“I want to be a goalie.”This is a statement that seems to strike fear into the hearts of parents everywhere no matter what the age of their child.There are numerous reasons for this fear and uncertainty including equipment cost, level of commitment, and the amount of pressure put on goalies. While these are all valid concerns, the child who desires to be a goaltender generally possesses the personality and self-confidence that allows them to succeed at playing the position. Being the goalie on a team can bring grief and disappointment at times but this is usually tempered with confidence building successes and, at times, the chance for your child to become the “hero”. Most goaltenders, even young ones, actually enjoy the stress and the feeling of being in control and most young children who choose this position already have a great deal of self-confidence in everything they do.

The majority of children do not seem to choose the position of goaltender on a whim and while some are not 100% positive they want to be goalies, other children seen to know without any doubt, from a young age, that the goaltender position is for them. It takes something of a unique personality to have a burning passion to be a goalie and it is not something that should be discouraged but should instead be understood and supported. Of course, being a goalie does require a commitment in terms of time, money, and training but there are numerous resources out there to help parents, young goalies, and also older players new to the position. So, when your child comes to you and says, “I want to be a goalie,” consider this statement a little insight to your child’s personality and have no fear.

Here is a good article that offers sound advice to both prospective and current goalie parents.

http://www.goaliestore.com/doctor/feat_parents.php

Habs Goalie on a Roll – Perfectionist Price gets his groove back

Sportsnet.ca Video: Price keeping Habs Alive

photo thanks to Kaatiya

Goalies in the Blogs

Topic heats up: Hiller the No.1 goaltender? – Ducks blog
Minnesota Wild sign prospect, send goalie back to minors
Mindrust « The Goalie Guild
View From the Crease – An Amateur Goalie’s Perspective
Vintage Leafs: Goaltender Gord McRae
Five Hole Fanatics: Propaganda
Dryden weighs in on heavy expectations | Habs Inside/Out
Sens’ Elliott collects first NHL shutout
Caps recall Varlamov – Japers’ Rink
Hiller’s bold play leads Ducks
No secret to Blues success
Chicago’s Goaltending Situation
Hit on Luongo Causes Ridiculous Hockey Brawl : Hockey Beat
Lehtonen stops 49 in Thrashers’ 6th straight win | Sports News
Florida Panthers | Sun-Sentinel Blogs: Starting Anderson
Lehtonen update | Atlanta Thrashers
Bruins goalie handcuffs Flyers | Flyers Fan Central
Draft Experiment: Goalie Update 4 | saucerpass.com
Toronto Maple Leafs – Mike Ulmer’s Blog: Pogge Needs To Reconnect With His Game

NHL Goalies

“On the topic of today’s goaltender, we discussed the transition from the so-called “stand-up goalie” to today’s version that makes many saves from their knees.
The question was posed, why didn’t my era adapt to this style more quickly?
The biggest reason certainly was the fact the equipment protecting us just wasn’t as effective as the gear worn by today’s goalies.”

 Mason is the man

Chris Mason has carried the Blues to a playoff berth.
The 32-year-old has started each of the Blues’ last 32 games, going 20-7-5 while cutting his GAA for the season down to 2.42 and boosting his save percentage from .899 to .917. He’s been getting better over the past few weeks, backstopping the Blues to five consecutive victories while allowing just nine goals on 135 shots — including four wins in as many games last week as the Blues climbed into eighth. 

Pogge needs to work on mental toughness
Sportsnet.ca Video - Justin Lacking Mental Toughness?
Scott Clemmensen, still banished to AHL, nabs Masterton nomination
Mason, Sedin, Ward earn NHL weekly honours
First-star salute for Blues’ Mason
St. Louis goaltender was 4-0 last week; Sedin, Ward also honoured for performances over the past seven days.

Game Reports

Backstrom makes it clear he’s not done
Henrik Lundqvist posts his 20th career shutout as Rangers beat Devils 3-0
Bobby Ryan, Jonas Hiller lead Ducks past Avalanche, 4-1
Hiller, Ducks keep scrambling

When goaltender Jonas Hiller sprinted out of the crease and dived near his blue line to knock a puck away from Colorado’s Cody McLeod on a would-be breakaway, it not only brought the Honda Center crowd to its feet, it brought a lump to the throat of everyone on the Ducks’ bench.
It also might have saved the Ducks’ season.

Women’s Hockey Goalies
Carolyn O’Leary, Editor

Canadian female goaltender Manon Rheaume has being practicing with the Flint Generals in Michigan for the past six weeks and is set to play a game with them against the Muskegon Lumberjacks on April 3, 2009 to raise money for the Manon Rheaume Foundation

Female goaltender Manon Rheaume to play for Flint Generals

NCAA Goalies

Other Goaltenders

Kearney Hub – Storm leave Fargo with another loss

for more on the Fargo Force visit the team web site.

