InGoal Radio Episode 249 with Scott Wedgewood

Intro

It's InGoal Radio, the podcast presented by The Hockey Shop Source for Sports Langley, thehockeyshop.com. David Hutchison, Kevin Woodley are standing by as we have a jam packed episode today. Our feature interview presented by Sense Arena will serve up Scott Wedgewood, who has had a remarkably adventurous journey and really settled into a home with the Dallas Stars who are challenging for the President's trophy right now. Our Gear Segment is going to focus on certified cat eye cages. That's presented by The Hockey Shop.

And the parent segment is going to dial in on does my goaltender need to play spring hockey? The parent segment brought to you by GDI USA. As we say hello and, look around the stress drive of the National Hockey League, are you excited? Are you, like, taking a last minute breather? Where are you in your hockey consumption right now, Woody?

I am somewhere between excited and a little bit of dog days because we're kinda caught in between, like, the games matter, but you're looking ahead. You know that little window where

Yeah. Yeah. Exactly.

You're still chasing a spot in terms of where you rank, but I just wanted to start. And I know the players can't afford to be like that, although I think some of them certainly are. Some of them, frankly, have admitted to me that they are. It's it's human nature to lose focus on the day to day, especially if you haven't been in them in a while. And let me tell you here in Vancouver, we ain't been in them in a while.

At least the one they qualified, if you count it, the bubble playoff play in.

Plan, whatever the hell it was, wasn't in Vancouver. Do you know there has not been a home playoff game in Vancouver since 2015? The year before Brock Boeser was drafted. None of their core was even part of this organization the last time we had a playoff game in Vancouver. So I'm just a little jack to cover it, to feel that energy, to sort of see that crowd.

And I got to do it in Seattle last year, and it was like a breath of fresh air. I love it.

And Hutch, you're you're like, you're in the midst of playoffs, with little Hutch. So you're like, you're you're getting a step up on us.

I was gonna say, I get that it's dog days for people in the NHL circles, guys, but NCAA is down to one and done playoff hockey right now. CHL hockey is into the playoffs, which just started this week. There's a lot of really cool stuff happening at other levels of hockey and I'm really enjoying all of it.

We have also, spring hockey that we'll discuss in the parent segment. And for those that maybe had their season done already, you take a step back, maybe, just to get a little reflection. But if you wanna stay into it, the NHL Sense Arena is a good opportunity if the ice time's just not available right now because everybody, is gearing in in the playoffs, maybe in your in your same stratosphere.

Absolutely. Look, whether you're playing spring hockey this year or not, and if you are, maybe you're gonna be warming up before your games with a few drills in the virtual world of NHL Sense Arena, or maybe you've chosen to try something different for a few months now that your season's done, In which case, Sense Arena can give you a chance to hit the ice for a few minutes every day, maybe to stay sharp, maybe just to have fun, guys. You can have fun facing NHL and PWHA shooters. You can have fun on an outdoor rink. You can have fun trying challenging hand eye coordination drills, and you can have fun challenging your friends with some of the competitive opportunities in Sense Arena as well.

So NHL Sense Arena is an awesome opportunity to keep your skills sharp this spring, this summer. I was thinking guys, since NHL Sense Arena is so safe, they should add a mode where you're just in your beach wear, sunglasses beach wear, virtual rink on the beach. Wouldn't it be pretty sweet? I think it'd be a whole lot of fun to try. So if you wanna give Sense Arena a try, if you haven't yet, guys, head over to sensearena.com.

If you've already got a headset, you can get a free trial. If you haven't, you can get it through them. Great deals on now. Use that code, IGM 50, and you'll save even more.

I got pictures of me, with the surf in the background using Sense Arena, you know, people riding waves in behind me. So, absolutely, you can. We need to bring it into the game, I get is what you're saying. Didn't we see a college I can't remember who it was. There was a college kid that was using Sense Arena.

You mentioned the playoffs going on in NCAA hockey. We saw a college kid warming up with it, ahead of his game. I saw it on social media just last week. So remember kids, you don't have to just use it at home. It can be a very valuable too at the rink as well.

Certified Cat eye cages coming up in our Gear Segment presented by The Hockey Shop. But did you guys see the article on nhl.com regarding Marc-Andre Fleury and his potential return for next year. All indications had been pointed towards this being his final season, but there's an opening right now, Hutch, for the legend to return and carry on his career.

Yeah. It sure looks like he's opened the door, hasn't he? He, even mentioned that he'd brought in friends and family to Montreal to watch him play in case it was his last game in the Bell Centre and was maybe leaning towards it because he wasn't having fun. That's what we were just talking about, and we will talk about in this in the, the spring hockey segment. And now he's having fun again, and he's having a whole lot of success.

And we've said it so many times, the NHL is way better when Marc-Andre Fleury is out there playing and showing us all how to have fun. And let's not forget be competitive because he mentioned what a competitive person he is as well. So I'd love to see him back, but, maybe that makes things challenging for Minnesota, doesn't it, Woody?

Great young up and coming goaltender. That little name name, Jesper Wallstedt, might have something. Like, I gotta think the development plan for him includes the National Hockey League next year. Obviously, Filip Gustavsson took a bit of a step back this year in terms of consistency, but it's still showing when he's on, he's capable of high level performances. In terms of Fleury, and, obviously, he said he wants to kinda Minnesota or bust.

I'd love to see him. I again, is there a spot? Get the band back together in Pittsburgh for one last run. But whether there is wasn't there whether there isn't, the one thing I gotta say throughout, even when things weren't necessarily as fun and he also mentioned the competitive fire he has and how maybe behind that smile, we forget how important that is, and he's rediscovered that. But his numbers have been great.

