Blueprint for the Perfect NHL Goaltender

August 12th, 2013 by Nicholas Goss Leave a reply »

Much like NFL quarterbacks, the performance of goaltenders in the NHL is often the difference between winning championships and finishing with a high draft pick.

It's the most important position on the ice and the one most responsible for playoff success and failure. The reason why becoming a great goalie is such a difficult challenge is because there are so many skills to master, some of which players are born with and others that require hours of training to polish.

Not only are there plenty of physical attributes required for success, a great amount of mental toughness is also needed to enjoy a lengthy career.

Let's look at a breakdown of what makes a perfect NHL goaltender with video examples from players of today and the past.

 

Good Positioning/Awareness



There are many times throughout each game when goalies cannot see the puck. They may have an idea where it is, but the exact location isn't known because of the traffic in front of the net. This is why good positioning is so essential. It's still possible to save a puck that cannot be seen if a goalie is well-posi ...

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