What Has Been The Most Significant Development in Goaltending in the Past Decade?
Sabres Goalie Ryan Miller.6'2" (corrected) 174 pounds. The NHL leader in GAA has been the top netminder in the league this year. Photo Courtesy of Mike Lynaugh, All Rights Reserved.
“What has been the most significant development in goaltending in the past decade?”
Rather than compile a best goalie of the decade (too obvious), or best performances of the decade (too subjective), I wanted to look a bit deeper into goaltending between the 1999-2000 season and today and ask – what has been the most significant development? To add some expertise and interest I reached out to a number of professionals for their opinion on this quesiton. From sportswriters, to coaches, a professional goalie and an Olympic gold medallist we have a number of interesting people in today’s article who responded to what I called it the one question interview.
The answers that our experts have provided are vaired, but all centre around the continued refinement of the position. Patrick Roy and Francois Allaire began the now almost universal move to the butterly in the late 80′s and early 90′s but the first half of the 2000′s has seen the position become highly technical, with refined movements by increasingly large athletes. They are all aided by professional year-round coaching and access to technology. If the 90′s made the butterfly ubiquitous amongst goaltenders, this past decade has been about perfecting it.
Thank you to all the experts who offered an answer to our question – enjoy their responses. When you’re done, please add your two cents in the comments – do you agree? disagree? What will the next ten years bring us?
Naturally, I couldn’t resist adding my own thoughts at the end – I looked at some numbers and found one thing none of our experts mentioned – and for me is was a complete surprise.
Sudashan “Sudsie” Maharaj – New York Islanders Goaltending Consultant
To me the most significant development in goaltending in the past ten years is the focus on skating/movement. Goaltenders now are so nimble on their skates and able to position themselves with such great effectiveness that they are able to execute their various save techniques with greater consistency. The trend towards an almost minimalist approach to movement within the crease and during save execution has made for a very economical and simpler style of net minding.
Sami Jo Small – Three Time Olympian
The most significant development in female goaltending has been the increase in the amount of girls playing the game. When the first world championship was hosted in Canada in 1990 there were only 8000 registered females playing hockey, now there are nearly 90,000. That has huge impact on the game and the skill development not only of the players, but of the goaltenders as well. So many more girls are playing now which means more goaltenders and hence creates better competition, better coaching and more opportunities for girls to pursue their dreams.
www.samijosmall.ca www.cwhl.ca
Twitter: @SamiJoSmall
Damien Cox – Reporter, The Toronto Star and TSN (and proud goalie-dad)
Having a son who is a goalie, I know a little about this. My guess would be – and its always equipment related – that the development of pads specifically for the the butterfly style has made it easier for modern-day practioners than it ever was for Patrick Roy. The way the pads are built now provides a padded “landing area” for the knees when a goalie goes down, and the pads are built so as to naturally rotate to form a vertical “wall” effect. It sounds like a little thing, but it has helped goalies close the five-hole even with the abolition of knee boards, and stopped the pads from being angled on the ice, thereby giving the shooter less to shoot at.
In short, before, goalies had to work with equipment designed for one style of goaltending to make it work for the butterfly. Now, even the youngest kids can use butterfly-ready gear.
TheStar.ca or Damien’s Blog The Spin on Sports
Twitter: @DamoSpin
Mike McKenna – NHL / AHL Goaltender (Lowell Devils)
The biggest change has been the influx of quality, goaltending-specific coaching at nearly every level played. Growing up, goaltending camps existed, but most occurred during the summer and were only a week or two long. Today, kids are getting quality coaching through private instruction from the time they first strap on the pads. In addition, nearly every high-level hockey club has a dedicated goalie coach nowadays. From Junior A to the NHL, teams have finally figured out that goalies need just as much -if not more- detailed instruction in order to find success.
All of this has occurred in the past 5-10 years. During juniors, college, and my first two years pro in the ECHL, I never had a goalie coach to work with during the season. My development was directly related to my own study of the position and the occasional week with Mitch Korn or Chris Economou during the summer. This forced me to develop my own drills and philosophies.
Today’s youth are lucky. They have a world of resources at their disposal as the field of coaching continues to expand. More and more ex-goalies are opening up schools and the benefits are obvious. The only downfall is that we are all starting to play extremely similar and the individuality of the game is rapidly disappearing. 10 years from now you won’t see anyone playing like Marty Brodeur or Tim Thomas. The development of the butterfly and associated movements has proven too effective for goaltenders (and their coaches) to ignore it.
