Luongo's problem

Let's set the record straight; Roberto Luongo is one of the best goaltenders in the world, top 3 in my opinion. So why each time he comes into a 'must win' situation does he lose?

.....Olympics aside, he played well enough, but didn't 'steal' any games and had an incredible team effort to pull out the win. This also isn't about the Chicago series, because the Canucks tanked as a team, not his fault, but he played for poorly all but one of the last 5 games of the series and should have stopped 2 or 3 of the goals in game 7, when it most counted.

This is about his overall career and the same issue that comes up year after year. This is about 'his J-O-B in the NHL, where is is paid a huge sum of money to win his team big games and carry them to the Stanley Cup.

He seems to have the same problem each season, plays very well, has a few bouts of inconsistency in the regular season, a few stretches of brilliant play and then plays well in the playoffs, but can't steal the big games when he's most needed.

ISSUE #1
Roberto is a goalie and goalies need to be focused,, rested and prepared. Playing 70+ games each season is hard on the body and the mind, especially after the age of 30. Some can do it (i.e. Brodeur, Fuhr), some can't. Luongo's overall inconsistent play, should tell Canuck management, he needs a little more time off. They want him in the net every night, and who wouldn't...BUT they rush him back from injury and play him for ridiculously long stretches of consecutive games. They have to see big picture and stick to a plan. Play a bit less, play better when it most counts!

In my opinion, he should be given a fairly consistent game schedule and have every 7th or 8th game off, without the long stretches of consecutive games, unless the schedule has some gaps with time off, which seldom happens. This would put him playing around 60 games a season, which is perfect for a starter.

He would be at his best when he played, he'd be hungry to play more (he'd play every night if it was his call, but that's why they have coaches). Playing a few less games would give his body and mind time to rest and recover.

ISSUE #2
He's the captain. OK the media loves this, gives them something to talk about, but really, come on. No disrespect intended, he's already clearly the leader on the team and he'll be the leader with or without the damned 'C' title. But as the captain of a professional team he has responsibilities that most people do not understand.

He's responsible for: talking to the the media before and after the game, social aspects and community events, representing player concerns to the coaches and management, there are other responsibilities as well. All of this means he cannot spend the time a goaltender requires to prepare, focus and get himself into the 'zone'.

Goaltenders have a much different pre game preparation ritual than most players, this is because goalies are much more reliant on focus and mental preparation, visualization and confidence than players, who reply on more on instinct and situational reaction. Most people have heard the old saying "goaltending is 80-90% mental", while the percentage number varies depending on who is repeating it, it's always a number that is very high and this is definitely true.

So the question begs to be asked; "how can Luongo be a captain, attend to all of his responsibilities and be at his absolute best for every game". The answer...he can't!

The Canucks have hung themselves by naming Luongo as Captain because they really have no way to take this title from him and 'save face'. Luongo will never admit that its affecting his game, so the only solution is for management to take it from him and this will cause a huge scandal. But it's a step that needs to be taken if they hope to make it to the next level...and they may just have missed their opportunity this year.

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Sometimes I wonder (PCD-HTI)

PCD-HTI = POORLY COACHED DRILLS - HOW TO IMPROVE

At the rink tonight and watched a small hockey school on the ice working mostly with skaters, but they had a couple of goalies and a 'goalie instructor' working with the 2 goalies. Looked like he was around 20 and had goalie skates and a matching school tracksuit (no gear) on, he did some of the movements and looked like he was pretty athletic and knew what he was doing in terms of HIS ability.

The drill I watched for about 20 minutes was having the goalie set up on the post and drive off the post to the top of the crease, drop into a paddle down position and move laterally to the middle of the net and then stop a shot. Good drill!!

Let me give you some perspective before I go on....

The goalie looked to be about 7 years old, he was about 3'6" tall (literally - his head was close to a foot below the crossbar when he was in his stance), great stance from the waist down and good ability.