Even when the raw numbers weren't great, the underlying work. He was outperforming a tough environment. That's just the job of backup. When he was in sort of a pure backup role earlier this season, gets a tough start. And so the raw numbers aren't gonna look good.

But now that as he's gotten a chance to play more, other people are seeing what the underlying numbers were saying all along. Marc-Andre Fleury, whether he gets the opportunity wherever it is, whether he gets the same minutes or he can still play.

Money will not be a factor. He stated that. And I wonder, can you go with a two and a half goalie situation with Wallstedt playing something in the National Hockey League? And when there's a gap in the schedule, he plays, in Iowa in the American Hockey League. Can you can you go with something like that?

Florida Panthers kinda went down that path a couple years ago.

It's how the Nashville Predators broke Juuse Saros into the NHL. It's how the Columbus Blue Jackets broke Eunice Korpisalo into the NHL. They when there were long stretches where he wasn't playing, they would send those guys down to the American League. Like, hey. I've got a game on Saturday night in Minnesota.

I know that somebody else is playing it. I send Jesper Wallstedt to Iowa for the weekend where they probably play three games, and he gets two of them. So instead of sitting on the bench in Minnesota, he goes down to the American League and gets two games. And then when it is his turn, a a few days or a week later, he hasn't sat on, you know, a start for two weeks. The problem there is usually when teams are doing that, the third guy that's going back and forth is kinda like a career AHL guy because all he's doing is coming up for the weekend to sit on the bench behind your starter.

So finding minutes for three guys in the NHL as the Montreal Canadiens will tell you this year, like, you could do it. The ones that are up and coming tend to be okay with it. The ones that are not up and coming, CJ Gallant's comments since arriving with the devils, little less so.

I guarantee the two most interested people in that article were Gustavsson and Wallstead. Watching that going, where are we going? And and admittedly, the Minnesota Wild, they're gonna take their time in in sorting this out after the season. Interesting situation in Philadelphia as that scenario has played out with the goaltender coming over from Russia. I call him the goaltender because I don't wanna influence Woody here.

The accent on the particular syllable changes how we pronounce the Russian name. We don't know him, Ivan, very comfortably. So how do we pronounce his last name?

Fedotov is what I've been told. And the reason I was told that is I was on a Philadelphia program yesterday discussing the transition from the KHL to the NHL because the Flyers are in the middle of a playoff race. They are playing the wheels off Samuel Ersson because they don't trust the other options right now because the other options have struggled. Listen. Philly is not a great defensive team at this point in the season.

They give up a lot. It's a lot of ask. So a lot of people in Philadelphia see this. And this is interesting too, Daren, because he used to be listed at six eight. I've seen a lot of goalie people been like, oh, he's now the tallest goalie in the NHL, but it looks like the Flyers are listing him at six foot seven.

I take it he said it himself was six foot seven.

There you go. So so not the tall like, right there with the flight

from Russia. Like, there's shrinkage there.

No. It's just like everything else that gets inflated around draft time. So, anyways, not not setting a new record for for the tallest goalie in the NHL just yet. Six foot seven, which I believe is what the same as Ben Bishop. And who else is six foot seven right now in the league?

Anyways

not in the league, but, was in the league in Edmonton.

Mister Koskinen. Mhmm. Miko. Yeah. So, anyway, Fedotov is how you pronounce it.

And for everyone in Philadelphia that's like, just throw him in, like, today, basically, as we record this against the Connor Bedard, Chicago blackhawks. KHL hockey for a goaltender compared to the NHL is almost a different sport.

How so?

It none of the traffic, none of the funneling of pucks to the net. It is all pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, dusted off from a wide open look in the slot and pass it again. I know the game's changed. It's evolved over in Russia, and we've become an east west league. And you can certainly go to Russia and work on things in terms of patience and skating and edge work and not committing early on all of that passing that will benefit you coming back here.

But the adjustment period in terms of the traffic and how direct and fast everything is, not to mention ring size and how quickly plays get on top of you, not many do it at the snap of a fingers midseason. He just arrived. I don't even know you saw that with the Bauer pads and the True gloves. There was some talk that he was wearing True gloves. The pictures I saw were Bauer gloves when he was overseas.

Some talk he was already wearing True gloves. But my understanding for someone in Philly is those weren't even his gloves. None of his equipment that he was wearing in Russia would have gone through Kay or through NHL offices yet for approval. That would all need to happen. Like, you don't just come from Russia midseason and pop into the net the next day.

Maybe he does, and maybe he surprises us all, and he's the exception to the rule. But Igor Shesterkin was, half a season in the American League. Ilya Sorokin went straight to the NHL, but people forget he was not allowed to play in the bubble, but it was around the team for the entire bubble experience the year before his debut, then had a entire training camp, and then admitted it took him two weeks to get comfortable with the pace before he started playing like himself. So to expect this kid, I just think in Philly, they're like, throw him in. And I'm like, I don't know that that's really the best idea even if you may not have a lot of other

The Flyers have made it sound like they're gonna throw him in.

He's their backup. You can't play Ersson every night, although they've tried, and so maybe they will. I just I feel like I just feel like that's a big ask. That's all. It's a really big ask for the kid to do that.

Even though he's not a kid, he's 28 years old. He's mature. I've got a scouting report from somebody who actually coached against him, a KHL goaltender coach, walked me through the ups and downs of his game, and there's a lot to like there. Just a lot to ask to do it in short notice at the National Hockey League level. That

does give them, some insurance and, a little bit of depth going into last year without Carter Hart, within the organization, and he's a free agent. So we'll we'll follow that one. Before we get to the Gear Segment and certified cat cat eye cages presented by The Hockey Shop, a really fun story following the Vegas Golden Knights and the just elevated play of Logan Thompson in the, absence of Adin Hill. Like, it's it's been remarkable what he's been able to do.