Twitter: @MikeMcKenna56
Check out Mike’s coach Chris Economou on YouTube
Steve McKichan – Future Pro Goalie School, Former NHL Goaltender and Coach
In the last decade, we have seen goalies excel to levels never seen in the game’s history. In fact the goalies have been so good the NHL has been forced to attempt to mitigate their success by shrinking the gear and legislating more scoring chances.
They have failed to extinguish the quenchless quest to push the goaltending art. Even with the new changes goaltending continues to frustrate the shooters and will likely do so going forward.
One of the greatest innovations that goes hand and hand with this improvement, has been the invention of the “pro-fly” pads.
This pad design allows even mediocre goalies to get their pads vertical in the butterfly and allows them to have a flare width increase because of the knee lifts.
Pasco Valana Professional Goaltending Coach & Chief of Athlete Services for Olympic Ice Hockey 2010
The 2 most significant developments in goaltending in the past 10 years have been:
- Individual Customization for Goaltenders: high performance goaltenders right through to the professional ranks have changed their focus to work exclusively with strategic goaltending specialists to elevate their game and master consistency. Positional Adjustments, Defensive Zone Dissection, Timing Mechanisms and Mental Training Techniques have been the secret ingredients to top level goaltenders around the world. Not to be mistaken with generic one on one training, but specialists who are fluent in all goaltending languages who take the best elements of each style for the client and design a process that breeds consistency.
- Use of Video: The movement from VHS, to DVD, to On-line live Video Coaching has gained significant ground over the past decade. Having the ability to review video immediately after the game or practices with an athlete increases development, adjusts skills, improves strategies and makes immediate improvements in their overall game. Other benefits are increased preparation, reduction in “mental noise”, and increased consistency.
www.elitesportsmanagement.ca www.elitegoalies.com
Twitter: @goaliecoach
Risto Pakarinen Writer, The Hockey News
I think the most signifcant development is actually the same as with the skaters. The goalies are so much bigger than before, and so much more athletic that they can move faster, and do things goalies of the past couldn’t even dream of. And let’s not even get into a debate about the size of the equipment.
Twitter: @finnjewel
Joe Messina – Bandits Goaltending School Head Instructor
Over the past decade, goaltending has evolved due to the emphases on positioning and refining technique. Goaltenders have developed a more simplified style of game play. Whether it’s aggressive lateral movement, patience in the white ice or making controlled saves, goaltenders have become more athletic and have a better ability to read and react to plays. The overall goaltender as an athlete has become much quicker, stronger and educated, making them a greater threat to opposing players in the start of this new decade!
Twitter: @banditsgoalie
David Hutchison – inGoal Magazine Editor
The New Wave: Bruins Rookie Goalie Tuukka Rask is 6'3" 169 pounds. He leads the NHL in save % and GAA. In 1999-2000 there was only one Finnish goalie in the NHL Today, Rask can't even make the Finnish Olympic Team. Photo by Scott Slingsby.
After reading all the contributions that were submitted by our experts and being a bit of a numbers guy, I wanted to look at some stats. To say what was the most significant development in the past decade, I needed to see for myself what had changed.
Look back to the NHL goaltending statistics in 1999-2000 and you might say that nothing has changed. Martin Brodeur led the league with 43 wins and as I write this he sits atop the league again. The league leader in GAA was Rookie Brian Boucher at 1.91 – today it is Rookie Tuuka Rask at 1.92.
But of course much has changed. In 1999-2000 the league leaders in save % were Belfour/Theodore/Hasek at 0.919. Ten years ago that was a great number – today it’ll only put you 20th in the league, well behind leaders Rask and Miller at 0.934.
It’s a very rough look obviously but either the shooters are taking more low percentage shots or the goaltending is better today- and yes, the equipment shrunk somewhere along the way as well.
Lots of great goalies were there – the man credited with popularizing the butterfly (Roy), Theodore was strong technically and only a few years from his Vezina win but as many of our experts have suggested there were not nearly the number of polished technicians that you see today.
It’s not just about the technique though. Look at the names: Vanbiesbrouck, Rhodes, Healy, Vernon, Braithwaite. More smaller guys than we see now. Many Legace is taller than all of them! The numbers confirm it. In 1999-2000 the average NHL goalie was 6 feet tall and 192 pounds. Today they average 6’3″ and 196 pounds. 75% of them are taller than the average goalie in 1999-2000. Goaltenders are taller today and leaner (2.654 pounds per inch 10 years ago, 2.600 today – a 2% difference). Our experts said it – they are bigger and it would seem, more athletic.
