Xhekaj nearly beats record for hardest shot at Canadiens skills competition
Montreal Canadiens fans already knew defenceman Arbers Xhekaj was tough as nails, but what they maybe didn’t know is just how hard his shot really is.
The Canadiens hosted their annual skills competition at the Bell Centre this afternoon, where players took part in a variety of different events to test their abilities. One of the events was a hardest-shot competition, a staple and fan favourite for events like this.
Being one of the bigger defencemen on the Habs, Xhekaj was an easy favourite to win the hardest shot, but not a fan in the building could have expected just how fast he would fire the puck. On his attempt, Xhekaj wired a shot that was clocked at a blistering 107.2 miles per hour (mph).
OUFFF
💥 107,2 mph #GoHabsGo | @RONAinc pic.twitter.com/Mt5MZ9BMex
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) February 25, 2024
That is just a little bit off of the NHL record of 108.8 mph recorded by legendary Boston Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara at the 2012 NHL All-Star Skills Competition.
If Xhekaj had done this at this year’s NHL All-Star Skills Competition, he would have wiped the floor with the competition. Colorado Avalanche superstar Cale Makar won this year’s hardest-shot event with a speed of 102.5 mph.
Unfortunately, this shot won’t be eligible to be put in the NHL’s record books as individual team competitions aren’t official league events. If it were, Xhekaj would rank third all-time next to Chara and former Canadiens defenceman Shea Weber.
Perhaps the 23-year-old was able to build up that arm strength from all his time working at Costco throughout his junior career.
If NHL goaltenders weren’t already aware of Xhekaj’s cannon of a shot, they sure are now.
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