Floyd said:
cw said:
Heroic Shrimp said:
A pretty fair comparison. While no player is going to be a perfect equivalent, and Gartner may hold up as the best, the one minor distinction between Kessel and Gartner (and probably almost any other premier scorer) is that Kessel virtually never takes a slapshot.
That's a good point.
With Kessel's snap shot (if that's the term the kids are using today) I think I'd be pretty angry with Kessel for trying too many slappers.
Too often in golf, we see a guy win a major. And then their coach gets a hold of them and tries to 'improve' them ... that often leads to them falling back. Arnold Palmer said it took him two years to get used to moving the position of his thumb on the shaft.
I wouldn't change a thing right now. He's scoring at a clip few ever experience.
His shot has something to do with his success, obviously. But I've wondered for sometime if it's just what is commonly observed. No question the quick release has bunches to do with it.
Compared with many of Gartner's early years, the goaltenders and equipment are bigger and better. In my opinion, we don't see as many slapshots scored by a winger blazing down the wing as we used to. A slapshot travels in the straightest trajectory using max speed and power to blow it by the goalie. A thing I've notice a few times is sometimes Kessel's shot dips more than a slapshot, maybe a little like an off speed pitch (though not as much). It stands to reason as it's unlikely to have the same velocity as a slapshot (which is why we don't see snap shots trying to win the hardest (fastest) shot competition at the all star game).
I'm not sure if it's intentional or not. You'd have to ask Kessel - if he'd even discuss it before the end of his career. I realize that he's capable of snapping it to a velocity close to a slapshot or maybe faster than some guys with that whippy flex shaft. But he doesn't seem to always quite get all of it and I've wondered if that has something to do with his success where the trajectory is a little more deceptive than the slapshots many goalies have faced.
Can't say that I could prove the above. But it is something I've wondered about when I've watched him score some of his goals and the goalie misses a shot I thought he should have had. It's happened too many times for me to conclude so many of the NHL goalies give up softies to Kessel.
Just wondered if anyone else has noticed that.