The instructor was doing a nice little drill that would have been very beneficial for the goalie....IF he had taken the time to notice and correct the flaws in the goalies positioning. Herein lies my biggest complaint when I watch inexperienced 'goalie coaches'. The instructor in this situation looked like he was skilled and knew what he was doing, but because he didn't understand proper coaching techniques, this goalie was learning to do the wrong things, things that will really hurt his play, and he was learning these things with EVERY repetition drill, each time engraining it further into his muscle memory.

What has me riled up?? Well let me explain. The goalie had his glove right beside his ear, elbow tucked in and tip of the glove actually touching the crossbar beside his head. Picture bending your elbow upward so your hand is beside your head and then tucking your elbow tight to your body - that's what his glove position was the entire drill - never moved once, until a shot went sailing past him then he flung his arm wildly outward, never once making contact with the puck.

When the goalie dropped into the paddle down, he was instructed to do the same thing every time, regardless of where the shooter was. Again, a huge issue for this poor kid because in any situation where the shooters are a couple of feet back, the entire top of the net is exposed for them to shoot at.

(good image here as Potvin is partially into a PD save, paddle must be on the ice, see the gap under it. This is what was happening on many of this goalies attempts and not being corrected)

He was also only actually getting the paddle of his stick down to the ice on about 1/2 the attempts, not putting enough pressure on it in the other attempts. In a game, this will result in a goal being scored most of the time.

Last issue - obviously nothing to do with the instructor (I hope) is that the glove and blocker the 3'6" seven year old was wearing, were also full sized adult models (bigger than mine).

SO HOW TO IMPROVE THIS DRILL.

First off let me say the drill itself is a very good drill and teaches explosive power pushes, quick lateral moves, quick drops into lower net coverage, good lateral movement while down and if done correctly, solid blocking concepts (these were sorely lacking).

So first step is to teach a solid stance position with hands in natural positions (I won't spend any time on this as it is covered in a million locations) and proper skate position on the post.

The hard push to the top of the crease needs to be done with purpose and body control. No flailing, no hand bounce, eyes on target, body pointed to target.

Once positioning at the top of the crease is achieved, goalie must be in a solid stance position and balanced properly, immediately drop into paddle down (or a butterfly, also a good drill) and utilize strong pushes with short strokes so as not to open the five hole more than necessary. The paddle must be jammed into the ice so nothing can squeek through.

At this point it is key to teach that paddle down play is only for in tight situations and the body must maintain a puck centred position as much as possible (meaning don't get ahead or behind the puck while in motion) with the gloves tight to the body, slightly forward and ready to move if needed. This position is generally one that results in a body save with only the lateral movement needed.

It MUST be explained that as soon as the shooter backs off or the puck position changes from an in tight position, the goalie must recover a butterfly or stance position. Staying in a paddle down as the puck moves back will only result in an easy high goal. An active stick is also a great tool to knock away the puck if the opportunity arises, but covering it is obviously preferred because your team will likely need to regroup.

Footnote - the only time the glove would ever be up around your ear beside your head is when the goalie is executing a low post move with one knee up to protect against walk outs, but it is a stationary position and the glove moves into 'active' position as soon as the position is released.

Red Wings Needed to Make a Move

Chris Osgood did it last year, but this season he's near the bottom of the NHL in all relevant goaltending stats. A victim of a common physiological occurrence.

Often you'll see pro athletes achieve the pinnacle of their sport or sign the huge contract only to have their stats and overall contribution to the team, fall off considerably, immediately after. This is because physiologically they have achieved "it". They are at the top of their game, the best in the world at what they do.

THEN it happens....

They lose the drive to achieve because there is nothing left to prove, they have done all they can do. This is why championship are so hard to repeat at the elite level.

Only the very best are able to maintain the drive and desire to repeat their feat, but many are never able to come back and do it again, some simply fade away, after being the 'the best'.

So back to Osgood. Amazing run last year, did it all and won the Cup, but came back and has played mediocre, at best. He's also very near the end of his career and he will likely retire if something inside doesn't 'click' this summer and tell him he needs to do it all again.

