The Life of an NHL Goalie Coach

Article from NHL.com about goalie coaches at the NHL-level and their responsibilities totheir goalies as well as the team.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=406757&navid=DL|NHL|home

Sizing Goal Pads and the Pad Size Myth

Look around the rink anytime and you are bound to see kids of all ages wearing leg pads that are too large. Below is an article from Mike Vaughn with his thoughts on pad size,the myth larger pads are better and potential problems for goalies with pads too large. Original article found on Vaughn’s website (www.vaughnhockey.com).

Virtually every day we receive a question asking what size of pad should a goaltender wear. Even though there is a mathematical guide for fitting a goal pad, it is still a very personal decision as what a goaltenders likes plays an important part in any equipment decision.

Many of the popular trends are based on misconceptions and lack of proper information. The trend is for goaltenders to wear larger pads with large thigh rise areas. This trend is further promoted by what we all see many professional goaltenders wearing. The physical size of most professional goaltenders these days does dictate that they wear pads this large but this will not work well for most goaltenders. The fact is pads that are too large, especially in the thigh rise area, can cause many problems. Pads that are too tall interfere with skating. Also, while in a basic stance the tops of the pads hit together and cause the five hole to close slower. When going down to the ice, if the tops of the pads touch too soon, it pushes the knees farther apart causing stress to the groin area, thus making if more difficult to balance on the edges of the pads. On top of these facts, pads that are too large simply cause a goaltender to have to move more weight and mass causing slower reaction times. Several pro goaltenders have had nagging groin injuries and it is easy to relate this to wearing oversized goal pads. These types of problems are even more pronounced for a goaltender that is smaller. 

Why then have companies promoted pads with extremely tall thigh rise areas? Most pads made today have two base sizes, a 33″ and down and a 34″ and up. It then becomes a simple matter of adding to or taking away from the thigh area of a pad to make the size bigger or smaller. It is simply the least expensive way to deal with pad sizing as little cost is involved in tooling, testing and engineering. The best performance is going to come from products that fit the best. All Vaughn pads are made on a progressive scale created from actual anatomical measurements to provide the best fit for a person wearing a given size. At times it will still be necessary to have pads custom sized for a goaltender based on their leg measurements, as not all people are the same. A goal pad can even be slightly big with no detriment to performance if that is to a goaltender’s liking, but the idea of wearing pads overly extra large is not in the best interest of a goaltender’s performance but only a myth. The best performance from any product will always be found in equipment that is properly fit.

Saves of the Week (01.27)

Saves from last week’s NHL season including two saves from last Sunday’s All-Star Game including Tim Thomas’ overtime beauty.

Tokarski on Importance of Lateral Movement

For all of those goalies, particularly those who are “smaller,” who don’t think it is too important to work on your movement, Gold Medal winner of Team Canada from this year’s World Junior explains why.

In case you haven’t seen him, here’s a beauty from earlier this month while in net against Team USA.

Off Ice: The Iky Knee Drops

Another great off-ice drill courtesy of Alexander Goaltending for goalies. Important – quality of movement is prioritized over speed.

Off-Ice: The Tretiak Shuffle Drill

Great off-ice drill for goalies – The Tretiak Shuffle Drill courtesy of Alexander Goaltending.

Find Confidence Through Mental Imagery

Video of sports psychologist Adam Naylor on the importance of mental imagery for goaltenders to improve their play during games where they are struggling to gain confidence.

2009 Rocky Mountain Elite Goaltending Summer Camp Dates Announced

Quick note to all who have inquired about our camp as you make your summer plans, the 2009 Summer Camp will begin it’s ten-week sessions on June 3. Sessions are being held on Wednesdays from 4.35 pm – 7.05 pm and will end August 12 at the Ice Ranch. There will be no session July 1.

More concrete details will be released shortly.

NCAA Goalie Records 95 Saves in One Game

And you think your defense is terrible….

Division III Northland goalie Daniel McIntosh breaks NCAA record for making 95 saves in a 4-0 loss to Adrian last Friday night. 95 SAVES.

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/28822912/

The Evolution of the Goaltender

Great article from Mark Janzen on how the game of goaltending has changed in the last 20 years. Text taken from Hockey Now (Alberta Edition).

Since the 1980s, the goaltending position has been drastically revolutionized.

Gone are the days of the Grant Fuhr and Kirk McLean stand-up style of netminding where the curriculum focused much more on reflexology than arithmetic.

Today’s goaltending style from the NHL to the grassroots focuses far more on fundamentals and positioning than their reflexes.

With the crash-the-net, heavy traffic style of offence encouraged, to be a successful goalie, you have to get down, calculate how much area you still need to account for and make yourself as big as possible.

