Control Goaltending: A Mantra for All

 Be a Warrior!In a conversation with my father over a beverage yesterday, he brought up the point about how important it is for a team to have a goalie play like they are in control.  Of course, he didn’t define control or “playing in control”, but I instinctively knew what he was talking about.  This topic of discussion brought up a list of goalies from NHL, both past and present, who looked like they played with control and goalies that did not.  These goalies were all “control” type goalies, but some of them in different ways from their peers.  It was remarkable how the “control” goaltenders in the list had long and remarkable careers and while the skilled but uncontrolled goalies had “flash in the pan” type careers.  These “seat-of-the-pants” type goalies sometimes had a career season that they were able to turn into a huge pay-day and even NHL accolades.  What was interesting was how their effectiveness quickly evaporated in later years that eventually lead to multiple trades, downgrades to the minors or even indignant semi-forced retirements.Goalie Banger playing in Singapore

This conversation brought me back to some notes that I had prepared prior to building this website.  I made a small list of elements that goalie should strive to control and why they are important for goalie success.  Some of the items are very technically orientated and others are broader in terms of how goalie should approach their overall game.  I have even included a mental element as well.  Each of these Control Elements is a major topic in their own right and I will start to describe each element in much more (excruciating) detail in future posts.  In the meantime, let me list the four elements that I think make up Control Goaltending:

1. Body Control:  an element that comes with years of physical training both on and off the ice to develop co-ordination, balance, power, speed, and agility.  Physical maturity will also lead to more body control
2. Stick Control:  an element that is very closely connected to body control, but it has been listed separately since it is an extremely important piece of the goaltending puzzle.  Often this element is overlooked as long as the goalie is making saves, but if it is not part of a goalie’s game, the following two elements of control suffer greatly.
3. Puck/Possession Control:  an element that ties the #1 and #2 of technical goaltending to the broader game of “team defense”.  There are many points to this facet of control and goalies that “get this” control element are ready for high level goaltending.
4. Mental Control: an overarching element that encompasses the mental approach to technical goaltending, career management, training and practice habits.

I look forward to peeling open these elements and discussing what belongs into which category. 

The overall objective about understanding these elements will be to find ways for the goalie to expand their mastery of control.  The wider swath of control that a goalie can manage, the longer and more rewarding their play will be.