Now what about the Red Wings? Best team in the NHL? Sure, even with bad goaltending. Capable of winning the Cup again with Osgood and Ty Conklin, not very likely - although they are good enough, they may just be able to pull it off, but my bet is "NOT".

Conklin has done a good job this year and has elevated his game enough that he can be considered a solid 2nd tier starter...but you seldom win without a top flyte, first tier starter, who can and will steal games for you.

So why didn't the Wings go out and get themselves a starter for the playoff drive? I'd love to have been a fly on the wall in the Red Wings GM meetings. He had to be looking and couldn't pull off a deal, despite what he said in the media.

It remains to be seen if they can do it and it will be an interesting ride in the playoffs for the Wings.

Now about those Calgary Flames....Some great pickups on deadline day and already one of the best in the game between the pipes, but absolutely no one to back him up if injured.

Fingers crossed that doesn't happen....

PuckMASTERS Shuts Down

PuckMASTERS in London has shut down and hundreds of their customers have lost their investment.

Let me be clear, PuckMASTERS is not PuckSTOPPERS, nor are they affiliated with our company in any way.



It is never a good situation when a business fails, the owners lose a substantial amount of money and customers walk away without the product or service they have paid up front for. People work hard for their money and no one can afford to lose it, especially in today's economy.



We'd like to do our part and offer to help out with special rates on any Puckmasters goalie clients. I'm not sure how we can do this, but we'll work on a plan to help those unfortunate folks out who got caught when the doors were locked today (Feb 10th 2009)



Puckmasters was a competitor, but oddly enough, our business INCREASED when they started, not at all what we expected. We respected their attempts to break into the market, although we didn't agree with some of the marketing tactics involving our own materials, but we'll leave that alone.



The market simply couldn't support such a venue, staff, rent, overhead, etc. This should have been clear in preparing the initial business plan, but they aren't the first to try something and fail.



We are one of the longest running goaltending schools in the world for a reason, we do good work, but we also understand the business and know that quality training is the focus...not a cool building and marketing. A good business knows what it does best and focuses on their core strengths, we have always done this and will continue to do so, while others fail.



These are tough economic times and the strong will survive. As cruel as it may seem, the 'thinning of the pack' will ultimately be better for the end user who spends their money with an expectation of receiving a quality product or service. As many fail, the leaders are the proven and strong who know what they do and do it best. You have our word, we'll continue to focus on the Training, not the 'package'.

We feel for those who have lost their jobs and money and wish them all the best in their recovery from this unfortunate event.

Thanks to our family and friends

May 28th was our 25th wedding anniversary. Wow I feel old...but that's another topic.

Wendy and I wanted to thank all of our family and friends who helped to make the day an unforgettable experience.

In particular I'd like to thank Christina (our daughter) who is an aspiring Event Planner and has years of experience working as our School Administrator. Christina did an awesome job of sending us on a 'trip down memory lane' in a sort of scavenger hunt fashion. Of course our boys did their part and were fantastic in making the day so special.

Thanks to everyone who was there or sent us their best wishes.

Flurey vs Osgood

This isn't about Osgood vs Flurey during of the Cup Finals, I'm thinking more in terms of the 2 men and how their play has improved and progressed over the course of the past season or two.

Lets first look at Osgood. who has been a solid backup or #1 man on strong defensive teams. He has never been considered one of the elite goalies in the league, usually staying under the radar in the middle of the pack, always doing a decent job. He has never been given a lot of respect.

Osgood has been phenomenal this season, even playing behind the awesome 'D' in Detroit, he's been rock solid and has league leading numbers to back it up. The thing that is most impressive to me is that Osgood has reinvented himself by completely changing his style. This is no small feat, especially at 36 years of age.

At our schools we often suggest that students need to incorporate some additional 'tools' (read - skills, new saves, etc.) into their game. This is usually met with resistance, especially from the teenaged goalies, who think they know more than they do.

