An Ice Hockey Wiki article.

Position	Defenceman
Shoots	Left
Height Weight	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 233 lb (106 kg)
NHL Team F. Teams	Edmonton Oilers Montreal Canadiens New Jersey Devils
Nationality	Canadian
Born	July 13 1976 (1976-07-13) (age 33), Elk Point, AB, Canada
NHL Draft	71st overall, 1994 New Jersey Devils
Pro Career	1995 – present

Sheldon Sherrick Souray (born July 13, 1976) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the New Jersey Devils, who originally drafted him 71st overall in 1994, and the Montreal Canadiens. He is best known for his heavy slapshot, setting the unofficial NHL record for the hardest recorded shot at the Oilers' 2009 Skills Competition.

Playing career

Before playing in the NHL, Sheldon was a member of the Fort Saskatchewan Traders in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL). He was drafted in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft in the third round (71st overall) by the New Jersey Devils where he played from 1997 to 1999 before being traded to the Montreal Canadiens on March 1, 2000 for Vladimir Malakhov.

After suffering a serious wrist injury which kept him out of the entire 2002–03 season, Souray returned to play for the Canadiens and had a milestone season, amassing a breakout 15 goals and 35 points. He participated in the 2004 NHL All-Star Game and recorded the hardest shot at the Skills Competition with a 102.2 mph slapshot. During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, he played for Färjestads BK of the Swedish Elitserien.

In 2006–07, Souray emerged as a top-tier defenceman in the league with 26 goals and 64 points, placing second in team-scoring in both categories. On April 5, 2007, Souray broke the NHL single-season record for most powerplay goals scored by a defenceman, with his 19th of the season. The record was previously shared by Denis Potvin of the New York Islanders (1974–75) and Adrian Aucoin of the Vancouver Canucks (1998–99). He was named to his second NHL All-Star Game that season and posted the second hardest slapshot at the Skills Competition with a 100.4 mph shot.

In the off-season, Souray became an unrestricted free agent and, on July 12, 2007, he signed a 5-year, $27 million contract with the Edmonton Oilers. During the third period of a 5-2 victory over the Dallas Stars on December 3, 2008, the Stars' broadcast team referred to Souray as "Studly Wonderbomb." It has since become a popular meme amongst Oilers fans. His debut season with the Oilers was, however, marred by injuries and he only suited up for 26 games. The next season, in 2008–09, he bounced back from the injury-shortened campaign to record 23 goals and 53 points. During the Oilers' 2009 Skills Competition, on January 4, Souray set the unofficial NHL record for the hardest shot. Clocked at 106.7 mph, his slapshot beat Chad Kilger's old unofficial record of 106.6 mph set at the Toronto Maple Leafs' 2006 Skills Competition. The record is deemed unofficial as the league does not recognize individual team Skills Competition and instead goes by the NHL All-Star Game's Skills Competition results. As such, the official record is held by Boston Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chára, whose 105.4 mph slapshot beat Souray's third-place 103.3 mph effort at the 2009 NHL All-Star Game later that month.

International play

Souray represented Team Canada at the 2005 World Championships in Austria. He was also on the Canadian Olympic men's hockey team's shortlist for the 2006 Winter Olympics but did not make the cut, partly due to his slow start at the beginning of the 2005–06 NHL season.

Awards

• Played in the NHL All-Star Game in 2004, 2007 (starter) and 2009.
• Won the Hardest Shot at the NHL All-Star Skills Competition in 2004.
• Won the Hardest Shot at the Edmonton Oilers Skills Competition in 2009.

Records

• NHL record for most single-season powerplay goals - 19 in 2006–07 (surpassed Denis Potvin and Adrian Aucoin - 18)
• Unofficial NHL record for hardest recorded slapshot - 106.7 mph at the 2009 Edmonton Oilers Skills Competition^[1]

Career statistics

External links

• Sheldon Souray's NHL player profile
• Sheldon Souray's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database