Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara held hockey's record for hardest shot for eight years; he unleashed a 108.8 mph slap shot at the 2012 NHL All-Star Skills Competition. On Sunday, AHL forward Martin Frk bested that number.
Frk is currently employed by the Los Angeles Kings, but he has played much of this season for their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. His excellent season with the farm team (30 points in 33 games) earned him a place in the AHL's All-Star Weekend in Ontario, Calif., and an opportunity to participate in the minor league's own hardest shot contest.
When his opportunity came, Frk showed the world that his slap shot is more than worthy of the NHL. He hammered the puck 109.2 mph to set a professional record, sending the hometown crowd at Toyota Arena into a frenzy.
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Martin Frk beats Zdeno Chara's hardest shot record with an insane 109.2 mph shot in the AHL skills competition pic.twitter.com/bbFuopquHj
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) January 27, 2020
To put this in perspective: Chara, who took the 108.8 mph shot in 2012, stands 6-9 and weighs 250 pounds. Montreal Canadiens captain Shea Weber, who won this weekend's NHL Hardest Shot competition (106.5 mph), is 6-3 and weighs 229. Frk is 6-1, 205, and he bested the tallest player in NHL history by 0.4 mph.
Frk told reporters after the event he used a stick with a 70 flex number to take the shot. A hockey stick's flex affects how stiff the stick is; general guides to stick flexes say as a starting point to determine a stick flex they find comfortable, players should divide their weight (in lbs). Based on that rule, Frk's stick flex should be closer to 100 — meaning he uses a more flexible stick to shoot than many of his peers likely do.
"I still can't believe I actually beat [Chara], because he can absolutely rip it," Frk said. "Maybe I can get a chance to talk to him — it's just a really cool moment for me."
The AHL's Western Conference ultimately won the skills competition, which is similar to the NHL's, 18-15. The AHL All-Star Challenge will be played Monday.
The Kings signed Frk, 26, as a free agent last July.