Osgood has redefined his game by becoming a very good butterfly goalie. Something he was NOT. He has also become so solid positionally that he has been able to extend his career. He was never overly flashy, but his game is now very positional, square to the puck and let the puck come to him - awesome to watch, really.

His butterfly game is now up there with the best, again this is phenomenal for a man who didn't play this way until this point in his career. He is obviously a man dedicated to continual improvement and open to suggestions from his coaches. I will use Osgood as my role model when trying to convince young goalies that they CAN change, with some effort and dedication.

Hats off to Chris Osgood for his determination and dedication...now if he'd just get a real mask, he might get the recognition he deserves.

Marc-Andre Fluery came into the NHL touted as a 'franchise goalie'. His dramatic and flamboyant style won some fans over and his bright yellow pads made him noticeable. Flurey had enormous talent, but it needed to be harnessed, and he needed sound goalie coaching to make him an NHL star.

If you saw him play in his Junior days or at the start of his NHL career, it is so obvious that he has all the talent in the world, but he overplayed almost everything, sliding past the net on lateral plays and often making saves that looked fantastic and required huge skill, but were a result of his overplaying the initial shot.

The Penguins did exactly the right things with Flurey; they sent him to the minors and coached him to be a solid pro, not a flashy star Junior goalie. This took 3 YEARS!! So when students tell me they can't change, it is frustrating, because anyone can change and improve, if they are willing.

Two years ago when (owner of the Penguins) Mario Lemieux's brother, Alain worked for us, during the summer I mentioned what I saw as Fluery's downfall, we had a long discussion and he said that Gilles Meloche (the Goalie Coach for the Penguins) was working hard to help Flurey understand that he had to change his style to be a pro.

Now when you watch Flurey, he is efficient and usually plays the game in a much smaller area. Gone are the big lateral slides and most of the problems he had coming out of Junior. Flurey is still an amazing goalie with enormous talent, the difference now is that he understands that no matter what level you play at, the better the players, the better you have to be and you must be willing to change or adapt your style to suit the level you are at.

Flurey has matured and recognized what he had to do to be a solid NHL goalie. The final step in his maturity was the changing of his pads from bright yellow to white. He wore the yellow in Junior and he liked the look, I would suspect he liked the attention they drew as well, but this season his gear became a more sedate white with gold and his play improved yet again. Stats proved that goalies with white gear had better stats, so he made the change. This was true maturity on his part.

Flashy goalies are seldom great goalies, that is not to say that great goalies don't make flashy saves, but you'll see them a lot less if the goalie is sound positionally and understands that efficient is better then flashy. You'll always get opportunities to make the 'big' save and it'll be flashy because it has to be, not because you were out of position or trying to look good.

Osgood and Flurey have both changed their styles to better suit the game as it is at their level. Both have made dramatic changes to their 'toolbox' of saves and both are now much better because they were willing to learn, adjust and alter what they did in the past.
If there was a most improved award for goalies in the NHL, both of these man would get my vote, but I guess being in the Stanley Cup finals against each other is certainly a reward for their efforts and one WILL be taking home the Cup as his ultimate reward.

People are strange!

Sometimes I just can't figure folks out and how or why they do the things they do.

I'm at our Year Round Goalie Training Centre the other night, working with a couple of students and in comes the father of a student I worked with last summer.

His son was 14 at the time and playing AA, but he was really struggling and needed some major changes to his stance and his overall game, to play better and have any chance of moving up. I saw him on average, 2 times a week for many weeks. He worked very hard to improve what I instructed him on and we saw a marked improvement.

His goal was to make AAA in August, which he did. His father was ecstatic and gave me all the credit for showing his son where he needed improvement and how to resolve his issues. He told myself and others, that Puckstoppers was the only reason his son improved so much and made the team.

