Nashville Predators Weber Slapshot Takes Out Goalie

Nashville Predators defenseman Shea Weber has a famous slapshot.  Last night it became even more so.

The Predators were playing the Dallas Stars last night and starting goaltender Antti Niemi gave up four goals halfway through the game.  Coach Lindy Ruff decided he had seen enough and went to the Bull Pen for his other goalie Karie Lehtonen.

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Shea Weber’s slapshot is the stuff that legends are made of.  In the 2010 Winter Olympics, his shot went completely through the mesh net behind German goaltender Thomas Greiss and a video review was required to make sure the goal was good.  In summer camp of 2014, former Predator Seth Jones was amazed when a Weber Rocket went through the boards behind the net:

He has twice hit a shot at the All-Star skills competition that has surpassed 108 mph.  Players are not happy when the Predators are on the power play and they have to go down to try and block one of Weber’s bombs from the point.  Many have limped off the ice after that happens.

Last night, Kari Lehtonen became another in the long list of stories that will be told about Webers cannon long after he retires.  Perhaps Predators Media Manager Tom Willis captured it best on Twitter:

Twitter went crazy right after that as those of us that saw the shot and replay felt for the fallen goalie who laid on the ice for some time.

To his credit, after a good while, Lehtonen got up and skated it off.  As Predators announcer sometimes says, “I guess he just rubbed some dirt on it and went back in the game.”  We all knew how tough hockey players are but this takes it to a new level. He did seem to flinch a little on the next shot and let in the Predators fifth goal.

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In a very nice gesture, Jen Neale of Yahoo’s Puck Daddy named Kari Lehtonen the Third Star of the night in her column.  As she explained, “This has nothing to do with how he played. He took a Shea Weber shot to the groin and lived to tell about it. He needed a little time to collect himself but he stayed in the game.” A legend is born.