2011 Reebok Challenge Questions – Week III – ANSWERS

Question 1 – According to on-ice instruction, when a goaltender is dropping down using a paddle-down movement to the direction of the post closest to his blocker hand, what vital thing most he remember to do with blocker hand as he is coming across the goal line?

Answer – when dropping down to the paddle down at the blocker-hand post, the goalie must keep his hand out (away from the net) enough so the end of the stick does not get tangled-up in the net.

Question 2 – According to on-ice instruction, which leg should a goalie use to get back to his feet when the puck is closest to his blocker-hand?

Answer – When the goalie needs to get back to their feet, the opposite leg from the position of the puck should be used so in the question’s example, the goalie should use the leg on his catcher-side. Note – some of you answered “left leg” – that does not adequately answer the question since which hand the goalie’s blocker is on was not included within the question.

Question 3 –    According to on-ice instruction, in relation to goaltending, what is “angle?”

Answer – this could have been stated numerous ways but generally points were awarded if the answer included the angle is an imaginary line from the puck to the center of the net.

Question 4 – According to on-ice instruction, when the puck is below the goal line at the side-of-the-net to the goalie’s glove hand, where should the goalie place the heel of his stick as he stands against the post?

Answer – When puck is below the goal line to the goalie’s glove hand, the heel of the stick should be placed on the outside of the goalie’s foot closest to the post.

Question 5 – According to on-ice instruction, what are the three things a goaltending must do to properly execute a butterfly slide?

Answer – Look for the puck and where you need to move, Move (or rotate) the Hands, and then drop your lead Leg and push off you’re the leg you plant with.

Question 6 – According to on-ice instruction, why should goalies tie knots in the skate laces on leg pads used to anchor the skate into the pad?

Answer – Tying the knots in the skate laces anchoring the pads creates separation between the skate and pad allowing the pad to shift away from the ice during butterfly or power slides preventing the pad from interfering with the push.

Question 7 – Accordingly to on-ice instruction, what part of the skate blade does a goaltender push-off to execute a correct power slide?

Answer – the toe of the skate. Allows for better accuracy and power.

Question 8 – According to on-ice instruction, if a goalie has too long of a paddle on his stick, what problem does it create in a butterfly position?

Answer – too long of a paddle creates a large hole between the arm and body when the goalie executes the butterfly position and, like we say, if there is a hole, the puck will find it….

Question 9 – According to on-ice instruction, when should a goalie use knee shuffles?

Answer – knee shuffles should be used when the puck is in close to the goalie’s body and the goalie must improve his angle.

Reebok Challenge Questions – Week III

Please read the questions below and provide answers via email (elitegoaltending@yahoo.com) before 8.00 am Monday  August 1st. Total of 15 points available towards winning the Reebok Challenge unless answers turned in late. If turned in later than 8.00 am Monday but before answers are posted (Tuesday evenings), a maximum of 10 points will be awarded. Questions turned in after answers are posted receive no points.

Question 1 – According to on-ice instruction, when a goaltender is dropping down using a paddle-down movement to the direction of the post closest to his blocker hand, what vital thing most he remember to do with blocker hand as he is coming across the goal line? (2 Points for Correct Answer)

Question 2 – According to on-ice instruction, which leg should a goalie use to get back to his feet when the puck is closest to his blocker-hand? (1 Point for Correct Answer)

Question 3 –    According to on-ice instruction, in relation to goaltending, what is “angle?” (2 Point for Each Correct Answer)

Question 4 – According to on-ice instruction, when the puck is below the goal line at the side-of-the-net to the goalie’s glove hand, where should the goalie place the heel of his stick as he stands against the post? (2 Points for Correct Answer)

Question 5 – According to on-ice instruction, what are the three things a goaltending must do to properly execute a butterfly slide? (1 Point for Each Correct Answer – Total of 3 Points)

Question 6 – According to on-ice instruction, why should goalies tie knots in the skate laces on leg pads used to anchor the skate into the pad? (2 Points for Correct Answer)

Question 7 – Accordingly to on-ice instruction, what part of the skate blade does a goaltender push-off to execute a correct power slide? (1 Point for Correct Answer)

Question 8 – According to on-ice instruction, if a goalie has too long of a paddle on his stick, what problem does it create in a butterfly position? (1 Point for Correct Answer)

Question 9 – According to on-ice instruction, when should a goalie use knee shuffles? (1 Point for Correct Answer)

2011 Reebok Challenge Questions – Week II – ANSWERS

Question 1. How many NHL regular season wins did Chris Osgood finish with? What place did he finish on the NHL’s all-time wins list for goalies?

