Pre-Game Preparation

“ Having a routine that you can just slip into at the rink can create a stress free bubble.”
Eddie Belfour

Game day preparation is all about getting your body and mind ready to perform. Most young goaltenders will do all they can to train and hone their physical skills to play the position but pay little attention to pre-game preparation.

Goaltenders will rely on the pre-game skate for their game preparation not understanding that the pre-game skate is just that- a pre game skate. Most pre game skates do not properly prepare the goaltender for the game. Often rapid-fire drills are used in the warm up leaving the goaltender no time to read the release and finish the save. Therefore the goaltender must take control of how and what they need to do in the pre-game.

Developing routines off the ice and on the ice are an effective way to prepare for the game.  Pre-game routines will take the goaltender’s body through a series of stages that lead up to the game. Be patient, it takes time to develop routine that will work for you, however they are worth establishing.

Dressing for the rink

Most high-level teams will have a dress code. Dressing for the rink is the start of the goaltender’s mental preparation for the game. While your thoughts may have swayed to and from the game during the day, this is where you start focusing and preparing for the game.

At the rink and getting ready

The most important part of the game day preparation is done at the rink. What is done before getting to the rink is important, but what the goaltender does and how they prepare physically and mentally from this point on will have a bigger impact on performance than most other things.

In the Locker room 

Lay out and check your equipment. Is everything accounted for? Are adjustments needed?

Make sure sticks are taped and skates are sharp.

Nutritional Considerations. Does the goalie need liquids? Is an energy bar preferred?

Warm up and stretching. Most pre games do not properly prepare the goalie for the game. The responsibility to be physically and mentally ready lies with the goaltender. Things to consider are drills that work on, hand eye co-ordination, foot speed, flexibility and any drills that will help the goaltender to feel loose and ready.

The goaltender must decide on what drills and skills they want to work on when on the ice. Plan these warm-ups with a teammate or coach.

  Set or review your goals (by shift, every five minutes, by period, for game).

On the ice

Implement the on ice drills and skills (i.e.: net orientation), set a time line and move from one to the next without confusion.

Developing a plan for the goaltender

a)     Identify what the goaltender is already doing.

b)     Ask what the most important things are that the goaltender needs to work on in order to get ready. Add or subtract based on effectiveness

c)      Put them in a logical order.

General guidelines