Slap Shot Science

Ponderosa Associates teamed up with Central Hockey League star and Colorado Eagles team captain Greg Pankewicz to study the dynamics and physics of hockey’s famous slap shot.

Two carbon fiber hockey sticks were instrumented to measure surface strain as Pankewicz cranked off "slappers" exceeding 90 miles per hour. Loading stresses during these tests peaked in the neighborhood of 30,000 pounds per square inch. Compared to structural steel, which has a yielding strength of 36,000 pounds per square inch, it’s no wonder that carbon fiber, with its high strength-to-weight ratio, is the material of choice for professional hockey players. Ultra-high speed cameras were used to capture the remarkable deformation of the hockey stick’s shaft and blade, and the spin imparted onto the puck.