Was he rolled out a 0.975 since everybody predicted the demise of the Golden Knights because Adin was hurt, and they had a road trip from hell with the season on the line. Like Yeah. Talk about stepping up. Penalty shot in overtime, enough, mustard on that glove save on the penalty shot to cover my hot dogs for the next decade. Think beauty just absolutely love the swagger on that one, LT.

Yeah. Like, what what a great job. We've all I think we've always known that's there. Right? It's just been tough at times to see it consistently, maybe because you're not playing consistently.

But we get we look at technique. We look at sort of skill set. We never get to see inside an athlete's mind, but you get these checks along the way to see how they handle big moments. And that was man, this is this has been really impressive. I think a lot of people from the outside looked at what was gonna happen and saw Vegas going into St Louis chasing them, playing really well with, like, seven one on one in their last nine.

Back to back, I know it was Patera on the second end of the back to back. And then in the Minnesota, like, tough road trip, tons of stakes, and Logan Thompson's been brilliant.

He out dueled Connor Hellebuyck in the game in Winnipeg only allowed one goal. Four straight starts in which he's only allowed, one goal. And, there's something to be said. No moment's too big for him. And that confidence, and you can interpret it anyway, but he just he loves the stage and and Hutch.

There's that that fine line, but being ready for for that moment and embracing that moment and not shying away or showing any type of, intimidation for the moment, I wish I had it. I I wish I had it in life, in that regard the way that Logan Thompson's able to handle.

No. It's remarkable. And we need somebody to tell us how to package that so we can all develop that. Like, it's it's not something you can just decide you're going to be. It's gotta be something you've developed and and to have that swagger to come in.

And, what a what an opportunity for Vegas to have somebody who can step up like that and and shine in a big moment. And you have to think that this is only gonna reinforce that feeling in him. So he's probably gonna go from strength to strength. Things are looking up.

We will see what happens, as far as the availability of Adin Hill, but it does, give them, some added confidence that there's a little more, there, in the absence of the goaltender that won the Stanley Cup for them last year, Woody.

Yeah. No. It's, like I said, big week for Brock alumni. That's right. Logan Thompson and then Conor Unger after one year at Brock University, the Canadian U Sports representing at the National Hockey League level at a boy LT, and then Conor Unger gets a contract with the Edmonton Oilers.

So, you know, I I know we all talk about undrafted free agent goalies out of the NCAA. We'll have news on them coming shortly, I'm sure, as we've had a few signings there already, there's more to come. But, nice to see that, the league up here in Canada doesn't get ignored as well. So Connor Unger starting with the Edmonton Oilers, his pro career as well. So big week for Brock.

Very underrated hockey. Yeah.

Maybe just clearing more of a path. Right? And instead of just, you know, one player going through, you got you got multiple and it just widens the the lane.

I think it'll open eyes. We've said it before. You can come out of Europe at 24, 25 years old and get a boatload of opportunities. But, if you come out of U Sports at 24, 25, people have decided that you're washed up, so I'm glad that's opening.

The irony there is we're seeing the opportunities present in the National Hockey League. There were pro opportunities all along for kids coming out of youth sports. They just ironically were in Europe most of

the time. Yeah. Yeah. That's right.

Gear

We've got our feature interview talking to Scott Wedgewood. That brought to you by Sense Arena. But let's get out to our to our Gear Segment. Certified cat cages. Good for you to say.

Can't say that. Certified cat eye cages brought to you by The Hockey Shop Source for Sports Langley, thehockeyshop.com. I don't know why. I'm bumbling and stumbling over that today.

Because you're in America where you don't require a certified cat eye cage. You just get to throw on the OG certified. So it like, your your body physically rejects the concept of a

certain restriction. I'm not gonna do it.

Exactly. Now listen. They've come a long way, Daren, which is one of the reasons we wanted to revisit it. We you know, Cam and I'm gonna let him talk about this. He's got there's a goalie coach there that's looking for a specific type from all his students.

He wants them in this. He thinks it improves their vision. So we decided it was time to talk about it, to let goalies know and goalie parents, in particular, know that there are other options up in Canada other than the straight bar. For those of us that are in beer league, we go down to the the real cat eye even if we're not supposed to, but maybe you've got a beer league where they're a little more restrictive, where they actually check to see if your equipment is properly certified. We've got some options for you today at the Hockey Shop.

Let's let Cam walk us through them.

Welcome back to The Hockey Shop Source for Sports. I'm here in Goalie Utopia with Cam Matwiv playing a little dress up. We're here to talk to you about cages.

Yes. Not often talked about, but often asked for. And as of late, even had some goalie coaches requesting certified cat eyes. Regular certified

Regular certified straight bar. Certified cat eye. So Certified cat eye.

For starters, just to clear up the muddy waters, this is totally legal for any minor hockey within Canada. That's why it's called the certified cat eye. So they add extra bars here to make sure that, a, you can't get that stick blade through as well as to cover up a little bit of that extra openness that would be on a regular cat eye. So why would you want one of these? Well, vision.

So as you can see, Kevin's eyes.

I can see him poking me in the eyes.

So your straight ahead vision, that's what we're talking about here. So as you're looking and following that pocket, there's less bars in your face, in your eyes, cutting off your sidelines. We don't want that. So that's why they've created that opening. Very, very popular with the European goalies, that we've kind of noticed, and some of that is now transferred over into our market as well.

I mean, these have been around for a little while. This isn't the first time we've seen one of these things. That said, it seems to be coming a little bit more prevalent. We are seen to be selling more and more of them. So there must be something behind it. Kevin, what do you think of your vision so far?

It's good. I mean, I'm gonna be honest with you. Nobody call Health Canada, but I have a actual cat eye Oh. For beer league. Nobody checks.

