Hockey player Shea Weber, known as the youngest captain of the Nashville Predators team , is rightfully considered one of the best defenders in the NHL. He is the world champion and two-time Olympic champion in the national team of Canada.
Athlete Biography
Shea Michael Weber was born in 1985 in the provincial town of Sicamus , which is located in British Columbia in Canada. For the first time, a future NHL star picked up a club at the age of six. The boy hesitated for a long time on what position he should play, but subsequently chose the role of defender.
Until 2002, Weber played for the local youth team " Sicamus Eagle." Then he was invited to the Kelowna Rockets club , which took part in one of Canada's largest junior tournaments - the Western Hockey League.
The first steps in a professional career
As part of the "Rocket" Shi Weber played three full seasons, winning twice with his team in the regular season. Also, “ Kelowna Rockets ” won the final tournament of the champions of the three leagues, while receiving the title of the best team in North America among youth clubs.
Webber in the composition of the "Rocket" was remembered not so much for a spectacular game as for its hooligan behavior in the ice arena. At the slightest conflict, he immediately threw off his gloves and entered into a brawl with an opponent. Such indiscipline had its results - only in the 2002/03 season did Shi serve a record-breaking 167 minutes for himself in the penalty box.
Shea Weber got to the NHL draft in the summer of 2003, where he was chartered by the Nashville Predators Club . However, the defender played for his new team only after 2 years. For another season, Weber continued to play for Kelowna Rockets , and the next year he tried his hand at the AHL as part of the Milwaukee Edmirals club .
For the “Admirals” the Canadian hockey player spent 46 matches in the regular season, in which he scored 27 (12 + 15) points, as well as 14 games in the playoff series , where he managed to earn 11 (5 + 6) points. This performance significantly brought closer what Shi Weber dreamed of - the NHL was ready to meet a new talented player.
Career in the NHL
In January 2006, the Canadian first appeared on the ice in the match of the most prestigious hockey league in the world. His debut took place in a match against a very strong opponent - “Detroit Red Wings ”. Three months later, Weber wrote down his first abandoned puck in the NHL . In total this season, Shi played 28 matches, in which he managed to hit the wrong goal twice and scored 10 times in assists.
Weber began the following year as a base player. He went on the ice in 79 games of the regular season, scored 17 goals and gave 23 exact assists. Thanks to such indicators, Shi Weber was selected for the All Young Stars Match, and his club managed to break into the playoff conference.
In the 2007/2008 season, due to frequent injuries, the defender missed most of the first half of the regular season. But this did not stop him from signing a new three - year contract with Predators, according to which Weber expected to earn $ 4.5 million a year.
In the new season, Shi from the first games began to work out his fees. In the 2008/09 regular season, he set a personal performance record - 23 goals and 30 accurate assists in 81 matches. Such a game did not go unnoticed - Weber was invited to the NHL All-Star Game .
Over the next seven years spent in the NHL Nashville Predators team , the Canadian defender showed a stable and confident game. Four more times he became a participant in the All-Star Game. In 2010, Weber became the youngest predator captain in the history of the club. In 2016, Shea received the Mark Messier Leadership Award , a prize awarded to a player with outstanding leadership skills.
After the end of the 2015/16 season, Weber went on an exchange with the Nashville Predators in the Montreal Canadiens .
Incredibly strong throw
Canadian defender has always been famous for an incredibly powerful throw. The puck from under his stick flew out with such force that sometimes hitting other players led to fractures.
A curious incident occurred at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver: in the game with the German national team, after the Weber hit, the puck went through the goal net, and only with the help of several video replays the judges could make out and count the goal.
National Team Games
Shi Weber first played for the youth team of Canada, with which in 2005 he managed to win the World Cup. The magnificent game in the club allowed the defender to make his debut as part of the main team of his country.
Weber returned from the first World Cup 2007 for himself with a gold medal. Two years later, the Canadian team won second place in the world championship, and the 24-year-old defender became one of the best defensive players. In 9 matches held, Shi Weber managed to throw the puck into the opponent’s goal four times and assisted his teammates eight more times.
In addition to the World Championships, the player participated in two Olympics (Vancouver and Sochi), and both times replenished his collection of awards with gold medals. The most significant tournament was in Sochi: for the six games held, Weber earned 6 (3 + 3) points, while not once visiting the penalty box.