Don Cherry, THE Coach

The Rules
Equipment
Skating
Stick Handling
Passing
Shooting
Face-offs
Defense
Checking
Goaltending
Fitness
Hockey Dictionary

Goaltending

This page is dedicated to the goaltenders and contains some things to bear in mind if you are considering taking up this position and also some tips for current goalies.

This page will discuss:

• What makes a good goalie?
• Basic skills, stance and movement
• Directing and Controlling Rebounds
• Game Situations

What makes a good goalie?

Before we get into the skills needed to excel between the pipes, we must first discuss what makes a good goaltender. Many believe that hockey players know hockey and no other sport. The truth is that players, especially goaltenders, need to be great overall athletes. To be able to quickly move from side to side, up and down in 40 extra pounds of pads as a rock-hard puck is fired in your direction at speeds of 100 mph., takes a special breed of player.

Skating Skills

Guy Hebert

The goalie must be one of the best skaters on the team. He or she must be able to move from side to side, up and down and back and forth with easy. In addition, goalies are out on the ice the entire 60 minutes of a hockey game and only get a break between periods. I would like to see a defenseman or forward do that.

Physical Strength

Those of you who have lugged around a bag of hockey equipment know that this stuff is heavy. But have you picked up a bag filled with goalie equipment? How about after game? Goalie equipment weighs about 40 lbs. dry and 50 to 60 lbs. seeped in sweat. For a player to make lightning quick saves while having to haul around that extra weight must be physically fit.

Reflexes

You may hear a goaltender being referred as having cat-like reflexes. But very few young players develop the proper goaltending instincts until they become quite older. However, you can hone those existing reflexes by practicing quickness drills such as "rapid fire." You may be familiar with this technique because most NHL teams perform this drill during pregame warm-ups. Have your teammates fire pucks in your direction as you quickly react to the oncoming puck and recover awaiting the next. If you practice this enough times, you will undoubtedly sharpen your skills.

Game Smarts

Martin Brodeur

Anticipation is a key element in the game of hockey. Whether you are a skating player or a goaltender, guessing what is going to happen throughout the course of a game will make you a better player. The more games you watch or play in, the better you will be able predict the actions of the opposing players and for that matter the puck. A good goaltender knows how to play the angles and handle rebounds. In addition, having the right temperament is very important for a goaltender. Goals are scored in hockey, this is one aspect of the game that is inevitable. You must be able to remain focused after one lights the lamp and not lose your head or blame your teammates for the goal.

Concentration

The mind of a goalie is as important as his/her physical attributes. One of the most important elements is concentration. It is very easy during a game to begin to focus on something else, especially when the puck is not in your end of the ice. If your mind has a tendacy to wander, maybe goaltending is not the position for you.

Courage The last skill, but certainly not the least, is courage. Goaltenders must be courageous. Think about it, for someone to voluntarily have a 5 1/2 oz. to 6 oz. rock-hard rubber object shot in their direction at about 100 mph. must either be crazy or brave. I vote the latter. The nice thing about playing goal is that the 40 lbs. of pads keeps us very well protected.

Goaltending Styles

Stand-up , Butterfly , and Inverted-V are the three goaltender styles that exist in hockey. All goaltenders fall into one of these categories. However, this does not mean that a stand-up style player will not dropped to his knees to stop a puck using the butterfly style. People often ask me which style is the best. Unfortunately, there is not one style that is good for all situations. The best advice is to try all three and decide for yourself which one you are most comfortable with.

Stand-up

Mike Richter

The stand-up style is good for those goalies who have good footwork with the ability to move from side to side. This style cuts down on goals scored between the five-hole and better for controlling rebounds. The downfall of this maneuver is that it leaves the lower corners of the net opened and since your body position is more straight up, it is more difficult to see shots through a screen. Stand-up style goaltenders in the NHL: Bill Ranford , Mike Vernon and Mike Richter

Butterfly

Tom Barrasso

The majority of goals scored in hockey come from shots along the ice. The butterfly style covers the entire lower part of the net along the ice by extending the pads outward much like a butterfly spreads its wings. What is doesn't prevent are shots to the top corners or shelf. Puckcarriers will often let butterfly style goaltenders make the first move and then shoot the puck to one of the top corners of the net. While this maneuver is great for deflections and screen shots, pad saves often create rebounds for the opposing team. Butterfly style goaltenders in NHL: Tom Barrasso , Jocelyn Thibault

