As the Stanley Cup Final returns to Boston for Games 3 and 4 this week, hockey fans will be reminded of the tragedy that struck the city more than two months ago, when two bombs were detonated near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Patriot’s Day, killing four people and injuring hundreds more.

Among the numerous tributes to the city, the victims, and those who came rushing to their aid, is this new goalie mask, which was commissioned by Boston resident Kyle Acomb in the hopes of soon auctioning it off to benefit related charities.

“It really hit home,” said Acomb, who remembers waiting anxiously to find out if numerous friends and co-workers near the Boston Marathon finish line when the bombs detonated were all right. Acomb counts his blessings none were seriously injured, but wanted to do something for those that weren’t as fortunate. “I wanted to do something different; something that was personal.”

Acomb already had a new mask made by Dom Malerba from Pro’s Choice, a mask-making company located just north of Boston that has protected the heads on numerous Bruins over the years, including current No.1 Tuukka Rask, and planned to have it painted for him by Montreal artist Montreal artist David Leroux of Diel Airbrush.

He quickly altered those plans and asked Leroux, who had painted three masks for him in the past, to instead design and paint a Boston Strong-themed mask in the hopes he could later auction it off and donate all proceeds to charities supporting the victims and their families. Those fund-raising plans probably won’t be finalized until shortly after the Cup Final, but with the Bruins back home to take on the Chicago Blackhawks now is a great time to show off the soon-to-be charity mask.

The beautifully painted mask prominently features the names and portraits of the four victims of the attack – Krystle Campbell, Martin William Richard, Lingzi Lu, and policeman Sean Collier. The names of others injured in the bombings are written on the jaw line of both sides of the mask, with the Boston Marathon logo painted on the chin between them.

The left side features the medal from the 117th Boston Marathon, with its ribbon streaming over and around the mask, dividing the sections honouring the four people that lost their lives in the attack. The right side features “We are one, Boston Strong,” with the American flag painted in the background just above it.

The date of the attack – 4-15-2013 – runs along the top of the mask, and the backplate, which isn’t pictured, includes the Boston Strong ribbon, and a quote from President Barack Obama: “We carry on, we race, we strive.” In the background of the backplate you can see ghosted out the Boylston Street sign and a building that had the number one lighted out.

Enjoy the images of the mask below, and be sure to check out more of Leroux’s incredible work at his official website and on his Facebook page.

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Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky went from backup in Philadelphia to the NHL’s bets in Columbus. (Photo by Clint Trahan)

Bobrovsky the Vezina Trophy winner looks a lot different than Bobrovksy the backup.

The biggest difference was getting Bobrovksy to play bigger, especially in his butterfly, than he did during his first two NHL seasons with the Flyers. The 24-year-old Russian is finally playing up to his 6-foot-2 frame, a measurement that seemed hard to believe when you watched him hunched over at the waist and sitting back on his heels more during two promising but inconsistent seasons as an undrafted free agent signing in Philadelphia. He’s taller now through the thighs and at the waist, especially in his butterfly, one of several small but significant adjustments that started with Blue Jackets goalie coach Ian Clark.

“I can tell you I try to be bigger – bigger in my butterfly,” Bobrovksy told InGoal Magazine late in the regular season, trying to bridge any language gap with a locker room demonstration, lifting at the waist and pulling his shoulders back.

The changes paid off. Bobrovsky finished 21-11-6, with a 2.00 goals-against average, .932 save percentage, four shutouts, and 17 of 30 first-place votes from the General Managers who decide the Vezina Trophy. Bobrovsky finished the Vezina voting with 110 points overall in a landslide win, double the total for New York Rangers star Henrik Lundqvist (55 points and three first-place votes), and San Jose Sharks’ standout Antti Niemi (46 points and six first-place votes).

The dominant showing was even more impressive because Bobrovsky, who won eight of his final nine starts, came up just short of leading Columbus to the playoffs, finishing tied for eighth only to lose the tie breaker to the Minnesota Wild. He becomes the first goalie since to win the Vezina without making the playoffs since the award went to a vote in 1981-82 (it was decided by which team allowed the fewest goals prior to that), and the only goalie to do it since Roy Worters of New York Americans won without making the playoffs in 1930-31.

The win was the result of a lot of hard work.

Sent home with more than 100 pages of goaltending instruction after his pre-lockout sessions with Clark in Columbus, Bobrovsky’s evolution continued with Finnish goaltending coach Jussi Parkkila in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League during the NHL lockout.

