NHL SPEED! 

The speed of the NHL has only gotten faster. It is a sport that continues to get faster in all facets of the game. The average speed of a player in the NHL is 25 miles per hour and upwards of nearly 30 MPH. The game is fast and requires a high level of skill and balance. Additionally, on average an NHL player skates 5 miles per game and upwards of 410 miles a season. 

The speed and velocity of a puck travel between 80 and 90 miles per hour posing a great threat to the best goalies in the league……they are defending the goal and their life! The game has gotten way faster in every area…from the corners…to the blue line…….to the back and forecheck. It is simply a fast game that is driven by tenacity and hunger all over the boards for every player. 

Connor McDavid is currently the fastest player in the league. When you can have 3 to 4 breakaways in a game and you make it look that easy you are a special player. Connor is young….smart…fast…and leading the path for young players along with setting the speed of the game. He is a standard that few NHL players will meet. 

The Bruins Zdeno Chara has a blasting puck speed of 108 miles per hour. In previous years Alex Ovechkin lead in this category, however players have caught onto “Ovi” as they call him. The game continues to evolve an the prototypical NHL player is evolving. If it is not speed on the skates it is the speed of the puck. 

Veterans of the game like Marion Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky have begun to question how they would be in the league if they played in todays game. It is a different environment for the players…the fans….and the youth gravitating to big dreams. Can the game and puck move faster in the bigger question? 

Bradley D. Weisman