I actually if we shot this a month ago, there would have been a little nick, little little little cut because the reality is, Player Stick blade does fit through there as I found out the hard way. It's a little bit scary, but I'm not the brightest guy, so I continue to wear it. If you need to be in a certified cage, this is this is a great option. I'm we're not saying it's for everyone. Like, I actually used to wear the straight bar and had no problems with it.

But as we are hearing, I guess Cam said, from goalies in Europe, it's very popular. Yep. Goalie coaches are starting to send them in to CCM. And so, you know, we see it here as a stock option on the Bauer one. Yes, sir.

We there's a Warrior there with the stock option. We've got it for CCM. So, again, like, just something if goalies wanna explore, maybe different sight lines, I feel like there is more material here on the periphery than we might see on this one. But straight ahead vision seems to be pretty good. So it's an option, and Cam's got it for a variety of different masks here in stock or online at the hockeyshop.com.

So what we want you guys to do is let us know in the comments below. Which one do you prefer? Do you wear a certified cat eye? Why do you wear a certified cat eye? Do you find it's better? See? Just some user engagement. You know? Viewers, they they they want you know?

Comment below. You can ask me more questions about this at (604) 589-8299 or 1-800-567-7790, or you can check the cages out at the hockeyshop.com.

Somebody was just calling you.

Yes. How about a certified cat eye cage?

Hello? Come get the phone, Cam.

That's why you go to the Hockey Shop because they can they can walk you through something like these certified cat eye cages. You know

why else you go to the Hockey Shop? Because they got sales. Spring break sale is on right now. You also go there for the new gear, and we've rolled out a bunch of it in recent weeks. Hey.

Do you guys see the video? We had a True Project x stick, which we reviewed last week. Score a goal in minor hockey. Kinda remember the the gentleman that tagged us in it. His son scored.

It might have been in Alberta, but he was using the brand new True Project x, and his kid got a goal. Dad's a goalie too. He said he's been searching for one his whole career, and now his son has I think it was even featured on the the Global News. Did a little segment on it because they caught it on video. So goalie goals, we love those.

When they feature equipment that we've reviewed, we love those too. You can get your own Project x stick at the hockey shop or the hockeyshop.com. You can also check them out. Like I said, that spring break sale, 25% off a lot of the Bauer product as they get ready for the new shadow line, which I saw up close with Jake Oettinger in the Dallas Stars locker room this week. It's on its way.

You can already go on the customizer and order it. And so Cam's got the old stuff, the the stuff it replaces on clearance, 25% off. It also includes, like, chest, pants, all kinds of equipment from Bauer on 25% off as part of the spring break sale at The Hockey Shop and The Hockey Shop dot com.

Parent Playbook

Which is a great segue into our parent segment brought to you by GDI USA, and there's a interesting timely conversation that's taking place regarding spring hockey right now, Hutch.

There sure is. And before that, I just wanna welcome the first of, several new coaches program partners, GDI USA, who are presenting today's parent segment. And they're gonna be with us throughout this season in some form or another as they also choose to deliver InGoal Magazine subscriptions to many of their students. GDI offers an array of programming at the national including national and regional development camps this summer, mid season tune ups in the winter, year round specialty clinics, consultation, advising, game and video assessments, really everything you need to learn, develop, and thrive through the course of, your career. So visit gdiusa.us and check them out.

And there'll be some links in the show notes, there'll be some information in this week's newsletter as well. Okay, boys. Parent segment, does my goalie need to play spring hockey, or is it time for a spring break?

I don't have a young goalie. I don't have an answer. I know I need a break by this time of the year. So

Yeah. Well, look, for me, definitely, maybe it's a little bit late right now for some families to consider this, but maybe it's a good time just to be thinking about it as well and maybe for next year as well. Do you have to play spring hockey? Options have sprung up everywhere and, there's a bit of a fear of missing out with parents as they worry that maybe their son or daughter will be left behind if they don't jump into spring hockey experiences. So just to share my thoughts, I would say don't feel you have to, but it's also okay if you choose to.

But do play other sports. How many NHL goalie coaches guys have told us kids can't catch anymore? How many have told us that it's really important to be an athlete first? And, by the way, if you do play other sports, don't feel that pressure to go play at the rep level. Do you remember years ago, guys, Aerin Frankel on the podcast told us that he thinks it's important that you go out and play a sport not at the rep level.

And why is that? So that you can just focus on exploring your athleticism and not it's not all about winning. Just go out there and have fun and be an athlete. So but back to spring hockey. First off, it's a business and it's generally expensive.

And that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. Someone's providing an experience for your kid and it's okay to run a business. But I would suggest that you go out there and evaluate it guys like a business as well. Is it good value for the money? In general, you're not getting a whole lot of goalie development in most spring programs.

So to me, it's all about the games. How many games is your kid gonna play for that money that you're spending on spring hockey? Also, ask yourself, what does your goalie need the most right now? Did they play a whole season without much goalie coaching? If that's the case, then maybe the money you're thinking about spending on spring hockey would be better spent on private coaching or maybe some really good camps, something like that.

Build up those goalie skills when you haven't had the opportunity in season. On the other hand, if they were with a team that gave you some great goalie development and you feel like their skills have progressed a lot this year, then maybe you do need to take some time and just get out there and play some games and then maybe spring hockey is for you. My son has had many opportunities to play spring hockey over the years and sometimes when it was a unique opportunity, like a different level of competitiveness, different group of friends or something, then we had him play. And there were other years we just didn't think the value was there for him. It wasn't the right thing.

So he didn't play. We passed up an expensive trip to California one time because it it was gonna be a whole lot of money and there'd be two goalies there and that's a lot of money to play two or three games. One year when he was really young, and this is a big caution parents, you could see he was burning out. You could see he was not happy at the rink. And so he just pulled a bit of hockey.