With his chest more upright, Bobrovsky’s hands are now more out in front of him, rather than pulled back in relation to a forward-pitched torso, allowing him to make cleaner glove saves and steer pucks better with his blocker.

“When you are upright you can see your hands, and when you are down it’s tough to see your hands,” Bobrovsky said, holding his hands up beside his head for effect. “It’s much easier this way.”

There were other adjustments. Bobrovsky is playing a more neutral initial depth that allows him to beat passes with his quick feet without having to make the huge lateral pushes that lowered his center of gravity in Philadelphia, and didn’t give up a single net play goal all season after switching from the traditional VH, or one-pad down, to the Reverse, with the post-side pad down.

InGoal will take a closer look at those and other changes that helped Bobrovksy win the Vezina in our upcoming edition of the magazine. As for why this is likely just the start of a rise to the top, and not another one-off like Steve Mason’s Rookie of the Year award in Columbus, Clark points to Bobrovsky’s work ethic, which never wavered through two up-and-down seasons in Philadelphia.

“If you look up the things you expect in an elite goaltender — work ethic, compete level, athleticism, all the intangibles of the position – Bob has them all to the nth degree,” Clark said. “He is constantly seeking to improve his technique, his work off the ice in terms of conditioning, even his equipment. His entire day is focused on being the best goaltender he can be.”

Now all the Blue Jackets need to do is re-sign Bobrovksy, a restricted free agent this summer who has reportedly received offers upwards of $10-million per season from the KHL, and give him a chance to keep getting better – and maybe add another Vezina.

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Minnesota Wild Goalie Josh Harding won the Masterton Trophy for perseverance and dedication to hockey.

Josh Harding was named the 2013 winner of the National Hockey League’s Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey on Friday night.

All are qualities the likeable Minnesota Wild goaltender has shown off in spades throughout a seven-year career filled with more devastating injuries than most endure in their lifetime, but never before did Harding need as much perseverance as this year.

Diagnosed in the fall with multiple sclerosis, an inflammatory disease that attacks the central nervous system, the 28-year-old not only managed to resume his career, including a triumphant 1-0 shutout win in his return, but after a mid-season absence as he adjusted to side effects from new medication, Harding had a strong showing in the first round of the playoffs after No.1 Niklas Backstrom was hurt in warm ups for Game 1. And now, he has started Harding’s Hope, a charity to raise awareness and funds for families coping with MS.

“I wish more people knew what MS was when I was diagnosed,” Harding told the NHL Players’ Association website. “After living with the disease I realized that I’m in a place to give back. I’d be crazy not to. This is so near and dear to my heart and I take great pride in it.”

Harding’s charity will help connect families living with MS to each other for support, help pay for treatments and medication, and spread information about MS so that more people know about the disease.

When Harding’s diagnosis was first announced, InGoal talked to Abbotsford Heat goaltending coach Jordan Sigalet about his experiences and challenges trying to play through multiple sclerosis while he was in the Boston Bruins’ organization, and helped connect the two.

The Minnesota Wild talked to Harding after the award, and put together this great video tribute:

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Hockey Canada is working on a goaltending coach certification to ensure more kids get proper, position-specific instruction like Cory Schneider is receiving here from Vancouver Canucks goalie coach Roland Melanson.

While countries like Sweden and Finland have been using national development programs with position-specific curriculum for more than a decade, Canada still does not have a top-to-bottom plan to help its goaltenders.

That won’t be true for much longer.

Hockey Canada recognized the impending goaltending problem more than a year ago and began working on a development program of its own, one it hopes to unveil sometime in the next four to six months. And just as the real strength of the Finnish and Swedish plans are the way they develop good goaltending coaches trickling down to the youth level, which in turn creates more good goalies, the new Canadian program will be based on a goalie coaching certification system.

“Are we in a panic stage? No. Do we recognize we need to improve? Yeah we do. So we’re taking steps to do that,” said Corey McNabb, who as Hockey Canada’s Senior Manager of Coach and Player Development is in charge of the program. “We see a need for a standardized goaltending development program and we recognized it a while ago. So the reality is we’ve been working on this program for over a year now. … We have major components done and are in the fine-tuning stage now.”

McNabb said Hockey Canada has been talking about – and working with – the provincial organizations on the program behind the scenes “for quite a while.” It will in essence be similar to the skills and skating programs that have been in place through the Coaching Association of Canada since 1999, when a summit was called to address the lack of skill among forwards and defenseman.

Six years later, it paid off with the 2005 World Junior Dream Team and players like Sidney Crosby, Ryan Getzlaf and Jeff Carter.

