We would like to congratulate two very special young goalies. Kevin Marx and Joseph Lagambina were instrumental in leading the Richmond Hill Stars Peewee AA team to the O.M.H.A. Championship. They followed this by winning the O.H.F. Championship as the best Peewee AA team in the province. Kevin and Joseph are pictured hold the O.M.H.A. Championship trophy and proudly wearing their O.H.F. Gold Medals.
We would like to congratulate Dylan Meanchos of the North Toronto Minor Peewee AA Team.
Dylan’s strong goaltending was instrumental in leading North Toronto to the GTHL City Championship. Here is a picture of Dylan hoisting the trophy after the final game.
We would like to congratulate long time student and current instructor Matthew Galajda for his outstanding career as the goaltender for the Saint Andrew’s College Varsity Hockey Team. In his two years with the Saints, Matthew finished with a record of 56 wins, 6 losses and 4 ties. His save percentage was a remarkable 0.941 and his G.A.A. was 1.3 over 67 games. Matthew was instrumental in leading the Saints to two CISAA Championships, a National Independent School Championship, the World Sport School Championship and two St. Sebastian Tournament Championships. As a final accolade, Matthew was named the M.V.P. of the National Tournament and M.V.P. of the Varsity Hockey Team. Next year, Matthew will be playing Jr. “A” hockey in the BCHL.
We are pleased to announce that Steve Davies has been selected to be a member of the O.H.L.
Goaltending Advisory Board. The mission of the Board is to work to improve goalie training
at all levels of hockey throughout the province. The Advisory Board is led by former N.H.L.
goaltender and Master Coach, Rick Wamsley of the Ottawa Senators. Other members of the
Board include: Fred Brathwaite (Hockey Canada), Sebastien Farrese (Belleville Bulls), Kory
Cooper (Mississauga Steelheads), David Rook, (Sarnia Sting) and David Belitsky (O.H.L. Central
Scouting)
Steve is honoured to join a group of such knowledgeable and dedicated goalie coaches. He
hopes to make a meaningful contribution to the success of the group.
The Aggressive Poke Check and the Empty Cup
Many years ago, when I was a little boy growing up in Windsor, Ontario… I couldn’t wait until Saturday night when the family would gather in front of an old black and white television to watch Hockey Night in Canada. In those days, the game always came on at 9 o’clock or at about the halfway point in the second period. As a boy, I was always captivated by the courage of those maskless goaltenders with their tortured facial expressions. In those days, there were only six goalies and as their admirers, we came to know them intimately. Each goalie was known for his own special style and mannerisms which we would emulate in every game of ball hockey we played throughout the week. Glenn Hall was known for his acrobatic, butterfly style, Jacques Plante for his grace and elegance, Gump Worsley for his chin first courage and the great Johnny Bower was known for his poke check.
To their detriment, many of today’s “modern goalies” don’t have even foggiest understanding of how to execute this important move. While coaching at York University, I tried teaching it to one of our goalies who had already played four years of Major Jr. “A”. I tried explaining how important the move was and how it would make him a better goalie if he would only add it to his “bag of tricks”. He responded that today’s players were too fast and that it simply didn’t have a place in the “modern game”. I respectfully disagreed but not before advising him of the old Zen teaching that a cup that is already full can have nothing added to it. His full cup and his misconceptions meant that nothing could be added to his game. As fate would have it, the following week, the goalie from Laurier made a game saving poke check and they went on to defeat us by a single goal.
Let me begin by saying that I understand the real reason for my young goaltender’s reluctance to even learn the move. It is a move that requires great trust and forces the goaltender to step outside the “robotic” structure that many have been taught from their earliest years. Structure is a good thing in goaltending but it should not become a straight jacket that prevents a goalie from learning new techniques. The poke check also has a structure and once this structure is perfected, the poke check is one of the most important tools a goalie can add to his repertoire.
As an old goalie coach with over 40 years of coaching experience, I still can’t wait for Saturday night so I can watch Hockey Night in Canada and marvel at the skills of today’s goalies. They fill much more net than my childhood heroes did and they have perfected some skills never dreamed of all those years ago. Yet, as great as today’s goalies are, very few know how to use the poke check and they give up dozens of goals as a result.