For me the real shocker – and it has to be the most significant development – was the arrival of the European goalies. I would have assumed in such a small window of time the demographic makeup of the league would be the same, but not at all.
Ten years ago 71% of NL goalies were Canadian and 14% American. Only one Finn, one Swede, and one Russian! I have the names – maybe we’ll make it a trivia question and you can answer in the comments – who were they?
Today we sit at 49% Canadian, still 14% American, but 7 Finns have played this year, 5 Swedes, 4 Czechs and 3 Russians. Those aren’t just any European goalies either – they are amongst the elite in the league. Kipper, Nabby, Rask, King Henrik, Backstrom. They have arrived bigger than before (every Finnish goalie in the NHL today, for example, is taller than the NHL average goalie in 1999-2000), and they are technically sound thanks to highly structured and professional coaching. Yes, in Canada coaching has come a very long way but as Steve McKichan once mentioned to me, the Finns have a national curriculum for goaltending. Add to that the comment of their national junior coach that every young Finn wants to be a goalie and we can see what a powerful influence they, and their European bretheren have been on goaltending.
What do you think?
We’d love to hear your opinions – just hit the comment link and add to the conversation. Did we get it right? What did we miss? What will the landscape look like in 2020?
Related posts:
Paul Said,
January 6, 2010 @ 1:16 PM
Dave based on your theory, I would like to see if the number of shots on net has grown in big numbers. I think and maybe wrong but we see more shots on net and crash for the rebound. Now if the first shot is coming from the blue line, most goalies have no problem with it. More players shoot from odd angles trying to create rebounds. When I evaluate goalies I like to watch video for scoring chances and not just shots on net. I try to make save % based on real scoring chances.
Jason Power Said,
January 6, 2010 @ 5:56 PM
Very good article. I think the biggest factor, and it has been said already, is the fact that we have one consistent style. Call it butterfly, call it block and react..whatever you want. It ALL COMES DOWN TO SKATING!!! Both while you are on your feet and your knees, to be able to properly and forcefully execute these skating techniques is what is changing the game.
From Tim Thomas to Robot Giguere, two goalies on opposite ends of the spectrum, but both do rotations, back door slides, hard c cuts across the crease, etc etc etc.
Also, the increase in camps is huge. Heck, this is our 24th year in the business…and we have changed with the times. Vladislav Tretiak was our main instructor for 14 years. Now, Stephane Waite is our guy…
Like anything, when there is individualized focus for anything, it will only get better over the years.
To quote my good friend Ken Wregget, “We used to show up to Training Camp to get in shape and lose the beer guts from the summer. That’s why it was called training camp! Now, if you show up to camp not in the best shape of your life, you get cut the first day.”
I for one, am excited to see where the future of Goal tending is heading.
Rob Said,
January 6, 2010 @ 6:26 PM
This article is excellent! It’s always important to look back at where we came from as we press on into the future. I agree that it’s the evolution of the technical goalie that uses the save selection with the highest probability of success for the situation combined with increased physical strength/flexibility (athleticism). Seems like as shooters evolve with better, whippier composite sticks, and rules are changed to increase offense, goalies always find a way to frustrate shooters and I love it. Even if they reduce the equipment again I wouldn’t expect the scoring to increase dramatically. By choosing the best save for the situation, I think that many times goalies are more square with the puck than they were in the 90′s. Reducing the equipment would only make an impact if shots were going off the edges of the equipment. I’m looking forward to seeing how the position evolves in the next ten years.
David Hutchison Said,
January 6, 2010 @ 6:35 PM
2009-2010 to date teams average 29.6 shots per game which translated into 5.49 goals per game (teams combined)
1999-2000 season teams averaged 27.4 shots per game = 5.49 goals per game
That’s an 8% increase in shots per game with a 3.6% increase in scoring
Bruce K. Hollingdrake Said,
January 6, 2010 @ 7:34 PM
It seems that this questions was answered by a lot of folks on the inside of the goaltending business where perhaps they are less likely to admit the obvious. The NHL has allowed goaltenders to grossly overdress for the dance.
Check out our site today for shots comparing Dryden and Tehodore’s equipment sizes.
David Hutchison Said,
January 6, 2010 @ 7:38 PM
Thanks Bruce – those photos on your site are powerful.
But how many goals would Dryden in his 1972 gear let in if he played today? They players have evolved right along with the goaltenders.