Hockey Canada hopes for a similar return from the new goaltending plan, which will have similarities to the models used in Finland and Sweden, including future plans for an annual national gathering of goalie coaches designed to share knowledge, keep the curriculum current, and trickle those evolving skills and techniques down to lower levels.

“Is it going to happen as fast as some people might want?” McNabb said. “Maybe not, but we have to make sure we do it right, we have the right people involved, get all the infrastructure and programming in place, and then start putting the people in place to deliver it. So as far as actually being able to implement it, and when it comes time to hit the ground running, it is going to work.”

LA Kings goalie coach Bill Ranford can speak from experience when he works with goaltender Jonathan Bernier, but Hockey Canada knows that isn’t true for everyone, and wants a program that allows more youth coaches to properly teach goaltending basics.

McNabb says the goalie coach certification program will include three levels.

Level One will be designed for beginning goalies, ages seven to nine. It will involve time in the classroom, and a curriculum complete with common terminology, lesson plans, drills, and videos that tie it all together.

“What are the 14 or 16 fundamental skills every player as a goaltender needs?” said McNabb. “And the second component is what are the key elements that coaches of those players need to be able to teach? For kids who are seven and eight, a lot of times they’re on a team with volunteer parents coaching that may or may not have a goaltending background and it’s one of those positions that’s hard to teach, especially if you haven’t played. So the biggest thing for us is to create that fundamental Level One of techniques, skills, and concepts we believe every young goaltender in Canada starting the game should be taught – and how do you teach them?”

Level Two will be for goalies aged 10 to 12 or 13, and designed to build on the raw skills developed in the first stage with more focus on specific save movements and the ability to read and react to the game.

Level Three will be geared towards goalies that are 14 to 17 years old and “really starting to hone their game,” said McNabb, and will address how to recognize and incorporate some of the individual differences among the goaltenders.

“How do you incorporate differences in how they play?” he said. “There’s different tactics and techniques for someone who is 6-foot-4 versus someone who is 5-foot-10. So those are our first three levels, and then we’re going to get into the more advanced level, and that high performance level of goaltending.”

The key, said McNabb, is agreeing on and developing the skills goalies need at an early age – without necessarily predetermining a style of play too soon.

“So how do we build that out? The key is getting goalie instructors and programs on the same page, where we can all sort of agree on what are the different things at these levels that we should be looking at. What are the commonalities as far as terminology? What are some fundamental things that we believe? I’ve always told our guys ‘we don’t need to everyone to agree on 100 per cent, we need everyone to agree on 75 or 80 per cent. That way we can guarantee that any of these programs kids are going to that we recognize or endorse, we know that 80 per cent of what they are getting is from the program that we’ve put together and we believe it to be the proper way and the best way to teach these kids.”

Part of the catch-22 of goaltending instruction is finding the balance between coaching skill and over-coaching to the point kids lose key instincts.

“I don’t want to get into a situation where we take away some of the creativity or advancements that individual goaltending coaches or programs have developed, and we don’t want to get into a situation where we have a whole set of goalies that have come from this cookie cutter approach where they’re all the exact same and that’s just the way it is,” McNabb said. “We think there’s a certain amount of fundamentals that everyone needs, and certain core skills, but there are going to be good ideas that come along and good techniques that people can use that are going to work on some goalies and maybe not all of them. We want to capture the essence of the expertise that is out there, but also ensure that expertise is teaching what we believe to be that fundamental base.”

The question many wonder is how – and by who – that base is determined?

McNabb will lead the program “from a big picture standpoint,” just as he does for skating and skill, because he is “not so tied to the goaltender component that I have beliefs this is how it has to be, or you can’t do this or can’t do that.”

Miikka Kiprusoff made significant changes to his game with former Flames goalie coach David Marcoux, who is leading Hockey Canada’s new goaltending development and coach certification.

“Does that mean that all of his techniques or instruction are absolutely the ones we are going to use? No,” McNabb said. “He’s done a very good job of working with other people, bringing guys in and getting ideas, and ‘think tank’ stuff, where we ask everyone to give the top-15 fundamental skills goalies need, and we get 25 different ones. Then we take this group and agree on what are the top-15 or 20. And not to say the other guys can’t teach the five or 10 we don’t pick, but we need to make sure you are teaching this other stuff first and foremost. We have that national advisory group, for lack of a better term, and we are encouraging each of our provinces to develop that same kind of advisory group and say ‘here’s what we are passing down from the top, we need to teach this.’”

McNabb stressed others have been involved throughout.