Answer – Osgood finished with 401 NHL regular season wins which places him 10^th all-time in the NHL goaltender wins list.

Question 2. Acording to a post on this blog, Chris Osgood said goalies should “focus on the proper things.” During games, what does that mean? During practice?

Answer – Osgood’s “focus on proper things” means, during games, goalies need to focus on being prepared before games, making saves and playing to the best of their ability. Additionally, he says goalies can’t worry about things they cann’t control such as the fans, referees, poor play of teammates. As for practice, the goalie’s focus should be improving all parts of their game. Link – https://elitegoaltending.wordpress.com/2008/05/26/quotes-from-osgood-all-young-goalies-should-memorize/

Question 3. According to a post on this blog, Chris Osgood was able to stay in the league for two reasons. What were they?

Answer – Osgood was able to prolong his career by a commitment to hard work and his willingness to learn new techniques (he incorporated the butterfly into his “stand-up” method of playing net). Link – https://elitegoaltending.wordpress.com/2008/05/09/lessons-from-ozzy/

Question 4. When a goaltender is making a save with the chest, which of the following should the goalie do to control the puck?

a. Suck in Gut

b. Roll Shoulders Forward

c. Trap the Puck at the Waist

d. All of the Above

Answer – All of the Above. Whenever the goalie is making a save with the chest, the shoulders must be rolled forward while sucking in the gut (creates space between back of chest protector and body causing a cushion) while the glove moves to the waist to cradle the puck that is falling down the body due to the cushion.

Question 5. Dan Blackburn became the starting goaltender of the New York Rangers as an 18 year-old during the 2001 season. On a blog post, he gave five reasons why it is critical for goalies to work on the mental part of their game. Of the five, list two reasons and provide a short one-sentence explanation of each.

Answer – Reasons are – Increased Consistency, Improved Focus, Increased Confidence, Coming Back from Injury, and Find the Zone.  After listing two from the list, goalies had to add sentence of explanation of each. Link – https://elitegoaltending.wordpress.com/2008/07/26/blackburn-on-the-mental-game/

Question 6. True or False – It is vital for goalies to always have sharp skates.

Answer – True. Goalies must have sharp skates to play in today’s game.

Question 7. From on-ice instruction, when a goalie is facing the puck in the high slot and there is a “back-door” scoring threat, what part of the player standing “back-door” does the goalie have to pay particular attention to in determing how close to the top-of-the-crease they can position themselves?

Answer – Goalies must pay attention to the stick of the player standing back door. The closer the stick is to the goal line, the less aggressive the goalie can be in their positioning.

MA Fleury’s Mask for 2011-12

Saw this at a great goalie website InGoal Magazine (ingoalmag.com): picture of what MA Fleury in Pittsburgh will be wearing this coming season. Looks like Fleury is going with an evolution of the theme he used last year. Nice looking mask – love the chin with the number.

Reebok Challenge Questions – Week II

Please read the questions below and provide answers via email (elitegoaltending@yahoo.com) before 8.00 am Monday July 25th. Total of 15 points available towards winning the Reebok Challenge unless answers turned in late. If turned in later than 8.00 am Monday but before answers are posted (Tuesday evenings), a maximum of 10 points will be awarded. Questions turned in after answers are posted receive no points.

With the retirement of Chris Osgood today, a few questions pertaining to him-

Question 1. How many NHL regular season wins did Chris Osgood finish with? What place did he finish on the NHL’s all-time wins list for goalies? (1-point for each correct answer – 2 Total Points)

Question 2. Acording to a post on this blog, Chris Osgood said goalies should “focus on the proper things.” During games, what does that mean? During practice? (2-points for each correct answer – 4 Total Points)

Question 3. According to a post on this blog, Chris Osgood was able to stay in the league for two reasons. What were they? (1-point for each correct answer – 2 Total Points)

Question 4. When a goaltender is making a save with the chest, which of the following should the goalie do to control the puck? (1 -point for correct answer)

a. Suck in Gut

b. Roll Shoulders Forward

c. Trap the Puck at the Waist

d. All of the Above

Question 5. Dan Blackburn became the starting goaltender of the New York Rangers as an 18 year-old during the 2001 season. On a blog post, he gave five reasons why it is critical for goalies to work on the mental part of their game. Of the five, list two reasons and provide a short one-sentence explanation of each. (1-point for each reason and 1-point for each explaination – 4 Total Points)

