
GOALTENDER RESPONSIBILITIES
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Most Knowledgeable hockey people place the Goaltender’s value at 60% or more to a team’s
success. Yet until the Goaltender starts scoring he can’t win you a hockey
game. The best a goaltender can do is give his team a chance to win.
However, a Goaltender playing poorly can definitely lose a game.
- Goaltenders must be mentally tough, confident, extremely
competitive, and willing to carry the weight of the team on their shoulders.
Accept all challenges that come your way and have a burning desire to make a
“Difference”.
- The goaltender must accept responsibility, handle pressure, and have a very tough
skin/psyche.
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Goaltending requires discipline. As the Goaltender cannot come to
the bench between shifts this requires self-discipline.
- Goaltending is 80% self -confidence. The Goaltender must be able
to withstand any event, which may chip away at self-assuredness or assaults the
ego.
- Focus. Be in the game and feel/control the tempo. The Goaltender
must achieve a calmness that allows their skills to be unaffected by outside
influences or distractions. A relaxed focused energy is needed.
- Being a goaltender requires the mastery of many skills. The
toughest skills are not physical but mental. It has been said that the mind is
the final frontier.
- Practice like you play.
- Understand team concepts such as power play breakout, fore check,
penalty kill, etc.
- Set goals: by period, by game, etc. be realistic in your goal
setting. No one ever made the NHL right out of novice.
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Goaltenders often receive undo blame for goals. As a result the
goaltender often tries to pass the blame onto a teammate. There are always at
least two mistakes on every goal, one by a teammate and one by the goaltender.
DON’T FINGER POINT, accept your responsibility.
- Goaltenders are needed to
cover up for their teammate’s mistakes. No mistakes, equals no need for the
goaltender. If you accept this responsibility your teammates will be more
willing to sacrifice for the goaltender.
- Look forward to, and anticipate mistakes. It is the mistakes that
enable the Goaltender to make a “difference”.
- It is the Goaltender’s responsibility to bail out the team when
things are not going well.
- If you give up a goal, accept it and move on.
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The main responsibility for the Goaltender is “KEEP THE PUCK OUT
OF THE NET”.