So back to the other night; This fellow goes a long way out of his way to come and see me, he walks all the way around the rink and into our Training Centre and into my office area. He does the usual 'how are you' and then launches into how thrilled he is that I was able to work with his son and that - and, I quote, "you are the only reason he made it to the next level and I just wanted to thank you again, he's still using what you taught him, we're so happy with your what you did for him".

I'm thrilled his son made the team and I'm happy we got the results that they wanted, so I ask him; "why haven't I seen him back here since last summer - because as everyone should know, you can't work on something and assume its fixed forever - like anything, you have to keep working, learning and training, or you start to 'lose it'.

He stammers a bit and replies "too busy", but I'm no dummy, I've been in business too long and coached too many people, not to know when someone is lying to me. So I ask the next question, just to clarify what I already have figured out. "So will we see him this summer at our school?". "No he's going to another school" is the reply.

Well thank you for the compliment and kick in the Kahonies. Frankly I take this as an insult. Of course I understand that people want to do other camps and may 'need a change' but for someone to tell me that we''re the reason his son made it and "we're going elsewhere" is hard to swallow. The worst part is that I hear this regularly from people - "You've done wonders for my 'son/daughter, we're thrilled, but we're enrolled in someone else's camp".

Maybe it's because I really do give a damn about my students and how they progress, or maybe it's because some people have no tact - I mean go ahead and take your kid somewhere else, but don't gleefully stand in my business and tell me that we did a wonderful job, thank you, and now we're taking our money elsewhere. It's not about the money at all, but it is a business and when we do a great job, care about the student and do everything possible to help them achieve their goals and then get told "see ya" it is tough to take and insulting.

I tend not to have much in the way of an ego, and this isn't about mine, but this actually hurts me when someone doesn't have the brains to understand that they just insulted me.

What is worse, and I see this a lot, is when they come back to me after seeing 'the other guy' or going to 'the other guys school' and I have to spend 5 or 10 sessions reworking their whole mechanics or positioning because 'the other guy' taught them incorrectly or didn't care enough to understand how the student was able to play, given their physical characteristics, strength, mental toughness and ability level. Few instructors even think about these things, but WE DO!

I can't even begin to count the number of times I've had to correct 'the other guys' errors in coaching. This leads to discouraged goalies, upset parents and often I see goalies who DROP to lower levels because they aren't able to figure out what the problem is.

I've seen great goalies quit or wind up in House League, all because their parents thought it would be a good idea to see several other instructors or coaches to 'get many viewpoints'. Not that this is bad, there are lots of good goalie instructors out there, but be sure you take the time to find out of 'the other guy' is a real goalie coach, or a guy who calls himself one, or IF he is a real goalie coach be sure he knows how to work with different goalies and doesn't train everyone the same way. THIS ISN'T COACHING AND IT CAN RUIN A GOALIES CONFIDENCE.

OK this is a bit of a rant and I am admittedly upset that we did a fantastic job and lost a customer. I'm not sure how to deal with it when this happens. but it sure is frustrating. Hopefully his son doesn't run into problems and can maintain the level of play that he worked so hard to acheive.

I'm back

I want to apologize to our regular readers for the time between posts. As I noted, I was off for a bit when I had a couple of scheduled surgeries, one of which was to my right wrist and prevented me from typing for a while and then I was out of town a number of times on business and just didn't seem to have time to post.

I'm back now and I wanted everyone to know I'm feeling much better after the kidney surgery. A big "Thank you" to all those who sent me get well wishes and emails. Now that the wrist is feeling better I can get back to this.

I have been very busy working on our summer schools and 2 of the programs are already SOLD OUT, so if you are planning on attending, I suggest you do not wait to submit your application.

I have also been busier than expected at our Training Centre. This has been a bit of an issue because I intentionally scheduled the surgeries for April because its the end of the winter season and our summer hockey doesn't start until the end of May, the Training Centre has its slowest 2 months of the year in April & May. So I planned well, but because we have been busier than expected, my son (Jamie) has had to come with me almost daily to do my shooting.

Look for more posts this week.

No Postings?

