Shea Weber's rocket shot leaves NHL All-Stars in awe
In an arena where a cannon is customarily fired when the home team scores a goal, Nashville Predators defenseman Shea Weber fittingly blasted a shot so hot it left some of the NHL's best with their mouths agape.
While hardest shot king Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara isn't at this year's NHL All-Star Game, Weber almost took his crown in Saturday night's skills competition at Nationwide Arena in Columbus.
After firing a shot that registered at 101.8 MPH but wasn't counted because it missed the net, Weber responded with authority on his second try. His 108.5 MPH rocket fell just .3 shy of Chara's record earned in 2012.
"Everybody cringed," Columbus Blue Jackets and All-Star captain Nick Foligno said in response to Weber's shot. This is how Foligno, Toronto's Phil Kessel and Chicago's Patrick Kane reacted in the immediate aftermath of the near record-breaking bullet.
they obviously looked at the scoreboard RT @PeteBlackburn: ? pic.twitter.com/ciCieHHmZs
— NHL Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) January 25, 2015
"If he does get the chance [to shoot], get the heck out of the way," Weber's All-Star team captain Jonathan Toews said.
Despite Weber's efforts, Team Toews fell to Team Foligno 25-19 for the overall skills title.