About 12 years ago, two young goalies from Sweden attended a one week “Elite Camp” that I was conducting for my good friend Wes Jarvis at NTR in Newmarket. I was told that one of them was the best goalie for his age in all of Sweden. Both goalies were very good… Joachim spoke some English but Jonas didn’t understand a single word… so Joachim would have to translate everything for his friend. Since this was an “Elite” camp, I thought it proper to introduce the aggressive poke check to our young friends. Unlike my goaltender at York University, the young Swedes were thirsty for new knowledge and their cups were empty enough to receive. Both youngsters were awkward in their early attempts at this “new” move but they had enough trust and humility to endure their initial struggles. Within the hour, they mastered the structure of the manoeuvre and with added practice they eventually gained the confidence to use it in game situations.
The next time Jonas came to Canada it would be to sign a contract to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs. One Saturday night a few years ago, as I watched Hockey Night in Canada on my High Definition 52 inch flat screen colour television, a left hand shooter raced down the wing and broke in on the Leaf’s goal on the blocker side. Jonas stood high on his crease without retreating and with a slight lean to the puck, he forced the shooter to shift to the open ice in front of the net. As the attacking player made the only move open to him, Jonas slid his hand up the shaft of his stick all the way to the knob, dropped into a short-side pad stack and extended his stick to centre ice. This all happened in a flash… the attacking player didn’t know what hit him as he was stripped of the puck and sent sliding into the opposite corner.
I have not spoken with Jonas since he attended my goalie camp all those years ago… but if I could, I would tell him to ignore the critics, keep working hard… and always be an empty cup … He has made this old coach proud… not of himself… but of him.
Jonas now plays for the Detroit Red Wings and if you click the link below you can see him make the move that the great Johnny Bower thrilled us with in black and white all those years ago.
Several years ago I was on a pontoon boat on Lake St. Claire with my brother, John and a bunch of friends to open the bass fishing season. This annual event has marked the beginning of summer for John and me for about the past fifteen years. I’m not much of a fisherman so my role is that of official “hook baiter” and “fish remover”.
For me, it’s not about fishing; it’s really about spending time with my pals and listening to all their funny stories and just hanging out. John is simply one of the best and most generous people I have ever known. He and his wife live in Windsor and are avid hockey fans. They have season tickets the Red Wings and they also billet kids who play for the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League. Occasionally, some of the aspiring young hockey stars join us… and I have as much fun listening to their tall tales as I do those of all the other “liars” on the boat. We have lots of laughs during the day and the evening is usually spent by a bonfire talking hockey.
On one excursion when the young hockey players joined us, our bonfire conversation turned to comparing the hockey played in ancient times to the hockey played today. I was amused that the budding hockey stars had very little understanding or appreciation for just how good the players were in the days of black and white television. I tried to explain to them just how great players like Bobby Hull, Gordie Howe and Jean Beliveau really were… sadly, some had never even heard of the great Jean Beliveau.
They listened patiently until I asserted that each of the aforementioned players, and many others of that era would be stars in today’s NHL. They countered with the all too familiar claim that today’s players are bigger, stronger and faster than those who graced the rinks decades ago and that today’s players are far superior. I conceded to one or possibly two of their assertions. Yes, it can be statistically proven that today’s players are, on average, bigger than those who played in the Bobby Hull, era… and I think they are correct in asserting that on average, today’s players are probably stronger. After all, they spend more time in the weight room than those of earlier vintage. However, I challenged the assumption that Jonathan Toews and Sidney Crosby are faster or better players than the stars of earlier generations..
Obviously, these “youngins” never saw Yvan Cournoyer, Maurice Richard, Bobby Hull or Guy Lafleur in full stride or in “High Definition”. However, this doesn’t mean that today’s NHL isn’t played at a more frantic pace. Today, teams usually run four lines and with shifts rarely exceeding forty-five seconds, it stands to reason that the tempo is a little quicker. On top of this, the two line pass has allowed for more speed in the neutral zone and because the “D” are no longer allowed to obstruct or “hold up” the fore-check, the attacking forwards go into the corners at full speed. Is there any wonder that despite having the most protective equipment possible there are more serious concussions than ever before? No… I don’t buy for a moment the argument that today’s players are one inch faster than those of yesteryear. Yes, the game itself is faster and played at a more frantic and even dangerous pace… but stride for stride I see little difference in player speed or skill.