Sorry to everyone for the lact of activity on the Blog lately. I was in hospital for a while after having some nasty kidney surgery. I have another minor surgery scheduled next week and then I'll be back posting on a regular basis.

Be the example, Do NOT let them see you're rattled

I recently attended the playoff game of one of my better students.

High level, Game 5 in a 7 game series, his team was up 3 -1 going in. He played very well, but had a little issue with rebound control that cost him 1 goal for sure.

The game was 2 - 2 heading into OT and his team should have won it several times in the 3rd, but a couple of bad bounces allowed the other team to stay in it. Just over a minute into his team makes a bad pass all the way down at the other teams blue line and they make a beautiful pass to spring a break away - deke to the backhand and a high shot beats our guy to the glove side.

Now you've all seen goalie lose games and sometimes they get upset and sometimes they show class and skate away. I personally love Tim Thomas' reaction to an OT loss, he sprints off the ice as fast as he can and he's 'outta there'.

Well, our boy didn't have a reaction I was proud of and the problem with a major reaction to a goal, especially in a series, is that it gives the other team confidence and lets them know that they CAN get to you.

Lets just say the 5 or 6 stick slams, the 4 or 5 spinning out of control fits of rage and the smashing of the glass were something the coach should have addressed (I have no idea if he did or not) and something that was embarrassing to watch.

Everyone in the building saw this reaction and if the other teams coach was on the ball (again, I don't know if he was or not) he saw this and made a point of telling his team "we can get to this guy, get him off his game".

'Jimmy' played well and had nothing to be ashamed of, he was beaten by a good shot on a broken play by his team, it happens! But his reaction was something I'd expect to see from a little kid, not a 15 year old very skilled goalie at an elite level.

The students at our schools and Training Centre get 3 seconds to be pissed off, that's it. I would be disappointed if a goalie weren't mad when he/she got scored on. And each of us reacts in a different way. As noted, I allow my guys 3 seconds, you can swear or bang a stick or hit your head, but only for 3 seconds. Then it is imperative that you regain focus and dignity. Even at the end of a game, its key not to let the other team see you 'explode'.

Coaches and parents need to make this a focal point for all players. Everyone should be able to win and lose with dignity and grace. No one wants to lose, but you can't let it get the better of you.

Game 6 went to the other team and our guy didn't play, series is now 3 - 3. One wonders if the momentum switch created by his reaction made a difference. Hopefully he'll get another shot in game 7 and I'll update this post at that time.

UPDATE: Our man got the start in game 7 (that was 5 out of the 7 games he played, losing only 1 in OT) and he put on a clinic, winning 3 to 1, despite being outshot. I was quite proud of the way he handled the lone goal against, no reaction! His team remained composed and didn't score until early in the 3rd period and after that he shut the door. CONGRATULATIONS ON A JOB WELL DONE!

Use your nerves

Its playoff time and the rinks get louder, the games mean more and the fans get more belligerent. Unfortunately the fans DO get more belligerent and abusive in their comments, they also get loud, sometimes, really LOUD. This can all be distracting to a goalie who must maintain focus and poise, especially at this time of year.

Use the energy in the building to feed your fire. When you make a great save and the building gets louder, take it in, tell yourself the noise is for YOU, the cheering is for YOUR save. Or the other teams fans are booing you because your stopped their team. This means your doing well, enjoy their catcalls and boos, knowing that you are defeating their spirit and pushing them to be negative. Relish in the moment of being the focus of their attention.

When the players start to make abusive comments to you, smile, in the knowledge that YOU are doing something so right, they are not happy with you and PO'd that they can't score. Know that the comments toward you are their way of showing their frustration and build your own confidence from their frustration.

If the other team starts to 'crowd the net' or bump you, smile! Again knowing you are frustrating them to the point of breaking. Keep smiling or simply 'going about your business' without reaction because that is what they want.

