January 11, 1979
The rising slapshot sizzled toward the upper left-hand corner of the net. The Washington High School goalie gloved it cleanly, but a moment later dropped to his knees in agony. He whipped off his glove to reveal a blotch of throbbing purple where his palm had been. At the base of his fingers, a pinched nerve jutted out like a gnarled tree root. This wasn’t just any slapshot he’d been foolish enough to mess with. It was a Steve Duda slapshot. At the tender age of 15, Steve Duda has come up with a slapshot better suited for the Bonneville Salt Flats than a high school hockey rink. “He’s got a shot that’s unbelievable,” says Sal Malvestuto, his coach at Washington. “On some of his goals, the goaltender is actually two or three seconds late bringing his glove up. He’s a tall kid, 6 feet, 2 inches, but he’s got no bulk. Don’t ask me where his power comes from.” Duda tuned up for the season opener last week by turning goalie Glenn Ether’s hand into ground chuck during a practice drill. (The pinched nerve is still visible.) Then he went out and scored six goals against Central Bucks and three against La Salle, thereby becoming The Inquirer’s City Athlete of the Week. Nine goals in two games is a pretty good way to wind up a senior year. It’s an incredible way to begin a sophomore year.
As a freshman last season, the lanky left winger recorded 15 goals and 29 assists in 14 games. What’s more, he picks his spots carefully. About half his shots go in. “I’ll make five out of 10, sometimes five out of eight,” he says casually. “But I’m not as accurate as I’d like to be.” That chipping sound you heard was a goalie. Digging in.
The original