So… having conceded that today’s players are, on average, bigger, stronger and at least as fast as in previous generations, does it not logically follow that they are better? That’s certainly an interesting argument and one that was quickly put forward by the young lads. I replied that two plus two doesn’t always make four. They looked at me as though I had two heads. I said… let me put it this way… Wayne Gretzky was never considered to be one of the fastest skaters in the league, nor was he anywhere near being one of the strongest. Yet, Gretzky is widely regarded as one of the greatest, if not THE GREATEST player of all time. (Personally, I’m even more convinced of this after seeing how the Bruins completely shut down Crosby in their recent playoff series. There isn’t a team in the world that could have done that to The Great One). Gretzky did things that can’t be measured with a stop watch or a bench press. He simply had the ability to seemingly disappear from view and then suddenly reappear with the puck glued to his stick. He would then make a pass from nowhere to somewhere and the puck would end up in the net. No matter what the opposition did, he was magical and dangerous for every second of every shift he ever played. You see, the greatness of the Great One had nothing to do with size, strength or speed.
My young friends wouldn’t buy a single word of my argument. They even went so far as to say that Gretzky played against inferior competition and that he would be little more than an average player in “today’s NHL” . This was one of the most incredulous statements I could possibly have imagined anyone making and it demonstrated just how limited their understanding of the game really is. I counseled that each generation of hockey players overlaps with the previous generation. For example, the Rocket Richard era overlapped with the Bobby Hull era, which in turn overlapped with the era of the incomparable Bobby Orr… and then came the Guy Lafleur era which overlapped the Gretzky generation to be followed by Lemieux and so on… and so on… until we come to the players of today. Each of the aforementioned players stood in awe of those already playing in the League when they arrived on the scene.
A great player like Guy Lafleur took several years to find his legs in the NHL of the early 1970s and he was still playing in the NHL in 1991 with the Quebec Nordiques, alongside newcomers Matts Sundin and Joe Sakic. Even my young friends had to admit that both Sundin and Sakic would be star players in today’s league while curiously they were reluctant to grant Lafleur that same status. Having seen all three of these players in their prime, there isn’t a doubt in my mind that Lafleur was easily as good as the other two. And if we were to throw Gretzky into the mix, there shouldn’t be a doubt in anyone’s mind as to which player was the best of the four.
Still, my young friends needed more persuading. So, I went on to tell them that the greatest team I ever saw in my over 55 years of watching hockey was the Canada Cup Team of 1987; precisely that era of hockey they claimed to be vastly inferior to the NHL of today. In that year, Team Canada boasted players like, Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky, Doug Gilmour, Mark Messier, Mike Gartner, Dale Hawerchuk, Paul Coffey and the recently retired Raymond Bourque. It is also worth noting some of the great players who were actually cut from this dream team. These include Hall of Famers Steve Yzerman, Al MacInnis, Dino Ciccarelli, Scott Stevens, Patrick Roy, and Cam Neely. At this point, I began to win some of my younger friends over.
All of them had to admit that Yzerman, Stevens and Roy would be stars today…. but why is that? I think it’s because they saw these superb players when they were in their prime. They grew up watching them on colour televisions and on telecasts with a multitude of camera angles that accurately conveyed and perhaps even accentuated the speed of the game. The old technology that ancients like me grew up watching, captured the magic of hockey… but to appreciate the speed of the game one actually had to make a pilgrimage to one of the hockey cathedrals like the Detroit Olympia, the Montreal Forum or Maple Leaf Gardens.
As for today’s players, I marvel at their skills, their speed and the frantic pace at which they play this wonderful game that has become such an important part of the Canadian consciousness. Yet, I can only wonder what these great players of today would look like on the old black and white television that I watched Gordie Howe , Bobby Hull and Bobby Orr play on? I think they would look like the great players they truly are … but they would not be one inch better than the hockey heroes of yesteryear.
One of the most difficult situations you will encounter as a goalie occurs when the coach makes the decision to pull you from the game. When this happens, the goaltender is often filled with a sense of failure in having not lived up to his own personal expectations or those of the coach and team.
