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Hi, my name is Brian Mullen. I spent my whole life around the game of hockey.
Beginning with my roller hockey days in New York through my 11 seasons in the
National Hockey League. During this time I found that learning the fundamentals
of the game is essential to succeeding in this sport. And I would like to pass
along my knowledge to you. So lace up your skates,
grab your stick and learn the game of hockey online with me.
GOALTENDING
For the past several weeks we have been receiving numerous letters requesting a session
of "The Hockey Clinic with Brian Mullen" devoted solely to goaltending. As many of you may know, I spent
my entire 11-year NHL career focusing on putting pucks in the net not keeping them out.
With that said, I've asked my former teammate Bob Froese to lend a hand with this section of the show.
Bob played eight seasons in the National Hockey League with the
Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Rangers. He won 128 games and recorded 13
shutouts. After his playing days were over, he served as the goaltending coach for the New York Islanders
and continues to teach in hockey camps and community leagues in his hometown.
So allow me to pass the puck over to my good friend Bob Froese!
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| Bob Froese |
"You don't have to be crazy to be a goalie, but it helps." This is a common saying in hockey
circles. Most often, the guy or gal who can't skate or the youngest who doesn't mind being a
target gets put between the pipes.
Over the years (25-plus) of my playing goal, I've had some great coaches and teachers as
well as experience which is invaluable. The information I am about to tell gets into the
"how-to's " instead of just telling the goaltender to "get in there and stop the puck."
I can only hope that this session helps each goaltender, and that each never
loses the desire to stop that 1" x 3" piece of vulcanized rubber.
So You Want To Be A 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
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| Guy Hebert |
In the opening, I jokingly said the player with the weakest skating ability is normally
thrown in net but truthfully 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
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| Martin Brodeur |
As was mentioned in one of the earlier segments, 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 I can offer is to try all three and decide for yourself which one you are most
comfortable with.
Stand-up
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| Mike Richter |
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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
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| Tom Barrasso |
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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 and Patrick Roy
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Inverted-V
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| Grant Fuhr |
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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: Grant Fuhr, Ed Belfour and Felix Potvin
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Next Class
I hope you enjoyed this session of "The Hockey Clinic with Brian Mullen."
The next time
we get together we will continue our discussion on goaltending with Bob Froese.
"The Hockey Clinic with Brian Mullen" Archive
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