“We utilized a lot of experts,” he said, including “current NHL goalies that are Team Canada guys who shared their thoughts, and goalie coaches who are working in the minor levels. We have taken a lot of information in.”

They dissected it all at that national advisory level, worked with curriculum development experts outside of hockey, and put together a plan, one designed to ensure goalies can get decent instruction with or without a goaltending coach.

“We’ve shot a bunch of video in terms of teaching application and then the next step is to actually start training the goaltending instructors on each of these components so that they can begin to go out and teach coaches – and not all the coaches that they teach actually have to be goaltending coaches,” McNabb said. “I don’t have a goaltending background but the things I can learn out of it are: What are the key movement skills that we should be reinforcing in practice. What is the proper spacing in drills and timing in drills so that goaltenders are getting the maximum benefit out of it – so they aren’t just targets in practice.”

From there McNabb foresees the annual coaching symposiums that are such a big part of the success of programs in Finland and Sweden.

“Goalie coaches from across the country and we’re all in the same place for three or four days, and it’s in the classroom, and it’s on the ice, and it’s working with young goaltenders, and it’s sharing and teaching this type of stuff,” McNabb said. “I think it’s going to grow very quickly and I think it’s going to be a very positive.”

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When was the last time you barfed from training? Never! WHAT!? Are you some sort of slacker who can’t push yourself hard enough to puke all over?

Let me ask you another question and then I will get to my point – when was the last time you saw a professional hockey player barf on the ice during a game? Never! WHAT!? Are they some sort of slackers who can’t push themselves hard enough to puke all over?

I know some trainers and coaches out there who think they have given their players a great workout if they are barfing in the gym or on the ice. I respectfully disagree.

I am not saying it doesn’t happen. One of our guys barfs pretty much every Saturday during the brutal hill run portion of our off-season program. We were actually thrilled when he managed to keep it down until after the last rep a few weeks ago.

My point is that this is never the goal of the workout. The goal is to let them come close, but keep it down on those days when you are working medium/long duration energy system training.

You should never have an athlete barfing during a speed training session. If you are training true speed, then the volume is very low and the rest periods are quite long so they can use the intensity to actually develop speed.

When an athlete lets it fly during a workout, the chances of them finishing that workout with the intensity that you want is greatly reduced. They may suffer through it, but it is not typically the highest of quality.

Then you also have a dehydrated athlete on your hands, which will hamper their recovery for the next workout session the following day. So it can have a carry over effect.

I always make sure my athletes know that they are free to take extra rest during these gut wrenching workouts. I don’t want them to feel self-conscious if they need a little extra time to gather their composure.

I would much rather have them skip a rep and finish the workout with good intensity, than spew their tuna sandwich all over the turf and stagger through the rest of the workout. Make sense?

It happens, but it is never your goal.

Hockey strength and conditioning coach Maria Mountain, MSc specializes in off-ice training for hockey goalies. As the founder of www.GoalieTrainingPro.com and the owner of Revolution Sport Conditioning in London, Ontario, Maria has trained Olympic Gold medalists, a Stanley Cup Champ and athletes from MLB, NHL, AHL, CHL, CIS and more.

You can get a FREE 14-Day Flexibility program for goalies HERE!

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When the Ontario Hockey League gathered for its “Protect the Net” goaltending symposium earlier this week, the biggest headlines to emerge involved confirmation of the Canadian Hockey League’s plan to ban European goaltenders. But the two days of puck-stopping discussions went well beyond that decision, taking a broader look at what – if anything – might be plaguing goaltending in Canada, and what could be done to improve it.

Seamus Kotyk, who is currently an Assistant Coach/Goaltending Coach with the Sault Ste. Marie (Soo) Greyhounds in the OHL, was invited to make a presentation at the symposium. Kotyk, who played in two Memorial Cups and won once during a four-year career with the Ottawa 67′s before turning pro and spending five years in the American Hockey League and four more in Europe, agreed to take InGoal readers behind the scenes of the Protect the Net Goalie Symposium, and share his thoughts on it:

The position looked a lot different when Seamus Kotyk was playing it in the OHL than it does now that he is coaching it.

Conversations and opinions throughout our hockey world on what is deemed wrong with the state of goaltending in Canada have been increasingly growing. Frustrations that the rest of the goaltending world caught up – or debatably surpassed – our home-grown talent has either left you questioning where we went wrong, whether it should be fixed, or maybe just a plain and simple how?