Groenestege to start Wednesday

Oklahoma City Blazers goaltender Doug Groenestege returned to practice Monday and will start Wednesday, said head coach Doug Sauter.
Groenestege injured his right leg in the first period in a Game 2 loss at Mississippi last Thursday.
He left the game and was replaced by CHL All-Star starter Andy Franck. Franck stopped 18 shots but looked sharp in the loss.

Today it is my pleasure to introduce Carolyn O’Leary who has taken on the Women’s and Kids’ sections as editor. Carolyn will add items to the daily news section when they are available, and will also write the occasional post as she finds interesting resources for these sections. I’m glad Carolyn has taken on these areas as I think they are really lacking on the site and I know we have quite a few female readers – and want more of course! As with all news stories, if you have any tips, suggestions or ideas feel free to send them on to news@inGoalMag.com.

Carolyn sent a few notes about her background:

 ” I grew up in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada and, at the time, girls did not play hockey because it was a “boy” sport.  A bunch of girls, including myself, pleaded for female hockey and we got it so, at age 15, I began playing competitive hockey.  I was a good skater and had played pond hockey so it wasn’t too much of an adjustment.  I played as a forward (was a center and team captain)  and, at age 19, decided to try the position of goalie.  I had attended yearly training camps and power skating clinics and was even named to the provincial team as a player but nothing compared to being a goalie and I have never looked back.  Once I became too old to play, because we only had under 21 hockey, I was asked to coach and was eventually asked to coach the provincial team at the Winter Games.  I declined this opportunity to focus on my university degree and then repeated knee injuries ended my hockey playing days, I feared, for good. 
I got married, moved to Ontario and started a family but I was badly missing hockey.  A local pick-up league was looking for a goaltender so I got some new equipment and made an appointment with a sports doctor to get my knee checked and, thankfully, was given the green light to play again.  Pick-up was great and got me back into the swing of things but I missed competition so I decided to get involved in Women’s Rec Hockey and I play in Division 2.  It is perfect for me at this point in my life and ther are some fantastic, skilled players that once played AAA and college hockey so it is not boring and is still competitive without too much pressure. 

Now I have the pleasure of watching my own child play hockey as a goalie with the same passion for the position that I have and it is a wonderful feeling, if somewhat nerve wracking. 
Anyway, that is it.  I know it is a lot more that a few lines but there is lots to tell and I only told you part of it:)  There is also information about how I passed myself off as a boy to attend hockey schools because girls were shunned…but that is another story.”

Features

• Manitoba Moose goalie Cory Schneider named Reebok/AHL Player of the Week. (theAHL.com)
• Providence Bruins’ tantrum-and-stick-and milk-crate-throwing Tuukka Rask was not suspended by the league for his hysterics on March 20. AHL Commissioner David Andrews explains the reasoning behind the lack of suspension: Basically, the half a million YouTube viewings is punishment enough. Makes you wonder what the same display would have netted him in the NHL. (Providence Journal Bruins Blog)

Tuukka Rask – Photo by Fred Trask

Transactions

• The Minnesota Wild returned Anton Khudobin to the Houston Aeros, who released Jeff Henderson from his ATO. (The Third Intermission)

No AHL games scheduled for Monday night.

Features

• Here’s a photographic diary of the incredible 13-round shootout between Houston and Rockford Friday night. Nice shots of Antti Niemi and Anton Khudobin playing out of their minds. (The Third Intermission)



Antti Niemi – David Arrigo mask – Photo by Fred Trask

Game Reports

• Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins goalie John Curry broke the team record for most wins in a season with his 31st against the Hershey Bears. He’s now tied with Milwaukee’s Drew MacIntyre and Providence’s Tuukka Rask as the winningest goalies in the league. (WBS Penguins Blog)
• Cory Schneider also broke his Manitoba Moose’s team record for most wins in a season with 28 in a win over Hamilton in which Schneider fought off 44 of 46 shots. (Winnipeg Sun)

Transactions

• The Toronto Maple Leafs returned G Justin Pogge in a move meant to help the Marlies in their playoff push, though he did not play in their game against Syracuse Sunday. (National Post)
• G James Reimer was returned to South Carolina from the Toronto Marlies as a result of Pogge’s return. (Toronto transactions)

Houston Aeros goalies were in flux Sunday. See if you can keep up here (No Alibis, No Regrets and The Third Intermission and Houston Press):

• Barry Brust is out with a foot injury, and Anton Khudobin was up from the ECHL to fill in for him, but had been starting through the weekend due to an injury to starter Nolan Schaefer.
• However, today, Niklas Backstrom of the Minnesota Wild was experiencing “lower body soreness,” so the only completely healthy goalie in Houston, Khudobin, was called up (his first NHL call-up) to potentially back up Josh Harding if Backstrom couldn’t go against Edmonton.
• Still-somewhat-injured Schaefer was the only one available to start in the tilt in Rockford Sunday evening but had no one to back him up. So the team tracked down the only remotely qualified and available goaltender they could find: fourth-string University of Wisconsin goalie Jeff Henderson.
• He hasn’t seen game action since he was in high school four years ago, but here he is with a pro contract, at least for a day.