These are natural feelings and you might take some consolation in the knowledge that even the best goalies in the world have been pulled more than once. In fact, the higher you climb on the ladder of competitive hockey, the more demanding coaches become of their goaltenders. The fact that many coaches don’t understand the position very well doesn’t make things any easier.
After getting pulled, it is important to keep your emotions under control. Slamming the door or sulking on the bench won’t make things any better. On the way off the ice, give the incoming goalie a tap on the pads and when you get to the bench take some deep breaths.
In a few minutes, the anger will subside and you can then do the self-analysis that is required to make the most of the situation. The self-analysis should be the same as you would do after every game. Replay the goals you gave up and rate them as:
A) I simply should have had it.
B) I could have had it but it would have been a good save.
C) I didn’t have a chance.
D) Was there anything I could have done differently on any of the goals?
It is also important for you to understand that sometimes goalies are pulled for other reasons than poor play. Frequently coaches make this move because they have run out of options in their efforts to turn the game around. Unfortunately, the goalie becomes the scapegoat for the team’s indifferent play. I know this doesn’t always seem fair but life in hockey isn’t always fair and this in itself is an important lesson.
From the coaching standpoint, I think it is critical for the coach to give immediate reassurance to his goaltender by going down to the end of the bench and having a quick word with him. It could be something as simple as “keep your chin up… it’s just an off night… every goalie has them.” or “the team wasn’t playing for you… it’s not your fault.” I can tell you from personal experience, it will ease the goaltender’s sense of dejection and it will also keep the lines of communication open.
In terms of communication, it is surprising how many goaltenders get pulled from games without any understanding of why they were pulled. Their goal analysis didn’t reveal any goals that they should have had. To make matters worse, the coach didn’t offer any explanation to the goalie at the end of the game. Personally, I don’t think it’s the responsibility of the goaltender to approach the coach for answers. The coach should be the one to speak with the goalie after the game to offer his reasons for making the move and also offer his reassurance and bolster the goalie’s confidence.
Personally, I have very mixed feelings on whether or not coaches should pull their starting goalie during the regular season. I have spent almost fifty years in hockey as a goalie, goalie coach, goalie parent, high school coach and AAA coach with the York Simcoe Express … so I think it’s fair to say that I have had to look at this issue from almost every angle. I should begin by saying that I fully understand the myriad of reasons that coaches frequently use for pulling their starting goaltender. Each can be justified as being good for the team and also, in the long run, for the goalie involved. However, after over 30 years behind the bench as a Head Coach, I have only pulled my starting goalie once.
So why have I only removed my starting goaltender once in all those years behind the bench?
1. I think it’s important for the goalie to know that it’s his game no matter what. I don’t want my goalie looking over his shoulder for the hook after giving up a couple of bad goals. I have, on occasion, pulled the starting goalie for a couple of shifts to help him refocus. Naturally, there are pros and cons to this move.
2. It is important for me to know if my goalie can battle back from a bad start and finally find his game. This is an important piece of knowledge as the team moves into the playoffs.
3. The season should be used for giving every player the chance to develop. I don’t think pulling a goalie helps in the development of the goaltender. Playing time is essential and to deprive the goalie of playing time is counter- productive to the goalie and ultimately to the team.
4. It all depends on the importance one attaches to winning. As one moves into the playoffs where winning is of more importance, I would be more inclined to pull the goalie for the aforementioned traditional reasons. However, winning during the season is not nearly so important. I prefer to see these games as preparation for the playoffs. Therefore, my goalies should get as much playing time as possible.
So, when would I remove my starting goalie?
1. As always, it depends on the situation. I think it’s safe to say that I would remove the goalie if he needed to come out. I would ascertain this by his body language or by calling him to the bench for a quick chat, similar to those of the pitching coach going to the mound to talk to his pitcher. If I was convinced that it was in my goalies best interest to come out of the game then I would make that decision.
2. If it was a must win situation and my goalie got off to a bad start and had demonstrated throughout the season that he rarely turned it around as the game progressed, I would not hesitate to make that decision for the good of the team. I would define a must win situation as a playoff game or tournament final.
Finally, I think it’s important for the coach to sit down with his goalies and their parents at the beginning of the season to discuss his coaching philosophy. If everyone understands the expectations going into the season then it will make things much easier in the heat of competition.