Inverted-V

Grant Fuhr

The most unorthodox style of the three goaltender disciplines is the inverted-V. Goalies using the inverted-V style stand with their feet apart and knees together, creating what looks like an upside down letter "V." The drawbacks to the inverted-V is that the five-hole is left open and the wide stance prevents the goaltender from easily moving side to side because the outside edge of the skate blades are dug into the ice. However if your reflexes are sharp, this could be the style for you. Inverted-V style goaltenders in NHL: Ed Belfour and Felix Potvin

Basic skills, stance and movement

Now that you know what attributes are needed to be an outstanding goalie, let's go over the skills that will keep the lamp unlit and prevent the puck from tickling the twine.

Stance Equals Balance

To be a superior goaltender, one basic ability is necessary -- Balance . Balance is often spoken of but seldom properly taught through techniques or the goaltending stance. No matter what style the goaltender uses - standup, butterfly, and inverted-V - these guidelines can be put into practice.

Basic Stance

Shoulders , knees and toes should be in line with the derriere over the heels. This brings 60% of the weight on the toes, and 40% on the heels.

SHOULDERS are very important. If they are too far forward or hunched over too far, too much weight will be on the toes and thus the goaltender will end up on his/her knees. If the shoulders are too far back, too much weight will be on the heels, making the goaltender stand too erect and end up on his/her derriere. Keeping the chest expanded gives the ability to use the arms more easily (see Fig. 1)

KNEES are also very important in balance. They are often referred to as shock absorbers and this is exactly the principle used here. Without the knees bent, it is virtually impossible to get any power out of the legs, thus making lateral movement very weak.

TOES are kept under the shoulders and knees for balance. When a person goes to jump, the body coils up over the feet and then explodes upward. To keep in balance, the goaltender must keep the weight overtop of the feet.

Bent knees act as shock absorbers

Keeping your shoulders extending enable you to use your arms more easily

The toes are the foundation for a sound goaltending stance

HANDS OUT IN FRONT

Hands are kept out in front of the knees, comfortably off to the side of the body. The goaltender should be able to see the hands out of the bottom of his/her eyes when looking forward. I have come to the conclusion that hands properly positioned have a direct relation to the shoulders, knees, toes principle and thus improve balance drastically. If the goaltender always keeps the bodyweight over top of the feet, it is much easier to keep his/her balance and also to recoil or get back in position after making a save.

SHOULDERS should always be parallel to the ice, keeping the weight on both skates evenly. Keep shoulders level and in the same line during movement in the net.

GLOVE AND BLOCKER (both hands) should be kept forward, out to the side rather than in front of the knees.

KNEES "UNLOCKED" . At least a fist should fit between the knees.

FEET . Keep your weight evenly distributed on both feet. Your feet should be slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Both edges of the skate blade are on the ice using the inside edge slightly more. Don't "break" ankles.

STICK should positioned 4-5 out in front of the skates. In addition, the stick must be held firmly just above the thicker part of the stick. As the goalie makes plays, the stick be held more firm (see illustration below).

Grip the stick firmly just about the thicker part of the stick

Movement

The goaltender must be able to move both side to side and back and forth with easy. The two ways to move from goalpost to goalpost are with the "Parallel Shuffle" and the "Lateral T-Glide."

Parallel Shuffle

The Parallel Shuffle is used when there is a need to move slightly to your left or your right. This move is very effective for young players because it enables the goalie to remain square to the shooter without having to angling the pads to the side. As the goaltender grows in experience he/she can use a more gliding motion.

• Maintain the ready position stance at all times.
• Shuffle the feet to the right or the left by taking small choppy steps (see illustration below ).
• Once the lead leg reaches the desired point in the net, bring the trailer leg over.
• The stick should be used to cover the five-hole by following the lead leg to the side.
• Maintain your weight on the balls of your feet as you keep your shoulders square and back to the net.

Take short steps to the right or left for shorter distances

Lateral T-Glide

The maneuver to use when needing to move a greater distance in net is the Lateral T-Glide. This move is not recommend until the Parallel Shuffle is mastered because with the Lateral T-Glide the goaltender is turning the lead leg away from the play. This also requires better balance from the netminder in order to quickly regain the position between the pipes.