“The butterfly is a system to be most effective in making a save. It’s the most effective way to defend traffic, screens and tips,” said former NHL goaltender Andy Moog who is now the Dallas Stars’ director of player development and part-time goalie coach. “Play the percentages and see if they can find the corners up top. People and bodies and lack of vision require the goaltender to be prepared to get down on his knees and take the bottom…and middle away.

“The one strategy or fundamental that applies more now is that the offence comes to the net far different than it used to…In many instances, you won’t be able to use your reflexes to make a save. It’s going to be a blocking save and I’d say that’s more evident now than ever before. There’s fewer and fewer times you can use your reflexes. You need to be in position to allow the puck to hit you.”

Take a look at the great goalies of the wheeling and dealing era and you might mistake them for Buffalo’s Ryan Miller with street hockey pads. There simply wasn’t much in the way of bulk. The pads were more of a protective feature, rather than the massive puck-stopping tools they are now.

“If you take clips of games from then to now, size is the obvious factor. It’s unbelievable. I saw pictures of myself in 1998 and I saw pictures of myself in 1980 and I’m twice as big a goalie.”
“I think there’s excesses. The glove has far more blocking purposes than protection required. There’s very little in terms of protection in regards to the mitt itself. It’s just a blocking tool.”

But goalies’ inflation has not just been because of expanding equipment. Today’s NHL goalies are physically much bigger.

In the 1980s, goalies didn’t have to be big. Because they weren’t going down to their knees frequently, standing taller than six feet wasn’t necessary. Goalies like Moog, Mike Vernon and John Vanbiesbrouk were all 5 -9, Billy Smith was 5-10 and Grant Fuhr and Tony Esposito were 5-11.

In comparison, the stars of today’s goaltending universe are Roberto Luongo – 6-3, Martin Broduer – 6-2, Miikka Kiprusoff – 6-1 and Henrik Lundqvist – 6-1. Apparently, between the pipes, size does matter.

“I would say there’s an emphasis on the taller goalies right now and the equipment is bigger…out of simple mathematics [and] the way the puck comes to the net. [Dallas goalie] Marty Turco might be the fastest goalie in the game but he doesn’t get to use those skills all the time because he’s stuck in these traffic jam-ups and block, block, block type of games.”

On top of the style, size and look of goaltenders, they have also spawned success because they learned the value of training.

Young goalies used to be thrown into the crease largely because they couldn’t skate. But now, the strong athletes are voluntarily becoming vulcanized rubber stoppers.

“Bigger, stronger, better athletes are playing goal and as a result, they’re doing more in the position.”

And these phenomenal athletes are working at their craft from an early age. The off-ice training has become specific for goalie’s needs and there’s likely not a goalie in the NHL without a personal coach for the off-season. The Allaire brothers, Francois and Benoit, have now become household names for the great work in developing netminders like Patrick Roy and Roberto Luongo. Good luck naming another goalie coach from the 80s.

And with NHL starters often playing between 65 and 75 games a year, plus playoffs, goalies with the Gump Worsley body-type can’t keep up.

“[A goalie like Dominik Hasek] trains like a marathon runner. He just has endurance and stamina beyond all others and I really believe this really allows him to play the position as well as he does for as long as he does. We spend a lot of time on cardio, emphasising stamina and endurance,” said Moog.

This athleticism is also a valuable asset because of the sway towards puck-moving goalies. While Ron Hextall and his 34-point career proved the worth of this skill, current goalies like Turco, Martin Brodeur and Rick Dipietro have taken the skill to new heights.

“[Turco] ruins forechecks more than any other player on the ice. You can’t make a poor dump against the Dallas Stars. He’s forced the opposition to make good dumps. He can recover pucks because he’s quick and athletic and skates well. He’s [gutsy] back there. He makes plays others wouldn’t even consider.”

And as young puck-moving goalies become commonplace, prospects are developing a complete package that was never seen at such a young age.

“I think because the fundamentals weren’t as prevalent in young goaltenders [thirty years ago], it was easy to identify character because they had a never die, never give up on a play attitude. You see that less and less because there’s so many good fundamentals.”

But while talk of positioning and math may make goalies appear formulaic, ultimately success is largely garnered from the development between the ears. With the pressure on today’s goalies, mental fatigue has become unacceptable. In the high-scoring 80s, a team could recover from one or two bad goals per game, but now that kind of performance will quickly get you a seat on the bench. In the current NHL, allowing even three goals is basically lights out, game over, so you’d better be mentally prepared.

The position of goaltending has evolved greatly and will continue to do so, but with the modern style, if you do your calculations correct, the amount of open net will be so small, players will have to score an A+ just to have a hope of find