Question 6. True or False – It is vital for goalies to always have sharp skates. (1-point for correct answer)

Question 7. From on-ice instruction, when a goalie is facing the puck in the high slot and there is a “back-door” scoring threat, what part of the player standing “back-door” does the goalie have to pay particular attention to in determing how close to the top-of-the-crease they can position themselves? (1-point for correct answer)

2011 Reebok Challenge Questions – Week 1 – ANSWERS

Question 1 –  How many Colorado Avalanche goalies have won the Conn Smythe Trophy (NHL playoff MVP) at sometime in their career?

Answer: Two goalies who have been part of the orgnaization have won the Conn Smythe Trophy. Patrick Roy (1986, 1993 and 2001) and newly acquired J.S. Giguere ( 2003)

Question 2 – True or False – It’s necessary for all goalies, when facing a shot, to watch the puck all the way into their body.

Answer: True. Goalies must keep their eye on the puck from shot release all the  way into their body. In addition to increasing chance for the correct save movement and save, the goalie is better prepared for any rebound if the puck is not controlled.

Question 3 – When a goalie is square at Position 2 (7-Point System covered on-ice during first session) and needs to move to Angle Position 7 with no threat of a shot, which goalie-specific movement does he use?      

Answer: When moving longer distances through the crease, the goalie should use T-Pushes.

Question 4 – Which of the following NHL goalies never won the Hart Trophy for the NHL’s Most Valuable Player in a regular season?

Answer: Patrick Roy. Although he is arguably the best goalie to ever play the game, he never won the MVP of the regular season, known as the Hart Trophy. The closest he came was the 1991-92 season when Mark Messier won the trophy.

Question 5 – In the blog post “How Things Can Change Quickly for Goalies – Lesson from the NHL for Younger Goalies” the goalie situation in Nashville was discussed and there were three steps listed each goalie can take to avoid becoming being benched. What are they?            

Answer : The three steps goalies can take to avoid getting benched are:  understanding hard work is only road to success, never take anything for granted, and work to improve every day.

Question 6 – The current trend in goalie gear is for goalie pads to be predominately white. What is the thinking behind this?

Answer: the current trend for predominately white pads is due to they tend   to make the goalie look larger because they blend into the ice and boards as the shooter takes a quick look at the net.

Question 7 – What do all goalies, from U8 through the NHL, need to work on every time they are on the ice?

Answer: Movement. Every goalie from beginner through the NHL needs to work on different aspects of movement every practice.

Question 8 – Who was the first American-born goalie to be selected #1 in the NHL draft?(1-Points for Correct Answer)

Answer: Rick DiPietro in the 2000 NHL draft.

Question 9 – When a goalie is square to Angle Position 2 and needs to move to #3 (7-Point System), which goal-specific movement is used?

Answer: Shuffle. Any time goalies need to make small movements while on  their feet, shuffles are the best option.

Question 10 – In the 7-Point System, what two on-ice markings do Positions 2 and 6 line-up with?  Position 4? 

Answer: Positions 2 and 6 line-up on the defensive zone face-off dots.  Position 4 lines up with center ice face-off dot.

Question 11 – According to the Dan Blackburn article republished on the blog, what separates greatness in goaltending from mediocrity? 

Answer: Mental game is what separates goalies (particularly the ability to deal with adversity). Even more important than the athletic and technical aspects of the position, the mental portion is what makes or breaks most goalies.

Question 12 – True or False – Whenever a goalie is practicing his movement on the ice without facing shots, it really doesn’t matter whether the gloves are positioned correctly since there is no chance of making a save?            

Answer: False – Gloves must always be positioned correctly during movement regardless of facing shots. It’s a habit the goalie must adopt but many, particularly younger, do not (that changes at this camp).

Price Working on His Gloves – Example of How It Should Be Done

In today’s NHL, there is no better techincally perfect goaltender than Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens. No one is better…

In light of Thursday’s on-ice session where we worked on controlling the puck with both catcher and blocker, I thought I would post two video sessions of Price in practice for the goalies to observe.

