109.2, FRK'N 109.2!

Tonight marks a night which will go down in history, as Martin Frk of the Ontario Reign broke the Hardest Shot record in both the AHL and the NHL.

This season, the Ontario Reign was granted permission by the AHL to host the first-ever All-Star Game and Skills Competition on the West Coast. The three Reign players selected to participate set out to showcase their talent and hard work not only to make their teammates proud but all of their fans who came to support.

Sunday was the start of a great weekend, as the Skills Competition took place in front of fans and staff from all over the AHL. Challenge after challenge occurred until finally, the Hardest Shot was up. Players from across the league took their turn taking their best shot at the net until Frk got his chance. As he emerged, the final competitor, the atmosphere of Toyota Arena electrified. It felt as if it were a scene from a movie.

Frk skated up to take his first attempt hitting a 104 mph slap shot straight into the back of the net, securing the win. However, with the AHL record being set at 105.5, Frk had his eye on a prize higher than that of this one challenge--he wanted the record. As he looped around, he came in confident as ever and ripped a 109.4 mph shot on his second attempt, shattering both the AHL and NHL record.

The significance of this moment was certainly not just in the record itself, but the display of all Frk's hard work paying off. Only hours earlier, Luc Robitaille was describing to fans how Frk was given a second chance, having been playing in the NHL and AHL since 2012. But, it was not that Luc was impressed that he had just kept at it, but that Frk was taking complete advantage of it, embracing his adversity, and playing better than ever.