Hockey has become a sport that no longer has borders or restrictions for receiving knowledge, especially in today’s culture of technology and instant communication. With that being said, how can such a hockey power and pioneering country slip away from the front of the pack? Every single delegate that attended the symposium arrived with the same passion about these issue that you may have. They want to fix and find an agreeable solution, which will allow us to regain top spot in the world or at the very least relieve us of our stress that this issue is left festering in the dark.

Delegates consisted of General Managers from the OHL Competition Committee, Heads of Hockey Federations, Goaltending Coaches from the OHL and NHL, OHL office personal, OHL Central Scouting, a former OHL goalie, current OHL goalie and a few parents to represent the voice of the blind and forgotten about home support.

Five presentations and three panel sessions covered five different topics that were moved along by Sportsnet’s Darren Millard, a goaltender himself who did a brilliant job to create dialogue and questions during the panel discussions.

Sebastian Farese from the Belleville Bulls presented an outline of his plan for working and developing the Bull’s goaltenders from Day one of training camp all the way through to the end of playoffs. Farese, who is a part of Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence camp underway this week in Calgary, also touched on his work with the minor hockey system in Belleville, where he overseas the other goalie coaches to make sure the constant message and curriculum is being taught unbiased. Sebastian is a bright coach who has worked with famed goalie guru Francois Allaire, and I really like how he works with the minor hockey in Belleville as an independent voice.

I presented on the player and coach perspective, sharing my playing career along with my current views as a coach.

During my era in the OHL, goaltender coaches were not common. I played four seasons with the Ottawa 67’s and was fortunate to play in two Memorial Cups – all with out a goaltender coach. A lot of my evolution came from watching NHL goalies on TV then trying to emulate them in my own game during practices to figure out what worked, and what didn’t work.

Seamus Kotyk did not work with a goalie coach until he was in the San Jose Sharks organization.

The principle teaching points for all three were: to enhance your individual style and skill set; movement, movement and more movement; and the most important part of the game, mental training. Not once did I ever feel I was being molded into a style that wasn’t fit for me.

Unfortunately, today I notice a common trend among goalies entering the OHL that leaves me bothered.

In a way I believe that there is a vice-versa effect in place. What I mean by this is my era of the late ’90s has what this era doesn’t and this era has what mine didn’t.

Today’s goalies have all the technology available, including endless coaches and video, but I feel they lack the common fundamentals such as catching pucks clean, controlled use of the blocker, consistent ability to incorporate their stick while making saves, and rebound control. Video didn’t exist in my era; we coached ourselves and had an open communication with other goalies about making each other better. Our styles, however, did allow us to catch pucks (mind you most with the old school windmill style), make kick saves with the stick (you may laugh but we usually moved pucks out of harm’s way), and we all knew how to eat a puck for a faceoff.

Greg Millen presented a captivating outline representing the voiceless hockey parent that I still find myself reflecting on. Millen shared his insight from a family’s perspective supporting a son who was going through the junior system dealing with either being released or traded from his respective team. He touched on development concerns at all levels in junior hockey, and provided some interesting statistics on long-term development pertaining to averages of games played, career length and the very highly scrutinized CHL ban of import goaltenders. Millen is a very bright hockey mind and left us all with a powerful message. His information will no doubt be spoken about behind closed doors moving forward in helping to create a solution.

Seamus Kotyk, shown here playing in Europe, has noticed a shift in the skills young goaltenders arrive to the OHL with today.

Hockey Canada’s Corey McNabb covered the highly speculated and anticipated goaltending coach certification program.

This topic has been commonly discussed within hockey circles over the past year. Naturally we will face resistance by some about certification. I personally have had discussions with some goalie coaches who are for it, and a few who question the process.

After listening to McNabb explain Hockey Canada’s plan moving forward, I have absolute belief in what they will accomplish and am excited for when it comes into play. Arguably Sweden and Finland are regarded as the top developing countries for goaltenders and they each have certification and a teaching curriculum in place. I’m certain that with two already proven and successful goalie coach certifications in place elsewhere, it provides enough evidence that the same can happen and more importantly work here in Canada.

At the conclusion of each presentation and panel, the topic that was presented then became discussed within breakaway groups.

There was no rocket science formula presented. There were a few out of the box ideas but that was the purpose, and you expect those things when you have that many creative minds in a room.

I found that most of the conversations kept circling back to minor hockey and improving the level of coaching and instruction for the youth goaltender and it appears that Hockey Canada is one step ahead of us by implementing the cerfitcation program. I am not naive enough to think that all the worries and issues will be corrected come puck drop in the fall, but I am confident and proud of the OHL for stepping forward in recognizing that this needed to happen and doing everything they can to make any changes deemed necessary.

