InGoal Parents: the importance of working with multiple coaches
- Carter Hart credits multiple goaltending coaches — not just one — for his development into an NHL starter with the Philadelphia Flyers.
- Young goalies who stay open-minded when receiving conflicting advice from different coaches develop faster than those who resist new input.
- Hockey Canada's Program of Excellence camps intentionally expose elite goaltenders to numerous coaches in a single camp setting.
- Goalie parents and players should reframe 'conflicting advice' as an opportunity to experiment, not a source of confusion.
- Even legendary coaches like Ken Dryden worked alongside other goaltending mentors, reinforcing that no single coach has all the answers.
In my first position as a volunteer coach at my old school I introduced myself to one of the young goalies; he played on a team outside the school as well where he was helped from time to time on the ice by another volunteer. A guy by the name of Ken Dryden.
Very quickly I had to navigate some challenging waters. Everything I said might get back to the very man who I looked up to when I decided to become a goalie myself. Everything I suggested might get returned to me by that young goalie with “but my other coach says….” (yea, that other coach). Thankfully, the young man never did throw anything back at me and I’m sure he had ample opportunity.
I was reflecting on that experience when InGoal hosted an interview with Carter Hart as part of the WHL/Hockey Canada Goaltending Symposium. The young Philadelphia Flyers goalie talked about all of the goaltending coaches he has worked with on his journey to the NHL and in particular his experience at Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence Camp where he worked with multiple coaches:
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