• Once again maintain the basic stance at the beginning of the movement as well the end.
• Do not "bob" or stand up during the glide.
• Turn your lead leg in the direction of the glide and push off with the inside edge of the other skate blade (see Fig. 4 ).
• The gliding will be done on only one skate blade.
• To stop, use the inside edge of both the lead and trailing leg.
• Do not forget to move the stick as the lead leg glides to the side.

Push off with the inside edge of the skate blade and glide with the other skate

As these movements are made, focus on not standing up and keeping the area between your legs covered. By "bobbing" up, you are not only taking yourself out of position but also out of balance. Also, the first place good shooters will look to put the puck is the five-hole. By covering that area with the stick, you are cutting off yet another shooting lane for the puckcarrier.

Moving Forward and Backward

Another important attribute for a goaltender to possess, is the ability to move forward and backward. The steps involved with both these maneuvers are quite similar to the ones discussed above with only slight differences. You may also hear people refer to this skill as "telescoping" because as you do with a camera lens, you are moving in and out to get a better look at the puck. To move forward simply push off with the inside edge of one skate blade as the other glides along the ice. Stopping is done by pointing your toes inward and apply pressure to the edges of the skates also known as "snowplowing" (see Fig. 5 ). The backward motion utilizing pushing off with the inside edge of the skate blades. The harder you push, the quicker the movement will be. Instead of using the "snowplow" to stop you should use what is known as an "inverse snowplow" - weight on the inside edges with toes facing outward.

Use the inside edges of the skate blades to move in and out as well as to stop

Directing and Controlling Rebounds

The first areas of the goaltending section, we have laid the ground work for what is ahead. And what's coming up is a discussion on making saves with stick, skates, pads and upper body. In addition, we will talk about the importance of playing your angles and the best ways to move laterally in the crease. If you are ready let's start taking some shots!

Directing and Controlling Rebounds

There is a lot more to making a save then simply keeping the puck out of the net - although that's the aspect of the position that gets the most headlines. Good goaltenders need to not only stop the puck but also move the rubber biscuit out of harms way. This is achieved by directing the puck away from attacking offensive players or preventing rebounds by smothering loose pucks.

Stick

• Keeps the knees bent. When the hands are brought back even with the knees, a goaltender tends to stand more erect.
• It is much easier to direct pucks with the blocker.
• The eyes naturally follow the puck to the blocker.
• Since the stick works in a semi-circle rather than a straight line, the semi-circle covers a much larger area. The sticks doesn't get caught up in the skates, thus it is easier to direct rebounds and control the pads in general.

Skates

Dominik Hasek

Here are two rules to follow for properly making skate/stick saves while maintaining your positioning after the save.

• Kick the lead leg to the side in an arc or semi-circle motion as you push off with the other leg.
• The shoulders stay over the knee of the "kicking" leg, with the inside shoulder directly over the knee. This keeps the weight evenly distributed so that the goaltender can pop up to his/her feet easily. By pushing the upper body toward the side, you get more extension thus making it possible to cover more of an area.

Stick/Skate

To incorporate both the stick and skate together is a practice in timing. Since the stick is 6-12 inches in front of the skates, the two come together and meet at the time of the puck's impact. At this time, direct the puck to where you want -- preferably towards one of the corners. A goaltender who uses only one (stick or skate) is not using all his/her "tools."

Pads

To direct and control rebounds with the pads, the knees must be bent forward directing the puck into the corner or preventing a rebound by covering up the puck after stopping the pad high shot. When the knee is bent forward in an exaggerated position, the puck deflects downward, to be covered up quickly.

Hands & Upper Body

Because your hands are out in front of you:

Patrick Roy

• Your eyes can follow the puck into the glove or blocker more quickly than can turning your head to follow the puck.
• You can much more easily bring your hands in to control rebounds off your upper body, cradling them much the way you would hold a baby.
• By geting your hands out in front of your body faster, you will prevent taking unnecessary shots off your body.

In controlling rebounds, the goaltender accomplishes many intangibles. The netminder makes things easier for the defensemen and frustrates the opposition. Most importantly the goalie doesn't give up the goaltender's arch nemesis, "the bad rebound," which is how most goals are scored.

