Holy Goalie - Hockey goalie tips and advice

Brotherly Hockey Love

Mon, 6 Jul 2009 21:12:58 -0700

The love between brothers, especially hockey brothers, manifests in interesting ways.
My son Ryan, 13, was playing his last season of junior high varsity roller hockey, when his goalie asked the coach if he could skate out instead of play between the pipes. It was a tough gig for a goalie: the team was caught between being an excellent junior varsity team and a struggling varsity squad.
Knowing playoffs were not within reach, the coach asked me if my son Connor, 9, would like to play goalie for the varsity team. This was a monumental leap for him, and what I thought would be a huge confidence-builder. Putting his third-grader status behind him, he rose to the challenge.
At first, I think Ryan was reluctant to have his little brother on the team. What if he acts like an idiot in the locker room? What if he embarrasses me? What if he sucks?
In the locker room during our first game, I was reaching into Connor’s bag to grab his solid blue practice jersey, when something hit him in the chest. Ryan, who had donned his home jersey, had tossed his away jersey at his brother. It was a perfect fit.
The team did well the first two periods, keeping the score close. Connor robbed a player on a breakaway when the opposing player tried to deke him and Connor gloved a puck going upper shelf. But perhaps the best moment came late in the third, when the team had fallen behind considerably.
Smelling blood, an opposing player skated into the crease after Connor smothered a puck with his leg pads. The kid hacked away at the puck, first hitting Connor across the chest and then above the thigh. Before I could open my mouth to protest, I saw a blue blur enter the crease. Like bull’s horns, two raised fists struck the hacker’s chest. Stick went flying, legs shot horizontal to the floor and I sensed the thud when the player landed on his back. I looked around and the ref already had a hand clamped around Ryan’s arm and was leading him to the box.
I was OK with that.
With Connor as their goalie, the team went 2 – 2. But most importantly, I think two brothers grew a little closer.

Maintenance - Don’t Wait 3000 Miles

Sat, 16 May 2009 07:52:04 -0700

While working on my skate’s cracked toe cap in a garage overrun by hockey equipment, I realized I take better care of my goalie equipment than I take care of my car.
Part of the reason is because I’m mechanically dysfunctional. (And it helps if one of your teammates happens to be an excellent automotive technician.) I’m also not a car enthusiast. I mean, I appreciate good gas mileage, a sleek look and state-of-the-art safety features (which in large part is why I bought my car), but at the day’s end, it’s simply a means of getting to work, the store, the rink. I park it, occasionally wash it and feed it when it’s starving. When it’s sick, I don’t go under the hood. I call Mike.
Unlike my goalie equipment. The passion I feel for the sport and the position has caused me to become a novice seamstress, leathersmith, cobbler and overall self-declared craftsman. I find myself inspecting it every few days to tighten straps, Shoe Goo rips and tears, rotate wheels, reapply tattered tape. Sure, maintenance is part of the hobby of hockey, but it’s also inherent to survival.
Case in point: I recently met Chris, who claims his mother taught him his locomotive slap shot. In the course of a season, he has broken a goalie’s neck guard and a goalie’s arm with his cannon. This simply drives home the importance of keeping your armor ready for battle, and not waiting 3000 miles to check for signs of wear, tear and loosening.
In fact, as soon as I post this, I think I’ll do a 10-point inspection. You never know when Chris is going to play in your league.

Long Live Goalieflage

Thu, 5 Mar 2009 16:50:08 -0800

In roller hockey, goalies face some rule-induced challenges. Simply put, the game is about scoring. With no offsides, teams often use a cherry-picking strategy, which puts an unwanted roommate in your house. No icing keeps the puck alive in your end, which often feeds the cherry picker. Four-on-four play can open up the rink, giving an above-average skater many opportunities to attack. And in some leagues, unconventional puck colors can be the same shade as the concrete or tile you’re skating on, making a fast-moving puck almost ghost-like. But all that is OK by me, even though some players still insist every goal is the goalie’s fault.
This scoring mentality is alive in ice, too. Shoot-outs and recent goalie leg pad size changes seem to favor the shooter. In fairness, goalie pads and gloves have got bigger over the years, but I opine that most hockey suits feel great scoring outsells great goaltending.
So when an entrepreneurial teenager comes out with net-designed pads called Goalieflage and the intention of making it harder to score, I say more power to him. I love his ingenuity and his fearless pursuit of becoming a milestone in hockey’s evolution. Really, this isn’t revolutionary -- white pads and black tape on sticks have all intended to dupe. But it is smart, and for that, you have to give him kudos.

The Greatest Masks of All Time

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:42:52 -0800

If you haven’t read The Hockey News’ collector’s edition: Greatest Masks of All Time (2008), it’s still available for purchase or digital download. I simply love the history, photography and great reporting gracing this issue. By documenting the evolution of the mask and the engaging stories that give them life, the issue gives an incredible perspective on this unique position and makes you feel part of something very special. They even unveil how infamous mass murderer Jason Voorhees got his goalie mask. Great issue: 5 pucks out of 5.

USA Hockey Offers New Goalie Tips Section

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 08:44:29 -0700

Our friends at USA Hockey just announced a new site filled with helpful tips and drills for improving your goalie game. USA Hockey Goaltending (usahockeygoaltending.com) offers training, videos, manuals, news, features and more. Also, if you have questions about style or technique, you can email them to the Goalie Mechanic (please put “Ask the Mechanic” in the subject line). Check the site’s Ask the Mechanic section weekly to see answers to select questions.

Shoot-outs Suck

Mon, 1 Sep 2008 08:22:24 -0700

This week, I solidified my opinion of game-ending shoot-outs: They suck.