Bruce Hollingdrake Said,
January 6, 2010 @ 8:11 PM
Good point David,
If you’re like me and played even a little goal back in the 70s or 80s and pick up one of today’s trappers…holy cow are they Huge! like a big gaping mouth of a whale (well…almost).
But you’re right, just like the balance between pitchers and batters, shooters and goalies need to improve at about the same pace. I just don’t like that equipment is playing more of a role of stopping pucks than just protecting the player.
Bruce
The Hockey Writers
Nick Hein Said,
January 6, 2010 @ 8:59 PM
I agree with Keeks and Cox that the most significant development is that you can buy pads that are ‘built’ to butterfly. I believe that Roy and Allaire not only refined the butterfly save, but (in Roy’s book) were somewhat pioneers in altering Patrick’s pads to accomodate his butterfly.
Also, I believe the answer to your trivia question is: Nabokov (RUS), Salo (SWE) and Hurme (FIN).
David Hutchison Said,
January 6, 2010 @ 9:48 PM
Thanks for the nice add on the Roy and pad development – really good point.
As to the trivia you’re 2 out of 3 on a technicality. Nabby wasn’t from Russia though he plays for them now…
Nick Hein Said,
January 7, 2010 @ 5:48 AM
Technicality?! Bah! Guess I forgot Kazakhstan became independent from Russia in ’91. Alrighty, howz’bout Mikhail Shtalenkov?
Jason Power Said,
January 7, 2010 @ 6:13 PM
I like the photo Comparison.
But let’s keep in mind that Dryden is like 6’4″ and Theodore is around 6ft even.
Also, as for the pads…I will bet money the pads are smaller now. I am talking leg pads and blockers. I make this bet because I just measured them (we have a set that should belong to Applebees or the Hall on our wall! Also, 14″ wide and 39″ tall)
I have a set of Grant Fuhr’s pads (Brown Elites) from the Blues ala ’96 that measure 16″ across the bottom. Pads currently are 11″
The biggest difference is the fact that pads are now 3 dimensional. For instance, find a blocker made previous to 2000 and the thumb piece looked exactly like that of a forward glove, and even went so far as to wrap around towards your wrist.
I believe (here comes the geeks) that it was the Koho 560 that was truly the first blocker to incorporate a “plate” on the inside. Now, this is standard.
Pads are the same. Look at what Dryden was wearing all the way up to the late 90′s. There were NO knee “blocks” just a piece of felt and some straps. There were no calf wedges, just a piece of foam that wrapped around.
So now I ask any goalie 30 and older that wore the old gear…if you attempted to butterfly, how do your knees and hips feel? Hurt like hell I imagine. The current gear promotes for greater knee and hip flex-ion.
Also, keep in mind this. How many shots you think were over 12″ high against Dryden or any goalie of that era?
Go watch any video of Gretzky in the 80′s…bullshit career. Seriously, wrist shots along the ice from the blue line?
Who told goalies in that era it was ok to try and stab the puck with their stick while attempting explode their limbs? I mean seriously, when was the last time you saw any goalie in the NHL (or squirts) fall backwards attempting the splits with their hands waving in the air…all for a slow shot along the ice?
I will also end my rant on this note. If it wasn’t for more protective gear…there wouldn’t be such a surge in the number of goalies in our sport today. Now, kids that weight 150 lbs can play pro hockey and survive.
I am for smaller gear, by the old standard (70s) for goalies when players wear thin flimsy leather skates with plastic caps, go back to solid wood sticks with straight curves (no fiber glass allowed even) and don’t wear a helmet. THEN, and ONLY THEN, would a goalie be safe again
Mike @ MHH Said,
January 7, 2010 @ 7:34 PM
What Jason said.
JR Said,
January 7, 2010 @ 8:08 PM
I agree with Jason.
Equipment and technique are up there.
No more putting the fat kid in net.
paul szabo Said,
January 8, 2010 @ 1:58 AM
A response to Dave Hutchinson’s comment on SP’s: I agree that save percentage has increased due to increased skill level of goalies, but also due to the almost scientific systems used to block the shooting lanes. 20 years ago there were a handful of players who blocked shots; today everyone does it. Consequently, more and more poor percentage and bad angle shots get attempted, hence SP increases.
Regarding Jason’s rant: I think it is interesting that the open toe save you so poetically ridicule stuck around for so long. Especially considering that the butterfly style had long since been invented, and successfully used, by guys like Glenn Hall and Tony Esposito. Maybe, as you pointed out, it was the poor equipment that caused this technique not to be adopted earlier. Also, it is true that in the 80′s and 90′s the goalies had equipment that was quite outrageous re. dimensions. Nevertheless, the GAA’s were universally higher. I wish the bureaucrats at the NHL head office would get over their seeming vendetta against goalies and their equipment size: it is as much the effective defensive systems as the goalies pad dimensions that explain the lower game scores.
