The Future of Goaltending

Being a CCM user, I've been able to witness and experience the feel and performance of pads with knee rolls vs. ones that don't have the rolls. The obvious difference is the flexibility in the pad. Most goalies know that pads with knee rolls are generally more flexible that pads with a flat face. So that's common knowledge in the goaltending community. What I intend to do here is inform the goalie that is looking to make a switch, but has never used the other type.  I'll start with the flat faced pads such as CCM Premier, Brian's Subzero and G-Netik III lines, Vaughn Ventus as well as the Bauer 1S and 1X lines . These pads all tend to favor the "butterfly" goaltender with flexible hips. Their design and lack of flex allows for great coverage on the ice and with good hips, a goaltender is able to cover a lot of ice in just a simple wide butterfly position. These pads favor a goaltender who is taller and can rely on their positioning and size to stop m...

The main reason for the certified cat eye mask is better vision. This is apparently achieved by a wider forward opening in the wires. That means that there are no bars in your direct forward line of sight. But is that cage actually making a difference?  Due to specific safety laws in Canada, we in the north aren't allowed to purchase or use a real cat eye cage. According to the CSA (Canadian Standards Association) it's too dangerous for goalies not in professional leagues to wear these masks. Ends of sticks and pucks can partially enter the mask, which has the potential for serious injury according to the CSA.  So we up here are forced to use the CSA approved cat eye mask , if we don't want to use a regular stock grid cage, or a profile cage , made exclusively by Bauer . The CSA insists that these cages offer the same visual ability as a regular cat eye. Through Experience, I'm able to completely disagree with that statement. All in Bauer masks, I've use...

Being a Canadian goaltender, the CHL draft is a big thing to look forward to on your second year of bantam hockey. Like myself, most goalies of that age are expecting to get drafted if they have a good season in a high caliber league. But the truth is, most of us will not get drafted in either the WHL, OHL or the QMJHL (depending on where you live). That leads to a lot of disappointment in young goalies, as all of their hope were resting on one of the CHL drafts. It's the thought of getting drafted into the CHL that makes a goaltenders heart flutter, there's a certain glory that comes along with it. But for most goalies, the CHL is actually a road block from further development. Don't get me wrong, the CHL is a great league for those select few who play there, but there are a lot of flaws in the system. Once signing a CHL contract, you're considered a "pro" player, since you make a very small salary while playing. This rules you out of any hopes of playi...

Pretty much every goaltender that I meet asks my opinion on this topic. Cowling Vs. non-cowing has become a huge subject in the goaltending community. I personally still own and use a pair of Bauer Reactor 6000 skates but have attempted to use the new non-cowling skates. And I'm one of the last of my goaltending friends to still use skates with a cowling on them, so here's my opinion on the matter.  Being a Bauer skate user myself, I understand the argument from both sides. But after wearing and testing the cowlingless Bauer 1S I can't say there's a whole lot of difference between the two. The weight is not a huge difference and I couldn't really tell if the skate was making a huge difference with full gear on. And for the current price of the 1S skate being at $749.99 for a pro model, I expect a massive difference. The trigger release for the blade is a nice addition though, as it makes replacing blades pretty easy. As much as I would like to move into the ...

For many young goaltenders it's not their physical skill that will hold them back, it's their mental skill . Every goaltender has a voice in his or hers head that's constantly speaking to them. The voice in the the head isn't the problem, that's natural for people in general. It's what's being said to you during a game. During the 60 minutes of a game goaltenders are alone with their own thoughts for most of it. Most young goalies really struggle with keeping focused during this time. Small things like the flash of a camera, horns from the crowd and even the other teams fans, players and coaching staff can distract a goaltender. Disappointments such as getting scored on would often makes goalies like myself angry with their own play. Without knowing it, my mental voice would go to a negative side, saying things like, "wow I suck today" or "my team would be better off with me on the bench". These distractions and disappointments would ofte...