Both of my kids’ tournament games ended in shoot-outs, and although both of their teams lost, losing wasn’t the reason. First, it’s a team sport. The game starts as a team sport and therefore should end as a team sport. Second, it’s simply anti-climatic.

Both shoot-out games were beautifully played. Great saves, great passing, great scoring. And although many goalies don’t mind the pressure or the spotlight of the shoot-out, to shift the burden of responsibility to the goalie just doesn't seem fair. Why does everything need a Hollywood ending?

I say let them end as a team. It’s not about the goalie. It’s not about the scorer. It’s about how they work together to get the puck in the net. Play another overtime with three kids skating out instead of four. Open up more shooting without removing passing and teamwork.

The positives of my kids’ shoot-outs? Facing the pressure, perhaps. My 12-year-old defensemen shot third in the shoot-out line-up, and my 8 year old, who plays with 9, 10 and 11 year olds, minded the net. That’s a lot of pressure for a young kid...and I’m very proud: He stopped eight shots before letting in the game-winning goal.

Since shoot-outs seem to be here to stay, check out the holygoalie.com search engine to find sound tips and advice on breakaways and shootouts.

Hero

Fri, 1 Aug 2008 09:48:00 -0700

When Lois Lane was in trouble, she called for Superman, who without fail bailed her out of any predicament. Recently, I could have used a hotline to some great defense. Going into the third period two weeks in a row, we were winning 1 to 0 in one game and 2 to 0 in another. Needless to say, we stayed back on our heels and ended up losing both games. If I could have “phoned a friend” for help, my Superman would have been Bobby Orr, for all the reasons displayed in the video above and for all the memories I have watching him on Channel 38 WSBK-TV in Boston.

It’s encouraging how much influence Bobby Orr has on the latest generation of young hockey players. My 12 year old, a dedicated defenseman, watches his videos before most games for inspiration. My 7 year old, who recently made his roller hockey All-Star team, proudly wore Bobby Orr’s name on the back of his jersey this season. In fact, many of the parents in the crowd, who didn't recognize the name of the greatest hockey player ever, called my son Bobby.

“How do you feel about being called Bobby instead of Connor?” I asked him after one game.

“It feels good,” he said through a smile.

Visual-eyes

Wed, 14 May 2008 18:20:17 -0700

The power of visualization to create a desired result became very clear to me recently. My 7-year-old, who plays goalie and skates out on two different teams, had been eyeing a Nike Bauer Vapor XXXX stick. In turn, I eyed the price, which hit triple digits, so I said, no, keep looking. A couple of months and another stick later, he ran from an aisle at Hockey Giant in Anaheim, California, cradling the Vapor. The price? Down to half. He said he couldn’t live without his dream stick.

His next game was a week away, which gave him plenty of time to get familiar with the Vapor. Along with shooting outside into our Swiss cheese Mylec net, he carried it around the house like a cowboy with his sidearm, flipped socks across the room while watching TV, practiced raising it in victory, even kept it next to his bed while he slept. About three days before game day, he told me he saw himself getting a hat trick. I gave him the standard dad/coach response: just play your best…and nobody likes a puck hog.

In the game’s first period, he scored twice. About seven minutes into the third, my Stanley Cup Ducks hat soared over the boards and landed in the rink.

I likened him to a wind up toy. By visualizing he kept turning the key. When it was time to act, he let go of the crank and exploded in focused energy aimed at achieving his hat trick goal.

Today, I was with my older son at another hockey retail store replacing a thrashed stick blade. The store associate secured the new blade with glue, handed the stick to my son and then asked him if he wanted the worn-down hickory. My son took it.

At the car, I asked, “I’m curious. Why do you want the old blade?”

“I’m saving all my old sticks and blades,” he said. “When I’m in the NHL, I’m going to sell them on eBay for lots of cash.”

Keep visualizing, I thought. Keep visualizing.

New Documentary about Goalies

Sun, 9 Mar 2008 11:21:08 -0700

I can’t wait for the release of a new movie that explores warriors of a higher order: Mind-Body-Mask is a documentary film in post-production that “examines the mental and physical challenges some extraordinary ice hockey goaltenders face in competition and in life.” Created by Geraldine Linn and Cheryl Englert, co-founders of Nittany Films, the movie looks at six goalies who not only take on what is arguably the toughest position in all of sports but does so under the influence of various challenges, including multiple sclerosis, diabetes and prosthetic limbs. Visit the website to view a trailer or sign up to receive an extended 10-minute trailer. You can also donate to help the making of the film. Proceeds will go to charities on behalf of the featured goaltenders.

Pen and Paper

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:15:32 -0800

There is something I’ve carried over from the corporate world that helps me stay focused and give attention to annoying quirks and bad habits that need remedy.

In my goalie bag side pocket I keep a notebook. After every game, I record skills I must improve. I write them as if I’m already doing them. For example, I keep my stick on the rink floor while I drop down for a shot.

Simple and pointed, writing an improvement to-do list is an important affirmation of doing better. This is nothing novel. If you watched the 2007 World Series, you saw Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling use this tactic during the games.

Last game I played, a puck got through my five-hole. Luckily, I felt it pinball against my pads, so I squeezed my feet together. The puck came to rest under my skates. Good thing I was playing at the top of my crease.

Good thing when I wasn’t, it was something I noted in my notebook.

Once you begin an improvement list, keep referring to it — the day of a game, at work, before you go to bed. Tack particularly nasty habits to your computer, on your bathroom mirror, on a doorframe you pass through each day. Each time you read them, visualize yourself performing the task. The more your to-do items become ingrained in action, the quicker you’ll be crossing them off your list.