He went and played house baseball and had the time of his life. And later on, we said, you don't even have to go back to hockey if you don't want to. But after a nice long break, he was ready and it was his choice. And this year, playing at the CHL level, admittedly, it's the longest season he's ever experienced. The gear is going away when he comes back.

He's gonna play house league baseball. He's gonna hit the golf course a whole lot. The most important thing when you're making your spring hockey decision, everybody, is make sure your kid's having fun. Make sure they continue to enjoy the game when next season comes along. That's my 2 cents, boys.

Well, if Carey Price needed to put the gear away every summer until August because he felt it reinvigorated him when he hit the ice, there's a lesson there. Obviously, not every kid's playing as much as he did when he was at the Montreal Canadiens, but it's one I always reflect on. One we've heard more and more was in the Dallas Stars locker room this week. Jake Oettinger, little bit of a forced time off the ice because he had the surgery last offseason that a lot of people didn't know about. But he felt better for it going into this season, having had that break for the first time in his in in his career.

So the one question I had had, but Hutch, but Hutch. The coach says if I don't play spring hockey, I'm not gonna have a chance to make the rep team next year cause all the other kids on the rep team are make are playing spring hockey this year.

Yeah. Look, if I I I don't even know how to respond if you're tied up in a political situation where it's the same coach. That would be tragic. I can tell you that I've seen a whole lot of goaltenders play high level spring hockey over the years that are no longer in the game. So it it's a long term play.

And I would be very sad for you if you're in a situation where you really feel that pressure. And somebody really wants to have a chat about it and reach out, feel free to talk to a whole lot of parents as they make some of these decisions and you can reach us parents at ingoalmag.com.

One statement, one question. I think this is the statement. Every player, goaltender or skater, should have a first skate of the year, which means you stepped away from the game for a little while. You shouldn't just go all year and never experience that joy of walking back into the ring for the first time in in a while. That's that's part of regenerating your enthusiasm for the game.

And that goes for every sport because some other sports can can go year round too. The question is, if you are going to play spring hockey and you're a goaltender, should you be looking at a good team or a team where you're gonna get more shots? Because it's spring hockey, maybe a team that's not going to be on the upper echelon is better for you as a goalie.

I think that probably is an entire parent segment because it relate it relates to next season as well. And it's a question we've had here over the years many times. I would say it's a really hard question to answer, Daren. And I would also go back to why are you choosing spring hockey? If it's about the games, then playing on a really, really good team where you see 15 shots a game is probably not a great experience for you.

If it's about something more than just the games, playing on a really good team, you're gonna face those really good players every day in practice. So there's advantages on both sides of it. I think it really depends on the scenario and I think we'll revisit that one maybe closer to the season as people are looking towards what they might do this year.

Feature Interview - Scott Wedgewood

Fun stuff. Great insight from our goalie parent in David Hutchison. Well, let's get over to our NHL Sense Arena feature interview, Scott Wedgewood, and this has been a jury. You know, he signed with three different organizations three years in a row, like free agent, free agent, free agent. And now that he's in his early thirties, he's really developed a home in in Dallas.

But for a third round pick, he had to find his way to this stability right now. It's it's a really fun and impactful process that he went through.

Yeah. And we've we've been through. We've had him on once before when we walked through as he was going through that and settling in Dallas, and putting up really good, like, putting up really good numbers to get that opportunity. Again, this is one of those situations where I was seeing the underlying numbers. They were really impressive.

Sometimes when you're in a backup role, the raw numbers don't jump out as much because you're getting the tough starts. Like and so this is just a chance to catch up with him and just sort of top goaltending as opposed to getting into his whole backstory. For the backstory, recommend people really recommend because it was a great interview. Go back and listen to the first time we had him on. But, man, no shortage of insights here.

We ended up going a full forty minutes on what we planned to be 20, and he shared all kinds of write down a technical advice, when to look off the puck. Do you do it as well or as often as Scott Wedgewood, a guy who relies on, you know, sort of his athleticism as well as technique, but not the biggest goalie? We got into this relationship with Jake Oettinger because they are different goalies, how they play off each other. Some mindset stuff, some incredible hydration tips from him. This thing is loaded with great advice.

And the the favorite kind of advice, it applies at every level. You don't need to be in the NHL for what Scott Wedgewood has to say today to resonate and help you become a better goalie. It's a he's a beauty. He's a new dad. We get into that.

Just a really fun interview, and so happy that Scott made the time on this road trip, to reconnect with us.

Awesome stuff. NHL Sense Arena feature interview. Scott Wedgewood of the Dallas Stars on InGoal Radio, the podcast.

Really excited to welcome back to the InGoal Radio Podcast, the guy that I always enjoy catching up with anytime the Dallas Stars are coming through town. And, this weekend was no different. Scott Wedgewood of the Dallas Stars. New dad, Scott Wedgewood of the Dallas Stars. Scott, how how are you?

Has that dad's strength kicked in yet?

That was the first thing I asked when I left the hospital. Like, when when should I expect this? But, no. I'm doing good. Obviously, tough.

We, we got mom and baby home three days after the baby was born via C section, then I took off for a seven day road trip. So one more game against the Kraken tomorrow, and then we land land late Sunday morning. But, yeah, excited to get back to them. It's been a an interesting, obviously, week and super excited emotional with all the things going on, but, really good support system, real good family. Everyone's everyone's obviously eager to meet her, and it's, it's been something we've been obviously hoping for and looking forward to all year.

So it's not a tear. It's been a it's been a whirlwind.

Well, I mean, the the smile on your face yesterday as as we talked, you know, about going through that parenthood, like, was about as wide as I've seen in any at any point in the NHL, and I've covered a cup couple of cup finals and winners. So, I know how much you're enjoying it. I also know that that is a tough yeah. I'm I'm not sure that enough people understand just how tough that is. Hey.