It was during this symposium that my eyes became fully opened at the vast level of not only hockey intelligence but the genuine level of willingness from everyone to share their thoughts, ideas and concerns. There was a common goal and it was a goal that represented nothing personal in hopes of recognition that maybe “I” can come up with the new solution.

The goal was to provide everything we could in the hopes of finding a formula that we will be able to set into place for future goalies in Canada. It’s imperative to provide the best possible guidance, education and skill set that allows a goalie to stand alone, tall, brave and confident that he or she will reclaim the top spot and lead our hockey-mad nation back to the glory we all expect.

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Mike Vaughn, President of Vaughn Hockey writes a monthly gear tip for InGoal readers. This month he addresses an important area that is often poorly understood in the goaltending community – proper sizing, fit and break-in of a chest and arm unit.

Many goaltenders dread the thought of getting a new arm-and-chest protector.

They simply do not want to go through the break-in process, but it does not have to be so bad. Most of the problems associated with breaking-in a new unit can be avoided.

Typically I see issues like the unit being too large and not properly fit. Or the available adjustments were never used. Or the unit was just too much for the goaltender’s level of play. Or they didn’t get any good advice on how to break the unit in to be more comfortable right away.

InGoal is currently putting the new Vaughn LT90 Chest/Arm unit through its paces. Look for a full review in an upcoming issue of the magazine.

Fitting Tips

• The arms should be within one inch of the wrist.

If they are shorter, the bending points in the arm will not be lined up correctly and flexibility will be compromised.

If they are too long then they have to be bunched up, which again mis-aligns all the padding and flex points and compromises the performance of the unit.

• The chest pad should come down to the general area of the waist. If it is too long, when you bend it will bunch up and push out from the body. If it is too short, you will be overly exposed.

Adjusting Fit

• Once you have the correct size, proper adjustment will cut the break-in time in half or more!
• On most units the elbows have four laces for adjustment, bend your arm 2/3 of the way, then loosen the laces and just pull snug to this position.
• Loosen the elastic straps on the back of the arm so they have just slight tension at this bent position.
• The molded component in the forearm has two bend spots molded into the part that tapers the part narrow at the wrist. You can take the forearm piece and squeeze the part to flex along these mold lines making the part fit your arm precisely.
• With the unit on, adjust the back harness so that it supports the chest pad and neck guard area to a comfortable position. If it is too low you will expose your clavicle and neck area; too high and you will have the throat guard area rubbing your neck and it will interfere with your mask and ability to move your head and track pucks.

Break-In Tip

Now that the unit is adjusted and fitted properly, you will see a big difference in flexibility and comfort. But if you want to get even more, put the unit in a loose cloth bag like a pillow case, tie it closed and put the unit into a dryer with no heat and tumble it around for 10 to 15 minutes. You will be able to feel even more break-in at this point.

Previous Mike Vaughn Gear Tips at InGoal

Mike Vaughn President of Vaughn Hockey - Custom Goaltending Equipment Makers

Choosing Correct Catch Glove For Your Game Choosing a Mask for Better Fit and Visibility Taking Care of Your Mask

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Brian’s Custom Sports has a new senior pro pad on the market, and InGoal’s partners over at Total Goalie have the first look.

Based on the popular Zero-G series, Brian’s new S Series pad combines a thin modern profile with traditional knee rolls and the striking new graphic that debuted with the hybrid G-NETik line last fall. It is a stiffer pad at the boot, but has plenty of flexibility up top, with a double break that can help narrow butterfly goalies close off the 5-hole.

The new S Series also has a tapered boot, an offset and moveable toe tie, and the Velcro-based Smart Strap system that started with the Sub-Zero line, making it a light pad with plenty of adjustability and individual customization options.

Best of all, as an offshore-produced product, the S Series pad comes in at less than half of any pro model comparable. You can check out all the options and price points on the S Series page of the Total Goalie website.

For more on the product itself, check out these video highlights from Total Goalie, starting the pads:

Here’s the S Series Catch Glove, which is also based on the Zero-G with G-NETik graphics, and includes a skate lace pocket:

And finally the blocker:

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This article was submitted to InGoalMag by Nelson White.

They say that the first step is admitting you have a problem. So hello, my name is Nelson and I’m a mask addict. I have been a collector of goalie masks for about 10 years now and have about 45 game used masks on display in my man-cave. I actually consider myself to be an art collector, and although I enjoy the works of Matisse and Renoir I prefer to own the Cipra’s and Gunnarsson’s. I argue that masks are fine art; they are sculpture and paint with a uniqueness in their design that allows you to know an individual goalie just by his lid. No other piece of sporting equipment can be altered for an individual athlete. You recognize Joe Montana or Kobe Bryant by their uniform and numbers, but by simply looking at a picture of the Eagle mask you think of Eddie Belfour, and the iconic stitches mask makes you think of Gerry Cheevers.

