Rest vs Rust
- Bring game intensity to every practice during a long break — treat each shot and rebound as if it counts in a real game.
- Eric Comrie maintained a .920 save percentage despite gaps as long as 49 days between starts by prioritizing consistent practice habits.
- Roberto Luongo's advice after overcoming an eight-day break before the 2011 Cup Final: 'Play out every shot. Follow every rebound.'
- Managing off-ice routines and mindset is just as important as on-ice preparation when facing extended breaks between games.
- Goalies returning after summer layoffs or tryout gaps can apply the same NHL-level strategies used during playoff breaks.
With both Colorado Avalanche goalies facing a lengthy break going into the Stanley Cup Final — eight days off since the Western Conference Final for Pavel Francouz and 14 between games for Darcy Kuemper because of an upper-body injury believed to be related to his vision — NHL dot com asked me to write a story on the challenge of a long gap between games for goalies.
While that story focused more on the history and specific difficulties of overcoming such breaks, the additional advice that came from the interviews with NHL goalies past and present, as well as Los Angeles Kings goalie coach Bill Ranford was worth sharing here, with valuable insights for goalies and coaches faced with similar breaks over the summer or in-season.
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