Listen. You guys are professional athletes. You're compensated well. But having to be away from moments like that at times like that from family is is part of the job that I'm not sure enough people appreciate how hard it can be.

Yeah. You know, we I have a feeling for Heiskinen this year. We were in New York, and his wife, gave birth. And I think he left, you know, less than two days after baby was, you know, just introduced to the world. We were shorthanded demon.

We were shorthanded on injuries, and he was kinda, you know, asked and, you know, he made do for the team, so he stepped up there. But, yeah, that first night, I flew into Arizona a day later just to meet on game day. I was going to bed that night when we got to the hotel. And, you know, I'm an emotional guy with, you know, a few tears in the eyes, and we have, obviously, baby cameras and stuff I can check-in on and all that stuff. But I'm just, you know, what she thinking.

What she doing? And it's just, it's crazy. And now everyone says it, but it just kinda it takes you over, and it's, you know, feeling for her, feeling for mom. Obviously, we got some help in town, which is nice for them, but, obviously, was trying to pull my weight when I was around, and I'll have to pick it up, obviously, Sunday when I get back for sure.

K. Now the one thing we do hear from new parents perspective, we can as goalies at every level, but especially yours at the highest level of the game. We could tend to live and die a little bit on results and and how we're playing and and what goes on at the ring. Does it I mean, it's early. Right?

Like, you've only been a dad for a little while here, but does does it sort of put some things in perspective for you? Can it can it be something that, you know, you look at? And it's like, okay. Like, yes. My job is super, super important, and I wanna be the best at it, but there are other things in life.

Yeah. I mean, and I've only played in one game and we won it, so that was

a There yeah. It

good start. But, no. I mean, I, you know, wear my heart on my sleeve and wanna be good every night, and obviously, that's not the case in in this position. But, yeah, obviously, getting home, to the dogs for the last few years has always been one thing where they don't care. And now, obviously, with a with a baby, she she won't understand it either, and I'm sure that'll be, you know, something as a as kinda like the mental toughness, right, you're gonna have to work on it and obviously not wanna bring anything home and bring a bad attitude or anything like that.

But, no, I think, you know, just off the top of my head, thinking about how it's gonna go, I mean, walking in, seeing her regardless win or lose, and I I think that's probably top to bottom with a lot of guys in the league. It just completely rewrites your your hardwiring and to definitely a lot more to it. And just now it's all about her and keeping her healthy and happy and then, you know, obviously play this game as long as I can so she can hopefully get to see it and remember it as as life goes on. It's obviously been my whole, you know, personality in life, and wanna be able to share that with her as long as possible.

Okay. So we've had you on before. I mentioned welcoming you back to the podcast. It's been almost two years since we last talked to you in this format. So I'm gonna highly recommend every back everybody go back and check out episode one eighty three.

But it also means Scott is off the hook a little bit today in terms of, man, when we get you on for the first time, I think I really made you deep dive into the history and the roots of the position. And you were so great with it. This time, we just wanna focus on, like, hey. Like, the last couple of years, some of the lessons that you've taken away as you've established yourself and sort of found a home with the Dallas Stars, working with Reese. You know, maybe let's start with Jake Oettinger's there.

Great up and coming young goaltender in the National Hockey League. Your role working with him, obviously competing to be the best you can be when you play, but also working with a young goalie who's breaking in the league. What's what kind of advice, what kind of lessons have you learned maybe even from Jake in terms of him doing a few things probably different than yourself?

I think, I think what's worked so well as soon as I got here, it was kinda you know, I got a couple lifelines off waivers, couple late trades, and was able to kinda claw my way and stick and keep my head above water for a long time. And then, you know, when Dallas picked me up, I think I only played seven or eight games for them there before the the first round against Calgary. And as soon as I came in, you know, was close with Tyler Seguin my whole life, and he was like, man, we got this stud young guy in Oettinger, and he wants to play every night, but he's gotta understand that he can't. And that was kinda the first thing that Seguin told me. And then, obviously, I met him and saw him play, and he's an absolute stud.

So it was, you know, one of those situations where they listen. Like, I'm, you know, at that time, 29, turning 30. I just want my own job. I wanna stick. I wanna be in the National Hockey League.

I wanna stay. And I think I don't know what his perspective was when they traded for me, obviously, an older guy. But I'm sure that they had reiterated to him, like, hey. Like, you're gonna be the guy. You're gonna be the future.

We're gonna base this around you. And our early conversation is like, dude, like, I don't I don't want your job right now. Don't even have my own. So I think that kind of groundwork of me just being like, hey. Like, I'm gonna play when they tell me to play, and I'm obviously gonna do my very best to earn more ice time, but I'm not here to, you know, overshadow you or try and, you know, hope that you do poorly so I can get in the net.

And I feel like early on in a lot of careers, that kinda is the AHL way of, you know, it's tough to find great partners. And I think with just that early backstory between the two of us and communication, you know, we're obviously talking as his contract's up next year, mine's up this year, and you just kinda play GM in your head. He's like, you're I've never had a partner that, you know, we get four plus five x amount of years together, how great that would be. And way that we both, you know, work well with Jeff Reese and, you know, kind of be able to share that net a little bit more this year with him getting a little bit of a workload last year and, you know, maybe maybe wearing on him a little bit more than than anybody would have liked with me being out. But, you know, like you said, that ability to to be good partners to play, and just kinda coexist has been, I think what makes us both, you know, tick so well.

