If you haven't seen it yet, take the time to check out Maxim Chudinov's goal from his own end on the opening day of KHL action. Chudinov's ripper helped Avangard Omsk beat CSKA Moscow 3-1.
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Following the game, Chudinov's teammate, Cody Franson, had big praise for the 29-year-old defenseman, saying he could beat Zdeno Chara in a hardest shot contest. Chara's hardest recorded shot was 108.8 mph at the 2013 All-Star game.
"A shot like Chudinov's is just great, it gave us all such a boost. If he carries on in that vein, it's gonna be awesome. I wouldn't even try something like that in practice, it's definitely his thing. If we had a shooting contest between him and Zdeno Chara, Chudi would win it. The way he shoots is kinda scary. If there was a contest between him and me, he'd win that too!"
As for Chudinov, he says it's not his first time scoring this type of goal.
"I've already scored a few goals like that, so it gives me confidence. The key thing is to get it on target. To be honest, I practice them. After everyone else is done I stay on specially to shoot at the net. The coach is happy for me to shoot from long range. Even if I don't score, the puck might bounce to the corners, and our forwards can chase it down and put pressure on the net."
When asked if he had ever measured his shot, Chudinov said he never has.
"To be honest, I don't pay much attention to that, and don't worry about which players have the hardest shots."
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