Stan Galiev Breaks Stick in Hershey Bears Hardest Shot Competition

HERSHEY, PA – (L to R) Cameron Schilling, Tomas Kundratek, Stanislav Galiev, and Dmitry Orlov pose for a photo after the hardest shot contest at Giant Center. (Kyle Mace – Sweetest Hockey on Earth)

The start of the hockey season is almost here, which means it’s time for Season Ticket Holder pickup night for many teams around the country. Thursday night, the Hershey Bears held their event, which also included the annual hardest shot contest. This year, however, the combination of a malfunctioning radar gun and Stan Galiev‘s stick fracturing in half made for some pretty hilarious moments.

Galiev along with teammates Dmitry Orlov, Tomas Kundratek, and Cameron Schilling all participated in tonight’s friendly competition. Each player got two shots, and although the results seemed somewhat made-up unscientific, the speeds that were recorded at the end were still mighty impressive. Orlov fired at 88 and 93 MPH; Schilling at 91 and 93; and Galiev — who got three opportunities because of his broken twig — was clocked at 67 (likely not calculated correctly), 18 MPH, and 90 MPH. Kundratek, who played five games in Washington last year, won the competition with a 95 MPH shot at the very end. Though I still think his first attempt, which they recorded at 213 MPH, was totally accurate.

Below, check out my photos and video of tonight’s skills competition.

Video of the Entire Event

Galiev’s stick breaks at the 2:44 mark.

Photos (Click to enlarge)