I saw something pretty interesting that I wanted to pass along. Sean Tierney has created a data visualization of the kinds of shots that each player in the league has been taking over the years.
I've published a viz to look at individual player shot types (and results) over time.
— Sean Tierney (@ChartingHockey) August 18, 2018
Have a look and download views here: https://t.co/VplT8byTP8 pic.twitter.com/Gud7oEEOLz
Here is Sidney Crosby's profile for example
Crosby is an interesting case at the individual level. He's wrister-first, like everyone. But he's varied his % of snaps, slaps, tips, and backhands over time. By last year, he had basically retired his slapshot. pic.twitter.com/a6rgZdVOyF
— Sean Tierney (@ChartingHockey) August 17, 2018
There's a reason I clamor for Sidney Crosby playing near the goal line and it is because he's great at the types of shots necessary down there.
Phil is predictably more one-dimensional, but not as much as some
By request, here's Kessel. He has a well-earned reputation for being a one-shot guy but JT and Tarasenko are even more exclusively wrist-shot-oriented than Kessel is. pic.twitter.com/EoJF5qn913
— Sean Tierney (@ChartingHockey) August 17, 2018
There's a reason Phil doesn't take slapshots. He isn't very good at it.
It probably isn't a surprise that Evgeni Malkin's second favorite shot is the slap shot. Except for that one season where he actually took more backhands than slapshots
You can go back and do this for any player in the league.
NEW PODCAST: Player's who are perceived to be better than they are https://t.co/JPaF1aeEv3
— Ryan Wilson (@GunnerStaal) August 18, 2018
Thanks for reading!