Matt Hendricks - The Paralyzer
So it’s been a little while since I’ve done an MP Spotlight post, but the recent play of Washington Capitals forward Matt Hendricks has warranted some props. This guy has been integral to the Capitals success in the post-season – he is the definition of a heart and soul player who lays everything on the line for his teammates. Hendricks has been a shotblocking phenom in these playoffs – his heart and fearlessness helped the Caps defeat the defending champion Bruins in the first round.
Unfortunately I couldn’t find a video of Hendricks blocking shots, but I do have three good ones that show off #26′s skill and hitting ability.
First we have a video that was actually made by a friend of mine, the infamous Brandon Barber. I’ve done a few MindPuck stories on Barbs (they are awesome, see links at the end of this post) – for those who don’t know him, Barbs is obsessed with dangles. I’ve never seen a kid with better hand-eye or a more lethal toe-drag. Naturally, Barbs can recognize dangling talent and he was particularly impressed by the work of Matt Hendricks in shootouts this year for the Caps. Being the iMovie dynamo that he is, Barbs has compiled a number of #26′s shootout dangles into one epic video. Without any further ado, I give you Matt Hendricks is “The Paralyzer”.
How badass was that? Hendricks’ dangles are so slick that he makes goalies seizure up in the net! The move on Thomas is something else… you need to have some crazy jukes to make an NHL goalie fall flat on his ass in a shootout.
Nice form there Timmy!
It seems as though Hendricks really has Timmy T’s number. Check out a more subtle display of skill from #26 here from the Caps-Bruins opening round series… Hendricks makes a nasty tip on a John Carlson shot that beats Thomas to the far side.
Great celly from Hendricks on that one too. Here is a funny but slightly creepy photo of him after that goal…
He looks like a wackjob in this one, but we'll trust he's a beauty.
Finally we come to my favorite Hendricks highlight, this one from the Rangers-Caps series. Hendricks has brought everything to the table in these playoffs – goal-scoring, shot-blocking, determination, and heavy-hitting. In Game Three of the second round, Matt Hendricks sent a jolt of electricity through the Verizon Center with this absolutely massive hit on Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonaugh. It may have been a slight charge, but the impact was awesome.
Woooooooohooooooooooo. Doesn’t that get ya jacked up? Talk about getting hit by a freight train.
Alright that’s it for now… time to go watch the Kings sweep the Blues (I can’t believe that sentence actually exists… LA is a force!). Hope you enjoyed these videos.
Want some more fun stuff to watch? Click the links below:
MP Massive Hits Video Channel
MP Filthy Dangles Video Channel
MP Spotlight Post Stream
“The Datsyuk Move” featuring Brandon Barber (< if you haven’t read this, read it now!)
