phase out such weapons entirely.

All to appeal to the greater audience.

Ovi on the PP is the only grandfathered in weapon.

[Invictus]

Ovi on the PP is the only grandfathered in weapon.

A little old... but:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-sr...t-graphic.html

[Daydream Nation]

lol- I thought this was going to be the movie Slapshot and how it’s not politically correct.

[The Comish]

I feel its a combination of:

1) Speed of the games - there is simply not as much time to wind up for a big shot any more before a player is on you/or in your way.
2) Systems - the systems that coaches implement reduce time and space on the ice for a big shot.
3) Goalies and their equipment - the way goalies play and size of their equipment decreases a slap shot goes in
4) Players mindset - Players adapting to the above understanding that they have to get shots of quicker and that they are looking more for rebounds and deflections

This was closest to what I was thinking. Too many players well coached and clogging up the shooting lanes, not enough time to wind up before the lane is blocked by an opposing player.

To compensate, there should be more slapshots in the shootout, lol! I flinch for the goalies when I see a player do that!

[GinFizz]

analytics says not to.

[stevegamer]

Johnstown folded.

[butch]

I'll toss in the stick technology allowing snappers to have same affect as a slapper with half the time to get one off .

[Pengwin7]

I wished the author would have attended to it with stats, but the decline is purely on Defensemen shooting.
And of D-man shooting, it's going to be a change from point-shot preference from the blue line.

The modern high-value NHL defenseman is an elite skater, usually more average (rather than "lumberjack") body, and... smarter.
Today's top NHL defensemen are elite hockey sense guys... and to do that you have to "look" while having the puck on your tape.
You simply can't do this if you are in wind-up/backswing/downswing.

There's just more value in having your eyes always up-ice with the feel of puck on your tape.
Statistical proof:


Here is the comment I wrote on theathletic:

Number of Players taking 1.00+ slapshots per game, last 5 years (*checking top 50 slapshot counts per F,D):

21/22: (6) OV, Josi, Bouchard, Stamkos, Ekblad, Pastrnak [3F,3D]
20/21: (8) OV, Yandle, Hamilton, Barrie, Ekblad, Pastrnak, Subban, Weber [2F,6D]
19/20: (11) OV, Josi, Hamilton, Pulock, Burns, Pionk, Subban, Weber, Doughty, Dumba, Pietrangelo [1F,10D]
18/19: (13) OV, Josi, Yandle, Pulock, Burns, Ekblad, Subban, Weber, Faulk, Keith, Parayko, Boychuk, Seabrook, C.Miller [1F, 12D]
17/18: (21) OV, Josi, Yandle, Pulock, Burns, Ekblad, Subban, Doughty, Carlson, Keith, Parayko, Dumba, Klefbom, Boychuk, Krug, C.Miller, Faulk, Buff, Barrie, Ellis, Trouba [1F, 20D]
https://www.nhl.com/stats/skaters?re...=0&pageSize=50

So... it's an old-guard of slapshot defensemen that is exiting the NHL: Subban, Weber, Yandle, Seabrook, Boychuk. Others are adapting to taking less slappers, more heavy-wristers: Hamilton, Burns, Pulock, Doughty, Dumba, Parayko, Barrie.

The only emerging slapshooters: Pastrnak one-timer on PP, Stamkos one-timer on PP, Evan Bouchard.

Many of the new guard of defensemen are heavy-wrist guys (Wrist Shots/Slap Shots in 2021/22): Makar (168/32), Reilly (170/19), Werenski (113/34), Nurse (94/30), S.Jones (110/41), Dobson (108/53), Seider (110/40), Chabot (108/31), Dahlin (106/47), Provorov (105/33), McAvoy (114/29), Fox (122/21), D.Toews (96/38), Heiskanen (111/23), Q.Hughes (104/30), Sergachev (97/34). Even some of the bigger body guys like Chychrun (81/34), Chiarot (100/26), and Hampus (85/20).

The heavy-point wrister is just an emerging trend and both analysts and on-ice D-men have realized it's the better overall choice.

[Axeman33]

Boosh-bomb!