The hardest part will be to maintain focus, and not to overreact in either direction. Get cocky or start to make your own comments and it can come back to bite you. Maintain your calm and be focused on the NET SHOT, because it is all that matters! What has happened doesn't matter, only the next shot matters. Remember this!

If you are focused and 'into the game' you can block all the distractions out, you need to be so into the game that you don't hear most of what is going on, its just you and the puck that matter. Allow yourself to hear what you need to hear, and build your own confidence from those sounds. Playing in the moment and being laser focused on the NEXT SHOT.

Do what works best for you, but I have always found that you need to turn your focus level up and down a few degrees when the play is stopped or between periods. While you must maintain your intensity level and focus, don't put yourself in the position of being zoned out to your own team and the positive things that are happening around you.

Martin Brodeur is a great example of a goalie who you will see laughing or smiling during a stoppage, but is incredibly focused while the play is on. I have known goalies who completely 'zone out' and become so intense for the entire game time (before, during stoppages and breaks and even for a time afterward) that no one could even speak to them. I have also noticed that most of the 'over intense' goalies, burn out earlier in their careers or can't take the stress they place on themselves and quit as teenagers.

Remember, winning isn't everything, but it certainly is a lot more fun when you do! Regardless, gain confidence from knowing that you have done your best and that you won't win every game or stop every shot, but your attitude should be that you can, and should!!

Most importantly, at any level, no matter what the outcome is, the sun will rise tomorrow and life goes on. Hockey is a game, not life or death, so do your best, enjoy the moment, build your own confidence and relish in the fact you have done all you can.

Common Balance problem for Butterfly Goalies

This past week I went out to help the goalies on my son's former team. they don't have a goalie coach and I had an early night at our Training Centre (finishing at 8:00). They had ice at 8:30, so I jumped in the car and went straight to yet another rink - my third that day (LOL)...

It turned out that only 1 of their goalies was at the practice (it's March Break), but it was Scott, whom I have coached for the past 5 years, on my son's teams. Scott is a great talent (for age 13) and is one of the most technically perfect goalies for his age, I have ever seen. Scott is not very tall, being one of, if not the smallest goalie in the league EVERY YEAR, so I have worked very hard to teach him to PLAY BIG and control his rebounds. He has always done a great job of working on this and has stolen many games with his awesome play.

I was excited to get on the ice with their team and I enjoyed the opportunity to work with Scott to ready him for the playoffs. I began - as any coach should - by simply observing for 10 minutes or so, to see what we needed to discuss and what areas needed to be addressed. Having only seen him a few times this season at our Training Centre and not in game action, as I was so accustomed to, for the past 5 years, I was shocked at the bad habits I saw.

I should NOT have been surprised, but having been his coach and working with him for so long, I guess I thought he'd simply retain the information and training we had worked on. The fact he hadn't only reinforces that goalies need specific and ongoing training. Parents and coaches should be aware that goalies need specific GOALIE COACHING and get their goalies the help they deserve. DO NOT LEAVE THIS TO UNTRAINED PEOPLE.

The areas that had declined in Scott's play were nothing out of the ordinary for a goalie who has not received proper instruction for a period of time, in fact, his new found bad habits are the most common areas to decline with goalies who are left to fend for themselves.

Parents and coaches need to be aware of these problems and pay close attention so they can help their own goalies.

First thing I saw was that he was rotating his entire upper body and catching pucks BEHIND his shoulder. Just about every save to the glove side was being made in this manner and it can cause huge problems with balance and rebound control. The worst consequence if excessive rotation is that GOALS will be scored because the shoulder or glove will rotate AWAY from the puck, allowing it to sail through, or glance off and be angled into the net. Squared up shoulders, will afford the goalie MORE BLOCKING AREA.

Second problem I saw was THE SINGLE BIGGEST MISTAKE MADE BY YOUNG GOALIES!

Scott has always had a great butterfly with awesome rebound control...but not any more. He was stretching for shots, stick flailing about and falling forward after making saves - the first major signs of this common mistake. This is also one of the hardest things to get kids to understand - MOVEMENT TOWARD THE PUCK. If the goalie learns to make very short lateral movements toward the puck, rebound control becomes much easier, recovery becomes much easier and positioning will vastly improve.

