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Sidney Crosby has been known to play goalie from time to time. Why wouldn’t he? It’s fun.

 

 

By Jeff Hall
Stauber’s Goalcrease Coaching Director
 

In the old days when hockey was an outdoor, semi-organized sport, teams did not have two goalies. They may not have even had one. So they took one of their best players and strapped some magazines around his legs for pads and gave him a first baseman’s mitt and catcher’s chest protector. That is the origin of the old saying, “The goalie should be best skater on the team.” It would have been a lousy strategy to put their worst athlete in the hardest position. What if we tried a similar approach today?

 

It’s a shame that by the age of 9, hockey players are generally expected to make a lifelong decision whether or not to be a goalie. This is not a written rule, of course, just an antiquated tradition perpetuated by teams and associations that want one or two designated goalies. Why is it done this way? Is that what is best for the kids, or is it simply a matter of convenience?

 

The protocol at the Mite and U8 levels is to rotate goalies so that everyone gets a chance. The rotation of goalies is also very important for players to develop their skating strides instead of being bogged down by goalie pads too often at a young age. 

 

More teams should use a modified goalie rotation into Squirts, 10U and perhaps beyond. By this age, we want the game to be somewhat competitive and letting just anyone play in net would compromise that. Instead, take your 3 or 4 best athletes and have them take turns playing goalie. I know this a radical idea and it has logistic challenges. But there are some very practical ways we can move gradually in this direction. I will get to those soon.

 

There are several benefits to this sort of goalie rotation. First of all, your best players would gain a deeper appreciation for the game as a whole. They would gain experience that helps them understand what goalies go through. It will actually make them a better hockey player, too, by teaching them how to be a better goal scorer, how to avoid screening their own goalie, the importance of tying up sticks in front of the net, how to empathize with goalies in stressful situations, which leads to an intrinsic desire to help the goalie avoid those situations. In summary, it will make them a smarter and more competitive hockey player. 

 

Secondly, the rest of the young teammates would see goaltending for what it is – a privilege. Just as most kids don’t get the chance to play quarterback on their fourth grade football team, not every hockey player is good enough to earn the privilege of playing goalie. This is an extremely healthy team dynamic. Goalies would be looked up to and respected by their peers. Teams would rally around their goalie in tough times rather than piling blame on them which breeds negative energy throughout the locker room.

 

Lastly, those that end up sticking with goaltending long term will be better skaters, have better hockey sense, fewer bad habits from seeing too many shots in practice and fewer overuse injuries (like hip impingement) later in life. Those who get to play both skater and goalie get a truly enriching experience similar to being a multi-sport athlete, yet within the same sport. It would give the hockey community more well-rounded individuals.

 

Realistic and Practical Ideas

If your team has just one goalie, you’ll want to have an emergency backup. In these cases, it’s usually one of the worst players who bravely volunteers because they’re looking for a larger role on the team. A commendable act, but it’s not good for the team. Before an injury or illness comes about, coaches should take the three best players aside and say, “One of you is going to be our backup goalie.” Then, let each of them trade equipment with the goalie (if it fits well enough) for at least one practice each. If nothing else, it’s a fun experience and a healthy challenge. Just make sure one of the coaches does some individual goalie-specific drills to help them out.

 

If one or more of them takes a liking to it, you may want to let them play a game and let the usual goalie skate out. Now having a goalie skate out in a game may sound scary to a coach, but it can be very fun for the kids, even if they are used in a limited role.

 

If your team has two goalies already, it’s still a good idea to have them skate out in practice to work on their skating, foot speed and stick skills. Have the goalies trade equipment with two of the better players for a practice once in while for the sake of experience. Again, if they’re good enough, you may even want to let them play goal for a scrimmage. Sidney Crosby was reported to wear Fleury’s pads briefly in practice back in 2007 and has since played goalie in some ball hockey events. Rumor has it that he’s a pretty good goalie and it’s not surprising to me at all. 

 

If you have two goalies on your team who have exceptional talent, let them skate out in games when it’s not their turn to play. Or, if they are not gifted enough to really compete as a skater, let them skate out against the weaker opponents. Alex Stalock did this for South St. Paul all through Squirts and PeeWees, committing to goalie full-time only once he got to Bantams. In this way, he spent every other game developing skills, athleticism, vision and hockey sense in ways that most goalies never will.

 

Instead, most goalies spend every other game cold and bored on the end of the bench. It’s no doubt that this contributed to Stalock’s journey to the NHL. Maybe your goalies aren’t as talented as Stalock and might not contribute much as a skater. Can’t we try this anyways and give them a chance to have as much fun as Stalock? In fact, Stalock said of his experience, “Every day I loved coming to the rink,” implying that to sit on the bench was not something he would have been OK with.

 

If your association is short on goalies, consider using the rotation for a team or two next season. If we can go through the trouble of sharing goalie gear with an entire Mite team, why can’t we have just 3 or 4 kids share the goalie gear for a Squirt season? It could be the most fun year those kids ever have.

 

As Coaching Director at Stauber’s Goalcrease in since 2002, Jeff Hall has led the skill development of thousands of goalies from Mites to Pros, and everything in between. Goalcrease Training and Equipment Center in Edina has a real ice rink and full service goalie staff.