Defenseman Arber
Already, the result of his first throw had impressed (105.4 mph), but Xhekaj did even better on his second attempt, under the amazed gaze of the gathered supporters.
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“I knew I could do over 100, but I think 105 was the most I had done before,” Xhekaj told reporters at the end of the event.
Arber Xhekaj signed several autographs on Sunday at the Bell Center during the Canadiens skills competition.
MARIO BEAUREGARD/AGENCE QMI
For comparison, Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar took top honors in this event with a throw of 102.56 miles per hour on the sidelines of the recent All-Star Game at the beginning of February, in Toronto. Giant Zdeno Chara still holds the NHL record with a 108.8 mph shot at the 2012 skills competition.
“It was pretty crazy,” commented Quebec goalkeeper Samuel Montembeault, about his teammate’s powerful shot. Matheson also has a good shot, but of course if I had to bet, I would have put my money on Xhekaj.
Tease Pezzetta
Matheson threw 98.6 miles per hour to finish second in the event.
Xhekaj didn’t make much of his victory.
“For a guy like Pezzetta it’s important, he cares a lot. I was able to tease him a little,” mentioned number 72 of the Habs.
Pezzetta, with a throw of 94.2 miles per hour, needn’t have been embarrassed by his performance.
Montembeault’s advice
Before the start of the day, Montembeault said he was able to test his own throw out of sight.
“I think the highest I had was 61, but I was able to advise Xhekaj to keep his throw as much as possible,” said the goalkeeper.
As he mentioned to Jake Allen and Cayden Primeau, Montembeault was also happy not to have been in front of the net to face Xhekaj’s lightning shot during the contest.
“Probably that throw to the mitt side, you broke your hand,” he estimated, laughing.
A good throw from Poulin
Among the girls from the Montreal team present, Quebecer Marie-Philip Poulin was the best among those who participated in the event, with a throw at 84.6 miles per hour.
“It was a little stressful, I was just happy to go above 80,” Poulin reacted, noting that she was also very impressed by Xhekaj’s shot.