I teach goalies that they need to have their body centered with the shot - belly button lines up to the puck - for best coverage and control. Most young or untrained (or in this case, trained but forgotten) goalies, simply drop down and throw limbs out to make saves, this doesn't work very well and opens up a lot of holes in their coverage. By teaching simple 6" lateral pushes, the goalie will be covering the net much more efficiently.

The hardest part of this is getting the goalie to understand A) the reason for the lateral movement and B) understanding that they only need to move a VERY SHORT distance to make the save - too much movement will leave the net unattended as they slide out (past and/or through) of the desired blocking area. Flurey in Pittsburgh had a real problem with overplaying, when he entered the NHL and has worked hard to improve this problem, although his rebound control is still suspect.

The third problem is a direct result of not moving into the path of the puck - overstretching and stick control, resulting in a loss of balance. When a goalie chooses to 'drop and stretch', rather than using a short lateral push, the results aren't pretty.

Falling to the knees and then quickly trying to fully extend the leg toward the puck will result in bad balance and increases the risk for injury. After the save attempt, the stick usually pops off the ice and the goalie falls back onto their butt or forward onto their stomach. Teaching short lateral movement will improve rebound control, recovery, positioning and most importantly - result in more saves.

I will see Scott and his team again during playoffs and wish them all the best in the stretch run.

Absolutly Ridiculious!

I was at my son's team practice the other day and what I saw made me feel so badly for the kids, all of them, but in particular the goalies.

Just to clarify things; this is an 'A' level competitive Bantam team and every player on this team, won a City Championship last year.

The coach (new guy this year) was on the ice by himself, now this guy has very little hockey knowledge and God bless him for trying, but he shouldn't be allowed on the ice because he doesn't know any drills or how to deal with the kids, but I'll leave that alone for now....



For the first 10 minutes, 3 or 4 kids came onto the ice and skated around, shooting pucks and generally screwing around, no coach - he was busy playing games in the dressing room with the kids, by blocking their way out the door....So 10 minutes wasted.



When the team finally got out onto the ice, the kids did some skating for a couple of minutes, the goalies were made or allowed to skate like they didn't care and didn't skate in stance or work on their form or technique, at all.....another 10 minutes wasted



Then the team did some really lame around the circle drill at a pace that was like watching paint dry, most of the kids were so bored, they couldn't have cared - one even skated over and asked his dad if he could leave. Meanwhile the goalies were flopping around and doing what they wanted, which involved shooting pucks into the air and spinning around on their knees making cool marks in the snow.....another 10 minutes wasted



So THIRTY FRICKEN MINUTES INTO THE PRACTICE the goalies had their first shots, which amounted to about 7 or 8 shots on goal. Then the coach decided that the kids aren't working hard enough and pulls them off the ice and he goes home.



40 minutes of ice and 7 or 8 shots on goal!!!!!!!!!!!



OK, I gotta be honest here, I'm pretty PO'd that I wasted my time coming over to the rink to watch my son practice and saw this. First off this guy can't coach, second, he won't let anyone help him - I offered and his response was "ya, we don't know much about goalies". But he has never asked or responded to my offer to help - so HIS EGO IS IN THE WAY of him doing what a coach is supposed to do - help the kids develop.



Now I'm not the typical whining parent here, I want to help and I know every player on the team because I have coached all but one kid on this team, so I know what they are capable of. They have won 4 regular season games this year and have DOUBLE the next closest team in the league for goals against, both goalies had averages around 2:00 last year and not both are around 5:00.

I is so hard to stand back and watch and egotistical b#*t*rd ruin the kids season, confidence and their love of the game.

Once again - COACHES, please let people help you, don't let your ego in the way of the kids development. Remember; THE KIDS ARE WHY YOU ARE THERE!!!!!

OK, whine over...for now.