Jason Power Said,
January 8, 2010 @ 1:16 PM
Well, to me this is the only analogy that I can come up with.
A young airman was working in the Hospital ICU on base overseas in Japan (True story…) and he had a problem. He kept, on accident, stabbing himself with a syringe when trying to administer it to a patient. After about the 30th report, the young Airman figured out a new way to prevent himself from being stabbed……no more problems.
As for Goalies, we could all argue that Glen Hall and Tretiak were using a primitive form of the Butterfly to stop pucks. But I will give credit, and I believe it is due, to Allaire and Roy. Literally, the guy did the stats and realized how many goals were scored in the lower 10″ of the net. Hell, I have an OLD VHS of the Courtnal brothers “Shooting and Scoring” (1984ish?) where they even said to shoot low always because according to the NHL, 96% if off all goals were scored there. So they realized the problem, and stopped the bleeding so to say.
In comes Roy, who decides…”So I will flare out my legs, and take away all that space”. I am fully convinced, that I could take one of my JR goalies…travel back to the 70s…and they would pitch shut outs. Now, I am not taking anything away from the greats of the game like Tretiak, Dryden, or Smith…it was a different game by all means back then. Hell, go find one of those old masks, gloves, or chest protectors (OMG, hey remeber when it used to be a Wilson Catchers chest protector and you had that Padded shirt sleeve thing you wore too?) and tell me how it feels to get hit with a puck! NO WONDER GUYS NEVER WENT DOWN!
Side Rant: Why do companies keep making goalie skates weight a ton? There is no reason (in my eyes) to have all that thick plastic back by your ankle. Totally could cut out most of that and make the skate lighter…I hope they take advantage of the technology soon like they have with the forward skates.
Look at the way offense is played now. Guys aren’t dumb, and this is where stats are deceiving. Players realized that your odds of scoring directly on a shot are few and far between. Teams changed their approach. I see more flybys than ever, I see guys peel away from a shot directly at the net…just to pull a goalie to one side and wait for a second man for a backdoor jammer. The league promotes a pussified version of our game, and allows men who look like a rat to stand on the edge of a goalie crease. Oh wait, you can’t touch him! What do you mean you can’t see anything and he fell on you to create a goal? (Seriously, do you think Holmstrom would have made it back onto the ice after his first trip to the ER for getting his lights knocked out for doing that back in the 50s-70s?)
Gear or no gear, excuses aside…it still all comes down to the skating, technical ability, rebound control, mental focus/determination, and the athleticism of the keeper. How many beaters have you seen at your local rink with Custom RBK or Vaughn gear getting lit up in men’s league or shinny? The difference between the guy in nets in the NHL and ECHL can be found in those 5 things (mostly, in my oppinion the mental…but then again, all goalies are mental!)
The NHL needs to remember (I pick on them because they lead the charge for smaller gear) that “…It’s not the clubs, it’s the golfer.”
David Hutchison Said,
January 8, 2010 @ 5:36 PM
Wow – now that was a rant! Love it….
I’ve certainly thought that many a goalie today – given today’s training and today’s gear – could go back in time and be very successful in the 1970 NHL. BUT. Just because we have a technique to better handle low shots than the skate save (oh the hours I spent trying to figure those out, to no avail) doesn’t mean we can react and execute in time to deal with 1970 low shots. I played against a former 30+ NHL goal scorer from the 80s – I guess there were a lot of goals then because I had never heard of him, but I looked it up and sure enough there he was. The butterfly might be light years ahead of the skate save, but even that ‘oldtimer’ with a wooden stick could release the puck without me even noticing and with serious velocity. Bigger, stronger athletes today with high-tech composite sticks can’t release the puck any better than a skilled player in the 70s – I would think. Butterfly or not, if you don’t react to a shot until it’s half way to you, you’ll have a hard time stopping it!
Richard St-Onge Said,
March 5, 2010 @ 10:31 AM
Hey David…just for the record, Ryan Miller 6’2 as per Hockey Database and his team profile. HIs being skinny makes him look taller, but not so quite
Just a heads up.
Rich
David Hutchison Said,
March 6, 2010 @ 10:50 PM
I stand corrected! Wish I could remember where that 6’4″ came from…I didn’t make it up….but I’m sure you are right!