FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2010
KLMNO HOCKEY
EZ RE
D7 How does Ovechkin score so many goals?
Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin has racked up more goals during the past five seasons than anyone else in the NHL (269). Sure, he takes a lot of shots, but his career 12.5 shooting percentage puts him in the top tier of NHL players, so there must be more to his success than that. Aſter analyzing Ovechkin’s technique, Alain Haché, the Canadian physicist and professor who wrote “Te Physics of Hockey,” thinks the keys to his best shots are extraordinary acceleration and speed, exceptional balance and a good bit of sneakiness.
Wrist shot THE TWO MAIN SHOTS IN HOCKEY, OVECHKIN-STYLE:
Ovechkin’s wrist shot is his most effective shot because he combines a lightning-quick release with a dose of trickery. He will fake a shot to get the goalie to commit to one direction before he fires the shot in another. He also has the patience and skill to wait until a defender skates into the goalie’s line of vision, using the goaltender’s teammate to screen the shot for him.
Wrist shots accounted for 49%of his shots ... Slap shots Other shot types
A quick sweep of the arms and stick ending in a flick of the wrist.
... and 23 of his 50 goals in 2009-10
“Notice how he shoots while standing on one leg only.Most people would probably think that shooting is a skill that is independent from skating. In fact, you need to
have perfect balance on your feet, or foot, to make the perfect shot.” —Alain Haché
How he shoots it: 1
Top view of the blade from one of Ovechkin’s sticks
Pocket
Stick flex: Ovechkin oſten takes these shots on the fly as he’s skating toward the goal. While the shot looks like one quick flick of his arms, he is actually pressing the stick into the ice to bend it like a loaded spring as he sweeps the puck. Te more weight he puts on the stick, the more energy return is transferred to the puck.
23
Stick release: As he liſts his stick in the middle of the sweep, it springs off the ice, adding to the velocity that is generated by his arms and forward motion.
Wrist flick: A final wrist motion sends the puck spinning toward the net.
Best for: Close, precise shooting (and passing).
Te curve imparts spin to the puck as it rolls from the heel to the end, which is why the wrist shot is so accurate.
A spinning puck is more stable because it’s subject to less wind resistance. Some players will put tape on their blades to increase friction and add spin.
Heel
Toe Side profile Curved for control
If you look at the blade of a hockey stick from above, you will that see it curves inward, forming a pocket into which the puck naturally gravitates.
Te amount of curve a blade has is a personal preference—Ovechkin prefers as much curve as possible—but the NHL does have a limit.
Once the player knows the feel of the stick, he can assume the puck will come out of this pocket the same way on every shot or pass.
Pros: Tis shot is accurate and easy to control. Short motion and quick release give goalies no time to react.
Cons: Te puck has less velocity than other types because the short arm swing produces less force.
Action and reaction
Because human reaction time is, at best, .10 to .20 of a second, a goaltender will be unable to react to a 60-mph wrist shot fired from 15 feet or less.
60 mph wrist shot from 15 feet
on
washingtonpost.com
Video: Watch a video showing the science behind Ovechkin’s shots.
Slap shot
Ovechkin is a big (6 feet 2, 234 lbs.), speedy skater who accelerates quickly, so all that force adds to the velocity of the puck when he shoots. His slap shot hovers around 100 mph and is a go-to shot for power plays when one fewer player is between him and the net; seven of his 11 slap-shot goals came on power plays. In addition, he scored 10 goals last season with a “slap-wrist” or “snap shot”—a hybrid with less windup and more wrist action than a true slap shot. His darkened visor adds an element of surprise as it obscures the goaltender’s view of his eyes, one of many clues to where a shot might be aimed.
Wrist shots Slap shots accounted for 23% of his shots ... Other
Best for: Scoring from far away.
... and 11 of his goals in 2009-10
“Ovechkin’s technique is very good, and he shows great amplitude and flexibility in his windup motion, allowing him to deliver a powerful blow. Again, his skating speed is an asset, as some
of that kinetic energy is also transferred to the puck.” —Alain Haché
1
Windup: As Ovechkin twists his torso like a golfer ready to tee off, most of his weight is on his back leg. As his upper body rotates toward the puck, weight transfers to his front leg.
2
Stick flex: Te stick blade hits the ice (ideally 6 inches to 1 foot from the puck) and his weight bends the stick against the ice for an instant.
3
Impact: As the stick springs back into shape, the center of the blade curve hits the puck and propels it forward with the combined momen- tum of the windup swing and the energy return from the stick.
A full-body windup before the stick blade collides against the puck, similar to batting a baseball.
Pitching mound
A batter facing a 100-mph pitch released from about 55 feet away has an eternity to respond —.37 of a second— compared with a goalie facing a 100-mph slap shot from 25 feet (.17 of a second).
Fast but loose
Ovechkin’s slap shot ranks among the NHL’s best; the very hardest shooters reach 100-106 mph.
Bobby Hull, the “Golden Jet”
In the 1960s, Bobby Hull’s slap shot was reportedly clocked at 120 mph (105 mph for his wrist shot), making him a remarkable statistical aberration.
SOURCES: “Te Physics of Hockey” by physicist Alain Haché;
BehindTeNet.ca;
NHL.com Pros: Tis is the hardest, fastest shot.
Cons: Contact with the stick is so brief—less than .02 of a second— that the shot is not as accurate, and the windup gives the goalie ample warning.
Action and reaction
Even if he sees the windup, a goalie cannot react to a 100-mph slap shot from 25 feet or less.
All the goaltender can do is try to obstruct as much of the goal as possible using the butterfly stance.
BY BONNIE BERKOWITZ, TODD LINDEMAN AND AJ CHAVAR/THE WASHINGTON POST
3/4 inch Curve limit
25 feet
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