The new NHL rules have met with almost universal approval from the fans because of the increased goalscoring, the frequent comebacks and because of the excitement of the shootout. Many of the changes have really forced coaches to evaluate previous approaches and make adjustments to the way the game is played. One area where this

I have watched and played hockey for over thirty years and I have seen the goaltender lose his stick during the course of play hundreds of times. Chaos ensues and defensemen furiously try to get the goaltender their stick while the coach on the bench is screaming, “He’s got no stick. Give him your stick!” Conventional

Every team has a starting goalie and by definition this means the other goaltender will have to fill the role and expectations of the back up position. No one wants to be a back up for more than a short period of time, if ever. I always hear about how someone would love to play

To make it to the big leagues you need to have a well balanced life. The balance that I'm describing involves three areas: school, social life and hockey. If you can visualize these three items as points on a triangle it will help understand the discussion. If you spend all your waking moments on any single

I placed a simple but powerful quote on a whiteboard during one of my summer camps several years ago. “To have the ultimate result of making the NHL you must systematically and with vigor identify all potential issues that could derail your career. Once each area is identified and addressed you are left with only one

The first key to stopping a breakaway is to be prepared for them beforehand and to be keenly aware of certain situations where they normally happen. When to be ready 1) On your power play - How many times have you seen a shorthanded goal scored on a breakaway? All the time! Breakaways frequently happen when point

Goaltending is extremely stressful, dangerous, difficult and more times than not potentially embarrassing. To show up day in and day out whether you are feeling your best or not is challenging. A true athlete plays through bumps and bruises and nagging minor issues. I don’t advocate playing when you are legitimately injured. What is that

On many teams and for a variety of reasons one of the goaltenders is defined as the starter. As you progress up the hockey ladder your goal of course is to be the starter - the go to guy. A starter by definition is the goaltender who plays the majority of the games, the big games,

Every goaltender at some point has seen the glamorous highlights of a NHL goalie fight. The crowd is going wild, your teammates are cheering and your adrenaline is pumping. You get goose bumps just thinking about it. My purpose in this article is not to glorify and advocate goalie fighting but to offer reasons why every