You know, Jake's a student of the position. Your appearance with us on ProReads, how you saw the game, how well you read and anticipated things was a real treat. Are you guys comparing notes? Like, as much as you play different games and research probably works with each of you in different ways at times, Are there you know, do you have one of those relationships where there is a lot of back and forth, a lot of communication in terms of what you're seeing out there, what might work here, or what might work there?

Yeah. It's funny. Like, obviously, I'm aggressive, use my feet, and kinda make guys miss. And he's, you know, big body where he kinda says, you know, if you're gonna beat me, gotta beat me perfectly and just gets I wouldn't say he gets hit because he's still reactive, but he obviously can use his size to a better advantage than I can. And there'll be times with, like, a screenshot and, like, a shifting, you know, butterfly save, and it just hits me and sticks to me, and I'll call it my otter save just because I don't have to catch it.

But, you know, we talk in between, you know, TV timeouts and stuff, and I'll come over and I'll make a stand up glove save, and he'll be laughing. He's like, I don't know how you do that. I'm just standing straight up, making a glove saving guy underneath the hash marks. And, you know, he's probably more or less in a push off or reverse or kind of the way he plays it. But, you know, there's times where we've both asked each other questions just, you know, he guys walk out of the corner.

I tend to overlap. He likes to sit inside a a reverse, and he's got everything covered. And if I go into reverse, they got half the top corner. So, obviously, very different in technical abilities and technical reads. But I think it's just interesting with, you know, the way that the team plays for us both doesn't really change.

It's more just, I think, the two of us see things a little bit differently of how we would approach it. And then if, you know, things go wrong, there's questions to be asked. You know, I I get in a reverse. I don't like the way I I push off on one side, or sometimes I grab skate, or, you know, I get a guy coming down a wing that's gonna look short side and do a wraparound. He integrates.

I stay out, but then I got a harder push. He integrates. They try and go short side shoulder. So it's like we give up different options, so it's almost like a different look every time. And then when we're rotating in drills, like, it's almost, like, confusing for the players because you're gonna have just completely different looks.

And then, obviously, they're gonna face different goalies. But I think there's there's a good a good back and forth just in the fact that we play the game so differently. It's almost like, would I benefit from that, or would he benefit from this? And we try it. I mean, that's the nice thing about having almost two different ways of being playing.

It's times where he likes to be aggressive and try what I do and just get hit. And then there's other times where I wanna sit back and and try and use size and see if I can, you know, be a little bit better at just kinda taking away angles and not having to force myself to feel like I have to get everything so clean.

I love I love that. And and within that, I wonder how much as much as like you said, you know, there are situations where you can't play it the same way as him just from a square footage standpoint. Right? Like, I it's funny because being in the locker room last night after you guys clinched another playoff spot, congratulations, by the way, on that, I forgot how big he was. I I, like, I almost forgot just how big Jake was.

And, you know, so there's times where you're not gonna get a shoulder to the crossbar. And yet, do you think it being able to do things different ways, not just to your strengths, but sometimes just, you know, like, in practice, a different look? Have we seen it? Is there any value in unpredictability at times for shooters to maybe get a different look here and there for, you know, this young generation that's coming up expecting the same thing perhaps every time from goalies they're facing?

Yeah. I feel like, you know, with the new ish age of the reverse and, you know, I think a lot of the times if guys get below the, you know, face off dots or bottomless circles, everyone's almost in that reverse, and I wanna hold my feet as long as possible. If I don't have to go down, I won't. It might tick some players off in practice. But if they're not scoring, they can't complain.

So but, you know, I'll never not work. It's not an antidote to, you know, laziness or anything. It's just, you know, if you're gonna beat me anywhere and it's gonna be five hole and you're not shooting five hole, why would I go down? And my my coverage has to be that with my size. And, you know, this year, I've actually had a few, I mean, they're just knucklers or floating shots.

I remember Winnipeg, like a fadeaway that just went through a screen, went over me, and I'm at the top of my crease and on my knees, and it floats in LA a couple weeks ago, often draw, fadeaway through a screen, tips my shoulder and goes in. And it's just I'm looking at Jake. I'm like, I have to go down because it's through a screen. But I'm like, if I'm six five, that's hitting me in the collarbone. It just there's times where it just it just feels like, oh, like, you know, I I love to use my feet and as much as I can, but it doesn't work as much as I would like because you still have to play the game, and I like to be athletic as possible.

And Yep. Someone that's just hard to track. But, no, I think, you know, obviously, with me being a little bit more I don't know if you still can call it old school or hybrid would probably be a better, you know, usage of it. I find that, you know, when guys on the team even come in different shootouts and you go down on Jake, you go down on me, and, you know, they're looking to go somewhere and it's just standing up hitting me, and it's probably a little bit confusing for sure. But I think the nicest thing that we both do is we work on our our feet.

I think that's one thing that he's really progressed in, and he was never bad at it. It was just more I love to skate and do goalie drills and, you know, your crease movement stuff. And he loves to obviously work on his reverse and his slides and his positioning, and I I kinda get myself out of trouble with my ability to skate. So it's almost a perfect tandem in the sense that, you know, the drills that I work on help him, the drills that he works on help me. And probably makes research job a little bit easier because no matter what he does, somebody's getting something out of it.

But but I think that's, you know, what the the trio we have is why it works so well. It's a it's a pretty even keeled mentally between all three of us, and we all wanna get better. And, you know, like any tandem, you know, you want guys to go in the net. You wanna be successful. And, you know, with our team clinching a playoff berth and the wins we have, I mean, it might be a down year on what they call the number side of it, but, you know, I I don't think any anybody in the league is gonna complain when your team's, you know, a point out of the president's race.

And regardless if we both have it close to three goals against average, you know, it's a it's a team sport, and we're finding ways to win. If we have to give up three and a 900 every night to be top of the league and a threat, I don't think anyone inside the hockey world is gonna care except for some of the comment section coaches I I find out there that like to look at numbers and know context.

