Quote:
Originally Posted by tkflames
Say what you want about chucky...but his ability to tip pucks is among the best I have ever seen in the game...including Nieuwendyk..
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Ability? Maybe. Positioning to do it? Not even close.
In his rookie year, Nieuwendyk scored
thirty-one power-play goals, nearly all of them by tipping shots just outside the crease. In fifty years of watching hockey, I've never seen anything quite like it. Many players had the hand-eye coordination to do it, but nobody else had the knowhow and tenacity to do it so consistently.
I believe Nieuwendyk himself said he learned to do that by playing lacrosse every summer before he turned pro. Most hockey players nowadays don't have that opportunity.