Monday, December 10, 2007

A goalie's dream - SHUTOUT


OK, I don't usually brag, but tonight I earned my first shutout in about 2 years and only the second in the 8 season history of our adult league (JFFHL), which we run on Sunday nights. Our league is NOT goalie friendly, as the average GAA is about 8.00 (even the former Jr. 'A' goalie is around 8) , so they are very few and far between. I get asked all the time if I still play, damn right I do. I may be older and fatter, but I'm a goalie and I love to play and not just oldtimers...

One of my players, who has been in our league for about 4 seasons, said it was the best game he has ever seen me play! "Thank you" but I'm sure I have played better (when I was younger and quicker), but this sure felt good! I had a pretty easy first half with only a few shots, but for the final 40 minutes the other team played with one extra man on the ice, so I saw a fair bit of rubber (about 20 shots) and, if I don't say so myself, made some good saves. The best in a situation I was just teaching a student this week at our Year Round Training Centre.

A player cut across the crease on a breakaway, I slid across and made the save but the rebound got tapped back and was sitting mid crease with me waaayyyyout of position. As I looked at the puck I saw a player was going to shoot it into the empty net, so I did the desparation thing, but I knew exactly what my plan was. I waited until just before he hit the puck with his stick and I threw my blocker and stick toward the puck, he hit it, it hit my blocker, which was the only thing in the net, and bounced over the goal. SAVE!!!

As I said, I was teaching this exact play to a goalie student this week. The key is never to give up on anything and to always throw something in front of a loose puck when a player is about to shoot, look at Hasek, as ugly as his style is, he isn't lucky folks, he knows exactly what he doing. Reach out, put 'something, anything' as close to the puck as you can and do it at the last moment. You'll make a lot of saves that other goalies can't or won't because they either don't know this desparation technique or they simply give up - DON'T EVER GIVE UP!

So today I can smile because I am a goaltender and a goalie with a shutout is a happy goalie!!!

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