Angles

This simply means deciding how you will play the oncoming shot and then having the mental discipline to carry out your plan. As a goalie progresses and as shooters become sharper, angles play a bigger role in success. Remember that a shooter aims for the center of an opening. The larger the corner given, the more chance of hitting the net. Next time you see the opposition constantly missing the net, credit the goalie for playing his/her angles correctly. For a young goalie, try to stay 6-12 inches outside the crease on shots. One of the most common problems in goaltending is the tendency to back into the crease, increasing the shooting area and decreasing the likelihood of making the save.

Lateral Movement

Other than moving across and staying up on your skates, there are two basic moves used for lateral movement. The butterfly is preferred because of being in control for rebounds and the ability to get back up to your feet quickly. However, in some cases when time is of the essence, the stacking the pads move is the quickest and most proficient.

Butterfly Pad Save

The butterfly pad saves is an effective tool for a goaltender to use when their is a lot of action in front of the net. This maneuver enables the netminder to cover a larger area of the crease by expanding the pads out to the side of the body. This is achieved by dropping to your knees and pointing your toes out, creating a V-shape with the goal pads. It is very important to keep the weight on the knees and the upper body in an upright position. Your upper body is all you will have to block the top corners of the net. The area between your legs or the five-hole is covered by placing the stick in an upright position about 3-6 inches out in front of the pads. The one disadvantage of this maneuver is that it is very difficult to control the puck after it hits the goal pads.

Stacking the Pads

This move is sometimes called the "desperation" slide, and that is what it should be used for. Here is a step by step instruction to properly master this move.

• T-push or slide your outside skate while pushing with the other skate.
• As the outside leg extends, the bottom leg curls underneath and behind becoming a "scoop" along the ice. This leg must be kicked hard to achieve the pad on pad result (see Fig. 6 ).
• As your legs straighten out, you're bent at the hips with your shoulders slightly facing downward. This is a very important since your feet will both rise off the ice and you'll end up on your back. Again, balance, or weight distribution comes into play. Many goalies can do the first two steps but without this third step this move more often than not turns out to be futile.
• Stretch out your arm on the ice and position the other arm above the stacked pads (see Fig. 7 ).
• Try to keep your eyes on the puck since it is easy to loss sight of the puck from this position. Try to cover any rebound and hope your defense show up to help you since you are now in a prone position.

Fig. 6 The bottom leg acts as a "scoop," swallowing up shots along the ice

Fig. 7 Stretch your glove hand out to cover the far side of the net

The best advice is to always stay on your feet when possible. But when that is not the case, these moves prove to be the best suited for quick lateral movement.

Game Situations

A Goalie's #1 Tool: the Stick

The stick is without a doubt a goalie's #1 tool. It can be used to deflect shots away to harmless corners, shoot the puck away from on-coming opponents, poke or sweep pucks away from the sticks of shooters cutting in, deflect passes from going through the crease and sometimes can be used as our balancing rod. All goaltenders should hold their stick at the shoulders (where the paddle meets the shaft) with their index finger down on the paddle slightly for better strength. One questionasked most is how big a paddle should be on the goalstick. Although there is no measurement to apply here, the paddle should allow the goalie's shoulders to remain level with the ice when in his/her stance, and the stick properly positioned between the skates about six to twelve inches in front.

Fig. 1 Grip the stick at the shoulder, allowing your stick to lay flat on the ice

Any puck passed through the crease is the goaltender's, any outside are the defense's. Keep the stick away from the middle of your skates and toward the passer. This cuts down his/her angle for passing as well as keeps you from inadvertently knocking the puck into your own net.

Use of the Stick

Rules for the Poke and Sweep Check

• It's an ambush. Never "show" your intentions by sliding your hand up your stick before you go. It's an all in one motion.
• Puckcarrier's head must be down. This one is obvious!
• Don't do it too often. Some goaltenders use this move so much that attacking players will wait for the goalie to make the first move.
• Go for the puck. If you miss the puck, hit the stick. Remember it's a lonely feeling being stretched out flat on the ice as you watch the puck go into an empty net.
• You must wait for the player to make his/her cut. It nots good to use these maneuvers when the player is skating straight in. Instead, the poke and sweep checks are better used when the player is cutting in from the wings because his/her head will likely be down. If you do not wait, the player can sidestep your check and put the puck into an unguarded net. It is very important, when talking about an aggressive move like this, to be patient and make your move quickly and at the right time.

There are three ways you can go down in the poke check.

