What it takes to be a goalie...
Anyone can strap on a pair of pads and call themselves a goalie. However, goalies are unique individuals. We have our own way to get dressed, our favorite stick height, weight and curve. We have spent countless hours figuring out the way we like our pads strapped and our pants tied. Some like chest protectors tucked in, some like them hanging out. Some of us wear suspenders, some don't. Some wear suspenders over our chest protectors. There are millions of different things that make a goalie unique but there are some keys that all goaltenders must possess in order to be successful at the position.
Tenants for today's goalie:
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Mental Control...Today's goaltender must be under control at all times. Keeping a cool head when the game is on the line and staying focused after you let in a goal whether good or bad will determine whether or not the next shot goes in or you make the save. You may want to get angry when a shot goes in but you can't. Your job is to maintain focus to stop the next shot that comes your way. You are only as good as your last save you've made. No one cares about the awesome 2 on 0 you stopped if at the end of the game you let in 10 bad goals. However this does happen and it has happened to the best goalies in the world. To be a consistently successful goalie you need to understand a few things. It's just a game. No one will live or die based on the outcome(this alone should help you maintain calmness.) You will not stop every shot, but you have to do everything you can to try to. Your teammates are counting on you to bail them out when they make mistakes. You do not score goals and you do not play defense. Just because your team lost doesn't mean you were bad or didn't do your job. You are in an individual position on a team sport. Your mistakes go up on the scoreboard for everyone to see. No one else on the ice has that burden. The position of goaltender must be played with a consistent intense calmness.
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Focus.....Focus on the puck, focus on the players with the puck, focus on the players without the puck, focus on your team, and do your best to play out scenarios in your head while the play is developing in front of you. Being focused means your not thinking about lunch, your not thinking about homework, your not thinking about your girlfriend or boyfriend. It means you are in the moment thinking only about what is happening in front of you. Ice Hockey is too fast of a sport for you to have other thoughts in your head while playing the game. Most bad goals happen because the goalie was not focused on stopping the puck, not because of a lack of skill. To be consistently great you must have the ability to block everything out of your mind while playing. You must block out the last goal, the fan yelling at you, the forward on the other team that just told you he's going to light you up and sometimes you must block out your own teammates.
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Confidence...You work hard at perfecting the art of being a goalie. There are specific movements and techniques that have taken you years to acquire. You go to goalie camps and clinics to acquire the skill and knowledge needed. Have faith in the hard work you have put in. The harder the work the greater success you will enjoy. If the other team is lucky enough to score a goal, look at that forward and tell him he got lucky.
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Over-Confidence...Don't think because you made the last save you will make the next one. Don't think because you stopped the last 5 breakaways you will stop the next one. Don't think because you won the last game against a team that the next time you play them will be easy. The Miracle on Ice didn't occur because the US Hockey Team was better than the Russians. It happened because in their previous meeting the Soviets won 10-3. The next time the two teams met the Soviets weren't as focused and the American hockey players were a completely focused team. The pride of the Americans made them determined to not be embarrassed again. The over confidence of the Russians allowed them to let their guard down. This dynamic plays out in sports all the time. It's difficult to win when the expectation that you will win is present. Expect every game will be the toughest you will ever have to play. There is a reason the game is played. Every time you step out on to that ice, every time a shot is taken there is a new opportunity to win or lose.
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Physical Control...80% of the saves you make will be a result of your fundamentals. Fundamentals make the position easy and fun. They will also keep you from getting injured. Having the perfect depth and angle, getting both knees on the ice, keeping your stick between your legs, using your stick to direct rebounds away from trouble and into the corner, keeping your glove up and open, the placement of your blocker hand and glove hand, how wide your feet are when moving around the net vs. setting up for a shot, foot or pad placement against the post, your shuffle vs. your t-push, the speed of your recovery after a save, your ability to maintain your balance recover with one leg and push off to make a second or third save all while maintaining stick and hand position while watching the puck are just a few of the physical things a goalie must perfect in order to be consistently great. The only way to get all of these things right is to constantly practice with repetitive drills. Even your favorite NHL goaltender practices what seems like mundane repetitive fundamentals every day. When your fundamentals breakdown pucks go in the net. There is no worse feeling than reading the play correctly getting your body in position and then letting a goal squeak between your legs because your stick wasn't there.
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Conditioning...Stamina will be your savior or Achilles heel. In the third period, in overtime, your stamina will determine your success. When your legs are as fresh at the start of overtime as they were at the beginning of the game you will excel. Not being physically tired will allow you to maintain your confidence and the ability to be focused and mentally alert.