Goaltender Myths
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"You have to have confidence in your ability to react to the puck while being in the right position and being set. If you can do that you will be confident." Ed Belfour |
THE
GOALTENDER’S JOB IS TO STOP THE PUCK
The goaltenders job is to keep the puck out of the net.
Stopping the puck is only one of the skills required to achieve success at the goaltending position.
The Goaltender must also communicate, be part of the transition, deflect passes, etc.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT Myth
Only perfect practice makes perfect. Practice smart, practice right and build strong habits.
If the habits we are working on are poor, then our response in the game will be poor.
Practicing hard is not good enough, practicing hard and right is the key. Work hard work smart.
In the average game the Goaltender will face approximately 20 to 40 shots, while in the average practice the Goaltender will face 200 shots or more. It therefore makes sense that the goaltender’s habits are built on the 200 or more repetitions in practice than the 20 or more faced in a game.
The goaltender must work diligently to do things correctly.
BEST
GOALIES USE THEIR POSTS TO CENTER THEMSELVES
The goaltender must be confident in their angle based on the forward view and preserving depth selection, using ice markings for help.
The goaltender should play center of the net position (i.e.: drawing a line from the puck to the goal line, center of the net, this line should dissect the goalie). The goalie confident in their angle calculates, for both depth and ice positioning, from the center of the net.
Using posts simply is a means of executing a routine, common to all athletes, movement patterns equals’ success.
The longer the attack, the easier it is to use posts
to find initial depth, as long as it does not compromise your positional
game.
The easier the save, the better chance for success and vice versa.
The goaltender should always try to simplify a play. The less you do the less that can go wrong.
Difficult saves are based on poor positioning or poor mobility. The puck should find and hit the goaltender, the goaltender shouldn’t have to find and move to the puck.
Three things may happen if the goaltender has improper position and has to move to the puck
Initial save may not be made.
If the save is made, there is a greater chance for a rebound.
If the save is made and it is desperate, recovery and position for possible rebound can be compromised.
A goaltender's game is based on mobility and precise edge control. Sharp skates will give the goaltender this control.
In order to be able to move in all directions the goaltender’s skates should be sharp enough to allow fast powerful movements and stops. The goaltender's feet should not slip.
Every goaltender is different finding the proper skate sharpness may take some experimentation.
GOALTENDERS SHOULD PLAY AGGRESSIVE Myth
There is a misconception that aggressiveness hinges on the goalie coming out and challenging the shooter.
Overly aggressive goaltenders may become locked into a singular path of movement that may encourage a loss of positional control.
Over aggression can complicate a possible save situation.
Excessive depth leads to excessive fades, thus weakening shot preparation and encouraging lateral feeds.
Be smart aggressive not reckless. Be aware of how far you have to come out to take away the net, coming out any further is not necessary.
Depth relies on the situation. The goaltender cannot play as aggressive in odd man situations as he can on even man situations. A medium depth takes away the shot and enables the goaltender to move laterally if required.
THE GOALTENDER SHOULD AVOID GOING DOWN Myth
In today’s game the goaltender spends as much time, sometimes more, down as they do on their feet.
Therefore the goaltender must have as much mobility on their knees as they do on the feet.
As a higher percentage of shots and goals are placed in the bottom third of the net, going down is often necessary and more logical.
Despite the possibility of a stand-up save, going down and cradling the puck, into the torso, allows the goaltender to control the rebound.
Timing is the key; the goaltender should not go down until the shot is released.
The problem stems from weak recovery, down to early
(predictable), or uncontrolled first save.
A poorly timed or unnecessary recovery, into the basic stance, can equal goals being scored. The key is to understand when a recovery is both possible and logical.
Quick rebounds, tight to the net may be better dealt with through calculated downward adjustments.
If the time it takes to recover takes longer than a
down adjustment, then time is better spent maximizing low net coverage
while down.
If the puck is controlled and the save made routinely this shouldn’t be a topic of concern. However this is not always possible.
A pop up recovery is preferred as this means that the initial save was made in a controlled manner and also enables the Goaltender the advantage of both inside edges.
In cases where a one-foot recovery is used, use the
outside foot, as this will be the foot used to push back laterally if
required.
IT
IS THE DEFENSEMAN'S
JOB TO CLEAR THE REBOUND
NO!!! The responsibility for the save and puck control falls to the Goaltender. Any other idea is ridiculous.
The defenseman’s job is to neutralize the man in front and give the goaltender the best opportunity to make the save and control the puck.
The puck is the sole responsibility of the goaltender. If the defenceman clears the puck, that is a bonus to the Goaltender.
If the goaltender assumes that the defenceman will control the rebound the goaltender may have a lack of motivation to work on that area.
The best Goaltenders
have tremendous rebound control.
G.A.A. IS THE BEST STAT TO MEASURE A GOALTENDER’S PERFORMANCE Myth
G.A.A. is more of a team statistic than a goalie statistic
All statistics must be considered, shots faced, scoring opportunities, save percentage, etc.
Good Stats do not always equal a good Goaltender.
As MTN will state numerous times, the goaltender must be a student of not only his game, but also the game in general. Well exposing himself to higher level goalie schools can help to better the goaltender’s game, it is an unfortunate occurrence that what the goaltender hears at the goalie school is not normally reinforced by his hockey coach.
The goaltender’s development must come from within. Many Coaches have developed their own philosophy on goaltending and use this philosophy to know what they like in a goaltender. Usually these views are not based on an understanding of the position but rather on evidence from their own history in the game.
The goaltender must believe strongly in his own process and approach yet still be respectful and open to the coach’s view.