February is usually playoff month for many hockey programs (high school in particular). At the very least, the month is a sign of the final push to the playoffs (college and many youth programs). So, there’s one topic I want to address — communication.
At this point in the season, there’s no magic bullet, nothing that will instantly make you a better player. Physical skills take months, often years, to develop. Whatever work you’ve put in, the results are going to show on the ice. If you cut corners in the off-season, the preseason and the early season, you better hope you have a stout defense.
However, there is one thing that can help a goalie, and his/her entire team, improve almost overnight. That’s communication.
Specifically, communication from the goaltender. This makes perfect sense because the play is coming at the net, and the goalie is in the best position to take in the big picture and instruct teammates. When a goalie takes charge in the defensive zone, he/she can give teammates a split-second advantage over opponents.
Quick, concise and accurate instructions translate to quick, concise and accurate breakouts. That’s winning hockey.
In keeping with my belief that you can always learn from other sports, this month’s example comes by way of the National Basketball Association. Specifically, it’s about Grant Williams, the Boston Celtics’ first-round draft pick last year.
I found a great article in The Athletic by Jared Weiss, regarding Williams’ preseason play: “On every possession, Grant Williams is heard loud and clear. He’s the young vet out there, the thinking person’s big man who is determined to play an important role on this Celtics team one way or another. Watching him operate in the Summer League is like watching ... someone controlling the floor with pure savvy, awareness and communication. The irony is that Williams is just 20, but he is already showing that he intends to be an important part of the team’s chemistry structure.”
Consider how hectic hoops can be in the half-court game, with 10 players jockeying for position, cutting for open looks or to create passing lanes. Sounds a lot like the defensive zone in a hockey game, doesn’t it? If the defensive players in a basketball game aren’t talking to each other, calling out screens or slashing players, they’re making things easier for the offense. According to Weiss, “When Williams is at the wheel driving the defense, his true impact is in how he reads and communicates what he sees.”
“Typically, I try to understand the team, understand their plays and understand the entire system,” Williams told Weiss. “So when they call out a play, I can call it out for the team and let them know what is coming.”
That’s a huge advantage, because good communication brings everyone together, and makes sure everyone is on the same page, working as a single unit. Now, making sure the commands are accurate and easily understood does take a little time, but not as much as perfecting, say, the ideal saucer pass. But simple goalie instructions like “Man on!” or “Got time!” to a defender racing back for the puck are reassuring, and will help them make quicker and better decisions.
The beauty for the goaltender, unlike Williams, is that the goalie is in the eye of the hurricane. Unlike a basketball defender, the goalie is strictly responsible for guarding the net, but doesn’t have to guard a specific player. So the goalie is in the unique position to play field general, and take charge by calling out screens, back-door plays, or options for an outlet pass (“Bring it around,” or “Reverse!”).
Most goalies already see these things as they develop and hope their teammates will make the right choices. The key is simply putting those thoughts into words.
My daughter, a classic stay-at-home defender, once had a young, inexperienced goaltender as a high school teammate. Katie (not her real name) was a bright student and a catcher in softball. So she was used to having the game played “in front” of her, much like a goalie. But because of her inexperience, and her age, Katie was hesitant to say anything. I mean, not a peep.
“Dad, she’s going to get me killed,” Brynne told me, after she had been crunched by a forechecker (yes, illegally) who Katie failed to warn her about.
So, during a training session, I asked Katie why she was so quiet. “I’m afraid to say the wrong thing,” she told me.
I understood. Fear of saying the wrong thing is another form of “fear of failure,” and Katie was afraid. Shouting instructions requires a certain amount of courage, and confidence. Katie didn’t have either. So I appealed to her cerebral side. I told her to be selfish.
“If you make the game easier for your teammates, you’re going to make it easier for yourself,” I told her. “When you see a teammate about to make a mistake, help her out. Fewer mistakes means fewer shots on goals.”
And I encouraged Brynne, who was a captain, to keep encouraging Katie to speak up, even during practices. Because, yes, constructive instruction requires repetition. “Tell her you need the extra set of eyes,” I told Brynne, who didn’t always have the best awareness of the game as it developed around her. “She can be your greatest asset.”
Plus, shouting instructions keeps the goalie engaged. My favorite goalie growing up, Eddie Giacomin of the Rangers, always said that barking commands helped him stayed focused and kept his head in the game.
In short, it helps you stay present, concentrating on what’s happening, and not what might happen. That’s a great mindset for a playoff goaltender.
Idolize, don't copy
It’s absolutely normal for kids to idolize the goalies on their favorite teams. The challenge for coaches, and sometimes parents, is to teach a child that there’s a big difference between idolizing and emulating a particular player.
In New York, kids who love Henrik Lundqvist may be tempted to play deep in the net, because, of course, that’s how The King plays. In Boston, young goalies watch Tuukka Rask playing half the game on his knees, and might be encouraged to do the same.
The problem is that these kids aren’t the athletes that Lundqvist and Rask are. They likely don’t have Lundqvist’s size, reflexes or game knowledge that allow him to play deep in the paint.
And even Rask shouldn’t spend as much time on his knees as he does, in my opinion (I can think of four goals since mid-December that Rask surrendered because he either dropped too quickly, or simply failed to get back to his feet).
The difference is that Rask can recover quick enough; he just opts not to (which is a discussion for another time). Most youngsters don’t have that athletic ability, so trying to imitate Rask is only going to hurt their game and their goals-against average.
I'm with Tuukka
On a totally unrelated note, I wasn’t bothered to see Rask decline to play in the NHL All-Star Game. This exhibition, where any “defense” is strictly an afterthought, is a joke, particularly for goaltenders. Any coach (or GM, or owner) should support Rask. These fan-friendly events are designed to absolutely destroy a goalie’s confidence. I don’t blame Rask one bit for taking a pass.
Brion O’Connor is a Boston-based writer and owner of Inspired Ink Communications. He is also a longtime
hockey coach and player, specializing in goaltending instruction. Learn more at TheGoalieGuru.com.
