The moment the pucks sails by the goaltender and into the net is one of the more exciting moments in sports. In some cases, it's remarkably easy to score. A teammate makes a perfect pass and you shoot at a wide-open net or the goaltender makes a mistake and lets the puck in. But more often than not, it takes a solid pass and a good shot to score a goal in hockey.
Function
In ice hockey, the team that scores the most goals is the winner. An offensive player uses his stick to shoot the puck into a net that is 6 feet wide by 4 feet high and protected by a goaltender. The most effective shots usually come when a player receives the puck in stride on a pass from a teammate. On such a shot, the player can put all of his strength and momentum behind it, making it difficult for the goaltender to handle.
Types
Players use a slap shot, wrist shot, snap shot, backhander or deflection to put the puck in the net. On a slap shot, a player brings his stick back to waist height or a bit higher and then transfers his weight to his front side as he brings the stick down on the puck with momentum and force. On a wrist shot, a player snaps his wrist without drawing the stick back and fires it toward the net. A snap shot sees the player draw the stick back just a few inches and then power through the puck with force and quickness. A backhand shot is a deft way of firing the puck at the net from an angle that can surprise the goaltender. On a deflection, a player gets the blade of his stick in the way of the puck to change the angle as it flies toward the net. This is difficult to master and almost impossible to stop if it is executed correctly.
Overtime Goals
When teams are tied at the end of a game, they play a sudden-death overtime period. If a goal is scored in the overtime period, that ends the game in favor of the team that scored the goal. In the National Hockey League regular season, the overtime period lasts five minutes. If a goal isn't scored in the overtime, the two teams engage in a shootout, which is a series of penalty shots to decide the winner. A penalty shot occurs when the player skates in alone on the goaltender after picking up the puck at center ice and attempts to beat the goaltender. In the NHL postseason, there is no limit to overtime. Teams keep playing until a goal is scored.
History
There have been some momentous goals scored in the history of the game. In the 1980 Olympics, Mike Eruzione fired a wrist shot at the midway point of the third period to give the United States a 4-3 lead over the Soviet hockey team. The goal held up and turned out to be the game-winner in one of the most significant games in hockey history. In 1970, Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins scored an overtime goal in the final game of the Stanley Cup Finals against the St. Louis Blues to give his team the championship. After the puck went off Orr's stick, the Hall of Fame defenseman leaped with joy and got tripped by St. Louis defenseman Noel Picard simultaneously. Orr went flying through the air and the image of him flying through the air is one of the most famous in hockey history.
Expert Insight
A goal scored in hockey is almost always a turning point in a game. It gives momentum to one team and takes it away from the other and often sets the crowd into a frenzy. It represents the validation of the shooter's skills and can bring sheer joy to all involved, while sending the team that has been scored on into a tailspin.
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