A small portion of Nelson’s collection; including game-worn masks from Grant Fuhr, Jhonas Enroth, and Miikka Kiprusoff.

I grew up like most kids, drawing pictures of goalies and the great full face masks of the 70’s. I actually learned to draw by copying Ken Dryden’s target mask and the intricate detail of Gilles Meloche’s Cleveland Barons mask. My passion for the sport allowed me to have my own career in hockey, working in the front offices of many teams as an administrator and scout for about 15 years. This gave me the opportunity to meet many players and gave me access to the game that most people don’t have. Being a packrat, the collecting began. As an artist and an ex-goalie, masks became the ultimate prize.

My first mask was a Peter Skudra Voskresensk Khimik Russian mask (long before the KHL was born). It’s a beautiful green angry cat painted by Frank Cipra much in the same style as Curtis Joesph’s Cujo masks. Once I had one I was hooked, and have ever since sought out creative ways to add masks to my collection. They have come slowly, but through the help and generosity of goalies, equipment managers, mask makers, painters and fellow collectors, my collection has grown. There is actually a network of mask collectors who correspond and trade with each other. A healthy competition exists as masks are hard to find, but most guys are fair with each other and know when a mask is a must-have for one someone else’s collection. I now count   many of these collectors as my very best friends.

The one question that drives me nuts above all others is “what’s a mask worth?” It’s such a subjective question that I say my masks are worth nothing because I would never sell them. Masks are expensive. Prices are usually dictated by the goalie and the notoriety of the mask. Patrick Roy’s iconic Montreal Canadians mask would bring a much higher price than an AHL mask. But lately with so many new collectors coming into the hobby, prices have skyrocketed. The unfortunate part is that people now see every mask as a bonanza. They ask unrealistic prices for a mask worn by someone who only played a few games in the ECHL. Not every mask is worth thousands, and many are not worth much more than the cost of original paint job. Still, people are paying outlandish prices and expecting to resell these masks at a profit when they overpaid initially. My advice is the same with any memorabilia (or comic books or art). Collect what you really like, what interests you, and what you enjoy owning. If you are collecting as an investment in the hopes of making a killing in masks, you are better served buying savings bonds.

Jake Allen’s “Monsters Inc.” inspired St. Louis Blues mask is one of the most recent additions to Nelson’s collection.

I know I don’t own the biggest or best collection in the world (that’s reserved for a great friend in Florida), but my fellow collectors will tell you I am the most obsessive. The masks I own make me very happy. I can’t pay the prices that are out there now so I always have to find creative and innovative ways to get buckets. Because I work so hard for masks, they all have a story of how they came to be with me, and that is what keeps me collecting. I was once told by a goalie that he would never sell a mask, but he would give me one because he knew I would cherish and respect it, and that it would have a good home. That’s the best compliment I can receive, knowing that a goalie is happy to have his mask with me. Walking into my room I cannot help but smile, my masks make me happy. By the way, that goalie never did send me the mask, but I remain optimistic. It will show up one day.

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Malcolm Subban of the Belleville Bulls. (Photo by Terry Wilson, courtesy OHL Images)

Once the draft process is completed, the reality of where you will have an opportunity to play the following season becomes a realistic dilemma.

In the province of Ontario, there exist 20 major junior clubs (Ontario Hockey League) for a total of only 40 roster spots for goaltenders.  Most of these roster spots are taken by 18, 19 and 20-year-old goaltenders. The OHL is usually a league for more mature goaltenders due to the calibre of play and the constant pressure on all coaches to win (and keep their jobs) as much as possible.

The likelihood therefore of making the jump from minor midget ‘AAA’ to major junior hockey is not a very common scenario. This depends not only on how early you are taken in the draft but the “goaltending situation” on the club to which you were drafted. The opportunity to make this big jump is usually limited to goaltenders taken in the first few rounds of the draft. It’s also a jump that, arguably, is ill-advised since many (not all) struggle with the transition of playing against far more physically mature players.

In fact, during the 2012-2013 OHL season only two ’96 born drafted goaltenders made the jump to the OHL.

When this reality stares you in the face the obvious question becomes where am I going to play this coming season?