• Flat out on your chest, head-first. Make sure your stick stays in control and you hit the puck.
• On both knees while keeping your upper body erect.
• Or the one I prefer, on one knee. Use the blocker side knee to get the fullest extension. You can easily get back to your feet, while keeping your eyes on the puck at all times.

It is said that patience is a virtue and when it comes to being aggressive with your stick, this saying is very appropriate.

Game Situations

Breakaways - The Most Exciting Play in Hockey If you asked 10 goalies how to play a breakaway you might very well get 10 different answers. Here are some skills thought to be the most effective means of stopping a breaking player.

• From the time the shooter picks up the puck until he/she hits the hash-marks, think nothing but shot, shot, shot...
• Move out so that you can have some momentum coming back. Keep your weight on both feet and don't swivel your hips. If the puckcarrier shoots or dekes to one side when your weight displacement is uneven you are in trouble.
• When the player hits the hash-marks, you should have your heels on the top of the crease.
• On a deke, go to the post rather than stretching across. This way the player will not be able to go around you and enables you to either use the butterfly or pad-stack to stop the puck.
• Keep your stick on the ice. Practice doing this. You will stop a lot of pucks heading toward the five-hole.

Those are the five basic points for stopping a breakaway. #3 is one of the most important and seldom taught. Many goalies are back so far in the net when the attacking player reaches the hash-marks that they are beaten easily. Again timing means so much. Timing can be gained through practice and mental discipline. Also, remember that there is more pressure on the shooter than the goaltender. To score he/she has to get the puck on net and also get it past you. This will help your psyche.

Odd Player Rushes Two-on-ones or three-on-ones, otherwise known as "odd player rushes," are second to breakaways as far as excitement. But as a goaltender, the most important attribute to have when defending breaks is to be patient. Do not make a move until the offensive puckcarrier makes the first one. On odd player rushes, the only player you need to be concerned about is the player with the puck. Be aware of the other attacking players but do not react to their presence. Remember you have help. The job of the lone defensive player is to cut off the passing lane. Now this is a bit more difficult on three-on-ones, but your job is to focus on the shooter. Come out to cut off the angle just as you would with even player rushes. If the pass gets through to the other attacking player, you need to quickly move over to cover the far side of the net. If the pass happens far away from the net, utilize the Lateral T-Glide to remain on your feet in anticipating a shot or a pass back to the other side of the ice. However, if the pass occurs in close to the crease, the best approach is the stacking the pads method, blocking the lower half of the net.

Fig. 5 Focus on the player with the puck, thinking shot until a pass is made

Fig. 6 Move to the far side of the net when the pass is made using the Lateral T-Glide or Pad Stacking

Screen Shots As a goaltender, you never want to lose sight of the puck at anytime on the ice. If this does happen, the key is to fight through the screen and stay low.

• Search for the puck.
• Keep the stick way out in front of your body.
• Crouch down low while keeping your balance.
• If you can help it, stay on your feet. Only drop down to the ice as a last resort.
• Stay out in front of the net, don't back in.

Deflections One of the more difficult plays to defend is the deflection. Not only do you need to be concerned about the initial shot but also the possible redirect from the player in the slot.

• Stay out away from the net and think "big."
• The best way to defend a deflection is to smother the puck
• Butterfly to block the lower half of the net and keep your upper body alert for deflections up high.
• Anticipate where the deflection is coming from and where it is going.

Tip-ins Goaltender should play tip-ins similar to that of the odd player rushes. Stay focused on the puckcarrier until the puck is given up. Be aware of the player parked at the side of the net but your first responsibility is to the player with the puck.

• Stand flush against the goalpost.
• Butterfly or stack the pads to stop the tip-in.
• Be aware of the player at the side of the net but don't overchallenge.

Wraparound Playmakers such as Wayne Gretzky like to work their magic behind the net. From this position, players can do one of two things. They can either look to pass the puck to a cutting teammate or try to wrap the puck in the side of the net. As a goaltender, you must be aware of all that is going on around you and anticipate what may happen.

• Look for the puck by taking a peek over your shoulder.
• Lateral T-Glide from post to post as the puck moves from each side.
• Turn the toe of your lead skate out towards the puck to prevent the puckcarrier from jamming the puck in off your skateblade.
• Place your stick ahead and off to the side of your body in an attempt to stop would-be goals or passes across the goalmouth.

It's much easier to have fun and enjoy goaltending when you understand a little more about the how-to's and why's of the meshed-men!

Click here to go back to the top of the page