During the registration calls we take for our goalie schools I often have the chance to talk with parents about their son or daughter’s experience as a goalie. Almost every parent I talk to is absolutely tuned in on how their child is playing but perhaps more importantly, how their child is handling the stress and excitement of being the last line of defence. When the conversation goes in that direction, my next question is… “And how are you handling the stress of watching your kid be the last line of defence?” As a former “goalie parent”, I am very interested in hearing how they do it because I simply wasn’t very good at watching my son play.
My son Bryn started playing goal when he was about four years old. We started in the basement of our home in Newmarket, where we played for hours. I would announce the game and Bryn would pretend he was Andy Moog or Patrick Roy making save after save. Inevitably, we would conclude with a post-game interview when I would ask him what his biggest save was. Those were wonderful days when we simply played for the fun of it. There were no losers… only winners. I was the biggest winner because I got to spend time with my son doing something that we both loved.
By the time Bryn turned six or seven, he started playing in one of the local Newmarket leagues. At first, he played “out” and Barb and I would get him dressed in most of his equipment at home. Once at the rink, he’d put on his skates and helmet and then play his game. Barb and I would watch and cheer and enjoy every minute of the game. In those days, none of the teams had a regular goalie; everyone had to take their turn at playing goal and eventually it was Bryn’s turn to put on the pads. He instantly fell in love with the position and couldn’t wait for his next chance to be in net. The following year, he tried out
for the Newmarket AA Novice team and he was selected to be one of the goalies. He was quite good at it and eventually went on to play many years of AAA hockey. Along the way, he was on a couple of OMHA Championship teams with Richmond Hill and York Simcoe. From there, he played several years of Jr. “A” hockey and then it was off to the NCAA where he wrapped up his hockey career.
For me, something happened when Bryn made the transition from being an “out” player to being a full time goalie… the last line of defence. It started subtly, but the further he went in hockey the more difficult it was for me to watch him play. The pre-game butterflies that I experienced as a player always vanished with the first save; but when my son was in net, they never dissipated. In fact, they usually became more intense as the game went on. I often found myself making saves for him… I’d kick out my legs on low shots and start murmuring instructions like…’Challenge!! Get up!!! Step out!!! …. Stick!!! …
By the time he was in Midget hockey, my murmurs became reflexive shouts, and not only to my son but to other players in the defensive zone. It was as though I was actually playing the game without the feeling of being in control of the situation that comes when you are actually in the game.
By the time Bryn was playing Jr. “A” hockey I found it almost impossible to watch him play. I remember one occasion when Barb and I drove to Ottawa to watch him play the season opener for the Cornwall Colts of the CJHL. After the pregame warm-up, I got out of my seat and announced that I simply couldn’t handle it… I went out and sat in the parking lot until people started filing out of the rink. Sheepishly, I asked Barb how it all went. She announced that Cornwall had lost the game 1 – 0 and that Bryn stood on his head and was named star of the game.
Bryn finished his Jr. “A” career with the Wexford Raiders of the OPJHL. By this point in his hockey, Barb drove him to most of his games while I busied myself with school work or other coaching duties awaiting the results of his games. During the playoffs against the North York Rangers, John Bowler, a very wise man and G.M. of the Raiders saw me sitting pensively in the stands prior to the game. We chatted briefly and he finally asked me why I was so nervous. I replied that Bryn was in net tonight… how could I not be nervous. He looked at me straight in the eyes and gave me sage advice… “Steve… your son’s hockey will be over before you know it. Don’t miss a second of it. In the end, winning or losing won’t mean a thing… being there for him, win or lose is all that matters.” After that, I swallowed my butterflies and watched every second of the series. I still jumped and murmured and sometimes shouted reflexively. Bryn played well but in the end Wexford lost out to the rugged Rangers.
I will never forget the advice John Bowler gave me on that early spring evening at the old Scarborough Gardens. Our children’s time in hockey is short and having won or lost will be inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. As parents, we sometimes get caught up in the intensity of the moment and lose sight of more important issues. For me, I missed precious time watching my son play the game we both love. I often wish that I could turn back the clock and make up for lost time. The best I can do now is to learn from my mistake and never waste another second of precious time with my children and grandchildren. You see, hockey does teach some valuable lessons… even to old goalies like me.