Shot (hockey)

A shot in ice hockey is an attempt by a player to score a goal by striking the puck with his stick in the direction of the net. There are three basic types of shots in ice hockey:

• The wrist shot is the simplest and most accurate shot. The player first draws the puck behind his body with his stick, and then quickly sweeps it forward, imparting spin on the flying puck.
• The snap shot is the quickest shot in terms of how much time it takes to execute. With very little windup, the player violently snaps his wrists to send the puck flying.
• The slapshot is the hardest, and most spectacular, shot.

A count of how many shots are taken by a team are kept and this is often used a s rough guide to which team is being more aggressive and dominant. These numbers are especially relevant to goaltenders whose save percentage is based on how many shots did not get passed them. The number of shots taken by skaters is also measured, but these numbers are rarely given much weight.