In Ontario, options at the tier II Jr. A level exist in the OJHL (Ontario Junior Hockey League) and the CJHL (Central Junior Hockey League). These leagues currently have 23 and 11 members clubs, respectively. Each club has a limit of two 16-year-old roster cards only. Despite being developmental feeder leagues, hockey at the junior ‘A’ level is a business. The object remains to win while competing for that ultra-competitive entertainment dollar.

A review of the 34 member clubs (for the 2012-2013 season) found only three ’96 born goaltenders managed to make a Jr. A hockey club. The review did not include unsanctioned or rogue junior leagues in Ontario. The goalies were all OHL draftees. Therefore, of the 30 goalies drafted on April 6^th, 2012, only 17% (5/30) were playing either at the Tier II level or above.

At the Jr. B and C level, clubs only have one 16-year-old roster card. Many drafted and undrafted goalies are found at this calibre of hockey, but usually at the age of 17 or older. The selection of a 16-year-old netminder is still uncommon. In many cases, older goalies who have given up the dream return to the junior B and C ranks while attending community college or university. For example, during the 2012-2013 season, one former BCHL goalie played Jr. C for the Amherstview Jets of the Empire Junior ‘C’ League while attending Queen’s University.

One could argue that giving a spot to an 19 or 20-year-old goaltender who is just playing for fun is taking away an opportunity from a motivated 16-year-old with potential to play and develop for a higher league. Unfortunately, this is not the reality and life isn’t fair. It remains a “buyer’s market” and clubs will usually take a goaltender with experience.

At this point in the process you are now looking at returning to minor hockey at the major midget level. This problem is compounded by the fact that most major midget clubs are made up of players from two birth years. This can make the competition for a ‘AAA’ player card very competitive at times.

The critical question however, is whether playing major midget ‘AAA’ hockey should really be looked at as a setback?

The key thing in trying to become a better goaltender is getting to play, and play a lot! Although the quality of shots and practice would be excellent at the major junior level, the few 16-year-olds who make this jump get a limited number of starts. This is generally also what happens at the tier II level although the number of starts is usually greater.  Practice is one thing but we all understand that practice never recreates the same degree of chaos encountered in games.

Furthermore, the problem with the tier II level is that some clubs don’t practice daily. This is even worse at the junior B and C level where practices are limited to once (sometimes twice) per week.

Another thing to consider with junior hockey is that even if you do make a junior hockey club, the reality exists that you may be released at some point during the season. An example of this can be found in Kevin Baille of the London Knights. Despite playing well, and leading the Knights on a long winning streak, Baille was released at the 2012 – 2013 trade deadline to make room for Philadelphia Flyers prospect Anthony Stolarz. Baille was winning and was still released. That’s tough.

Therefore, as a 16-year-old goaltender hoping to stick with a junior club, you are taking a chance on not having anywhere to play at all (if released) since the major midget hockey clubs will not have any room available.

Another interesting factor complicates the picture. This is the fact that junior ‘A’ clubs have implemented the “Pay to Play” era. This may become a Pandora’s box of problems which is not the topic of debate for this article! The issue is whether you are better off paying fees for a limited number of starts (but having yourself in the junior system), or whether playing a lot of games at the major midget level is the best option?

The author has his own opinion but the answer is dependent on each individual’s situation.  Malcolm Subban was an 11^th round pick of the Belleville Bulls. Subsequent to his draft year Subban played major midget ‘AAA’ hockey and lead his Mississauga-based team to a loss in the TELUS Cup National Midget championship game.

Christopher Gibson led the legendary Notre Dame Hounds midget squad to the TELUS Cup Championship and then went on to a very successful QMJHL career including being drafted by the Los Angeles Kings.

These two examples reveal that as long as you are in a solid midget development program you can still make the jump to a much higher level of hockey without having to rush it or potentially ruin yourself.

Conversely, Hayden Lavigne (5^th rd, Belleville Bulls 2012) played 20 games for the Wellington Dukes this past season as a 16-year-old and is committed to Michigan University after one season of tier II hockey.

As a 16-year-old hockey goalie it is difficult to make a junior hockey club due to the limited number of player cards and the risk of a coach putting his neck on the line to develop an inexperienced goaltender. The best advice the author can give any player (or parent of a player in this situation) is to go where you are going to play. It is a long and meandering road full of pitfalls and tricks played along the way. Make certain you educate yourself about which clubs really need a goaltender so that time and hard earned dollars are not wasted on fruitless endeavours. In the end, it is likely better to be happy and play a lot at a lower level than to be miserable and sitting on the bench. Remember, “The ox is slow, but the earth is patient!”

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