Catcher-

Blocker

Few simple, yet vital, things to watch for as Price makes saves with both gloves-

1. Knees remain bent

2. Gloves are in-front of his body

3. Price watches the puck from shot release into his gear to where he has deflected to.

With regards to the blocker, notice he is simply rotating his wrist to the right and each puck is deflected into the corner. By just allowing the puck to make contact with the blocker while simply rotating the wrist eliminates a potential rebound and scoring opporuntity.

Moving on to playing games, below are two glove saves by Price that are remarkable-

Those are awesome but not sure they are as good as the save below which may be the best save in the history of the game…. holy moly this is amazing (particuarly since it was made in the pre-season against the Wings three years ago)…

2011 Reebok Challenge Questions – Week 1

Please read the questions below and provide answers via email (elitegoaltending@yahoo.com) before 8.00 am Monday July 18th. Total of 15 points available towards winning the Reebok Challenge unless answers turned in late. If turned in later than 3.00 Friday but before answers are posted, a maximum of 10 points will be awarded. Questions turned in after answers are posted receive no points.

Question 1 –  How many Colorado Avalanche goalies have won the Conn Symthe Trophy (NHL playoff MVP) at sometime in their career? (1-Point for Correct Answer).

1. 1
2. 2
3. 4
4. None

Question 2 – True or False – It’s necessary for all goalies, when facing a shot, to watch the puck all the way into their body. (1-Point for Correct Answer)

Question 3 – When a goalie is square at Position 2 (7-Point System covered on-ice during first session) and needs to move to Angle Position 7 with no threat of a shot, which goalie-specific movement does he use? (1-Point for Correct Answer)

1. T-Push
2. Shuffle
3. Slide across the crease feet first
4. Whatever it takes – as long as the goalie gets there who cares?

Question 4 – Which of the following NHL goalies never won the Hart Trophy for the NHL’s Most Valuable Player in a regular season? (1-Point for Correct Answer)

1. Dominic Hasek
2. Jacques Plante
3. Patrick Roy
4. Roy Worters

Question 5 – In the blog post “How Things Can Change Quickly for Goalies – Lesson from the NHL for Younger Goalies” the goalie situation in Nashville was discussed and there were three steps listed each goalie can take to avoid becoming being benched. What are they? (1-Point for Each Correct Answer – 3 Total Points Available)

Question 6 – The current trend in goalie gear is for goalie pads to be predominately white. What is the thinking behind this? (1-Points for Each Correct Answer)

Question 7 – What do all goalies, from U8 through the NHL, need to work on every time they are on the ice? (1-Point for Correct Answer)

1. Butterfly Slides
2. Stickhandling
3. Movement
4. Handling Screen Shots

Question 8 – Who was the first American-born goalie to be selected #1 in the NHL draft?(1-Points for Correct Answer)

Question 9 – When a goalie is square to Angle Position 2 and needs to move to #3 (7-Point System), which goal-specific movement is used? (1-Point for Correct Answer)

1. T-Push
2. Shuffle
3. Slides across the crease feet first
4. Whatever it takes – as long as the goalie gets there who cares?

Question 10 – In the 7-Point System, what two on-ice markings do Positions 2 and 6 line-up with?  Position 4? (1-Point for Each Correct Answer – 2 Total Points Available)

Question 11 – According to the Dan Blackburn article republished on the blog, what separates greatness in goaltending from mediocrity? (1-Point for Correct Answer)

Question 12 – True or False – Whenever a goalie is practicing his movement on the ice without facing shots, it really doesn’t matter whether the gloves are positioned correctly since there is no chance of making a save? (1-Point for Correct Answer)

Off Ice Training Exercises for Goaltenders

Video from Revolution Athlete going over three exercises specific for goaltending.

The Importance of Stick Placement

Goalies of all ages, including in the NHL, can be sloppy with their stick placement on breakaways and other attacks at the net. Keeping the stick between the legs, known as the 5-hole, is a very simple concept but is hard to execute properly on a consistent basis.

The video below is a great review of the importance stick placement. The narrator (known as, apparently, the “Goalie Guru”), although a tad bit sanctimonious in criticizing Roberto Loungo, has several great points in explaining a skill many goalies, including NHL, struggle with.

As we always say on the ice with our goalies, the importance of stick placement cannot be stressed enough. Make it a habit to lead with the stick and cover the 5-hole. Your movement around the net will improve as will your save percentage. As with everything else, details matter!