Pro-Tips Why Tuukka Rask Uses Shin-on-Post for Reverse-VH
- Shin-on-post eliminates the potential gap between the shoulder, crossbar, and mask, creating a tighter seal at the top of the net.
- Shin-on-post places less physical stress on the body compared to skate-on-post or toe-box-on-post, which require more lean over the seal leg.
- Bob Essensa recommends shin-on-post specifically for Rask because of his exceptional ability to transition in and out of it quickly and fluidly.
- Not every goalie should default to shin-on-post — Essensa believes goalies should be proficient in all seal types and gravitate to what works best for their body.
- Rask's shin-lock proficiency is considered a competitive advantage by Essensa, who treats it as a core part of Rask's post-integration game.
Photo: InGoal / Scott Slingsby
Bob Essensa played 446 NHL games over a 15-year professional career stopping pucks, and is preparing to start his 14th season as the goaltending coach of the Boston Bruins, a run that includes winning the Stanley Cup and three Vezina Trophy wins by his goalies.
But all that experience and success doesn’t stop other goalies and coaches from questioning Essensa about allowing Vezina-winner Tuukka Rask to use shin-on-post for reverse-VH.
“I get push back in terms of you know how we get into our seals,” Essensa said. We’ll sit around a table in the summer with three or four goalie coaches and they’re saying ‘why are you a believer in the shin lock? Guys get stuck left and right, why are you so married to it?’”
For starters, take a look at this video last week of Rask and Essensa working on his movement in and out of his posts using his shin as the seal point, and how effectively he does it:
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