Well, for the for for the comment section coaches, the adjusted numbers that that factor in for quality both paint a very positive picture. Thank you very much. And by the way, 900, we're hitting the point where nine hundred's gonna be league average at pretty pretty soon for crying out loud. Like, it's at the end of the day, there is no way I've come to this point, Scott, where I barely even look used to be I never looked at goals against average, and now I barely look at save percentage. Like, from one team to the next, depending on your defensive environment and what you face, it it might as well be apples and oranges.

Yeah. I can't stand that, new GSAX. I don't I don't get that stat. I get I get it. I just don't understand why it has any value when there's no threat.

If Ovechkin's taken 61 timers from the top of the circle and you put a goalie coach out there and take 61 timers from the top of the circle, there's no value change in that shot. If it's a screen, if it's momentum of the minute you're in for two minutes, but, you know, they throw a point shot from the blue line through eight people and it hits a skate on the backdoor and goes in, that's a negative goal. Like, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. I get why they have it, and maybe I'm a com gonna be a complainer on it because this hasn't been maybe the best year for me and Jake in that sense. But it just doesn't value the sport to me in any sense.

It doesn't take into consideration screens or tips or any of that, does it?

Well, there's one company that does, and that's ClearSight. And guess what? It was founded and created by a former NHL goaltender, Steve Valiquette, who wants to make sure he adds as much of that context as I think what you're talking about. You need as much context as possible. But even within that, even if you can add screens and tips and and they have when it comes to screens, I think they have four or five different types, layered screens, defensive, like multiple types.

So they're doing their best to give as much context as possible. Nobody talks about time and space.

Yeah.

Systems. It will never be like because there are times as a goaltender, right, where you're you're reading off your own defenseman, and maybe they don't do what they're supposed to or expecting to. And we're not complaining about it as goalies, but it happens. And you're where you're supposed to be. Puck goes in anyways.

That's never accounted for. Whether a guy's at the dot with his head up looking and nobody with a stick on him versus a guy at the dot who's being checked heavily, has a stick on his stick, is under pressure with no time and space, those are two totally different shot.

Yeah. No. I'm that's I just find that, you know, in the grand scheme of things, it's never gonna be picture perfect on either side of it. I just think it's you know? But it's funny because no one in the actual room or goalie coaches or goalies ourselves care about it.

It's all the outside sources that don't watch the game and look at a number sheet, they're like, oh, well, x y z has minus five goals against this year, so he's been trash. But it's like, I'm I had the best year of my career. I'm I'm 16 and five or whatever it is in 20 something starts. Like, how how are you upset? Even if I you don't have a four goals against average and my team scores five and we give up four a night.

I ain't upset, but, obviously, there's apples to oranges in every situation, and this is one of them.

Damn media. That's what it is. It's us and the damn media. It's our fault.

It's you.

It's it's us.

Oh. I gotta hang up now.

Okay. Well, hey. You but you know what? The irony is that's why we started ProReads. That's why we start that's why we started that in part because one was you know, what it's becomes is great tool for young kids to see how much information you guys process in real time when you make these decisions, when you read and anticipate the game.

And it's been remarkable. Like I said, I can't thank you enough for doing a segment with us. We'll have to get you back on again one of these days, although I'm already getting you for enough time today. But but also because we would see the Internet goalie coaches, you know, that crowd criticize decisions, like, to do a reverse or to not do a reverse or to and I always felt like until you've actually talked to the goalie about what he was thinking and what that process was like, you just can't judge.

Yeah. And it's hard to also, there's 64 of us in the world right now doing it or

And doing it different.

70, and never been none of them none of this none of them do it the exact same. Yeah. And, obviously, you know, it's a great sport. Everyone plays it. There is a very highly I find the jump in the highly skilled players is in the last three to four years, I just jumped exponentially from four or five years prior of how quick the game is, how good they are at shooting.

Every kid coming in can play the game as the top tier guy. There's a few guys that separate themselves, but there's no longer, you know, when you get a fourth line out there that's just you're gonna get sticks cookies on net. It's you know, the fourth line guys have just as much skill as the guys that are are playing top minutes.

Every kid coming in can play the game as the top tier guy. There's a few guys that separate themselves, but there's no longer, you know, when you get a fourth line out there that's just you're gonna get sticks cookies on net. It's you know, the fourth line guys have just as much skill as the guys that are are playing top minutes. It's just you can't there's not enough mouths to feed.

Yeah.

So you got some guys in

Go ahead. Sorry. No. No. Sorry.

Go ahead.

I was just gonna say there's guys in practice that are on our, you know, fourth line or even extras and stuff, they come in. They wire the puck. You're like, how do you not have 30 goals? It's a tight checking lead, but it's just like these guys have skill. I mean, I've seen that I think that funny video was a Jeff Carter dressed up and went into, like, a men's league game, and he, like, was in, like, Cooperalls and stuff.

And no one could touch the puck. But I guarantee if he had a a bad shift, there was 40 people on social media hating on him. But it's like he goes out there with the average folk and, you know, you can't even you can't even sniff the puck without touching it.

So facing that and that rapid rise in skill. And the other thing I do like, to go back to the same percentage conversation, they're not wasting any of those opportunities. Like, there's never been more skill in the NHL lines one through six and defensively. Like, you've got them you've got players like that on doubt, like, offensive defense, but all around the league. You got a bunch there in Dallas, but they don't they're not just throwing pucks at net without purpose.

Like, there's so so shot totals are going down, but the percentage of those shots you guys face as goalies, the quality of them as a percentage of total shots, like, it's getting harder is, I guess, what I'm trying to say.

I mean, they're, like you know, take an example of that Vancouver team last night that, Otter played. Like, you play them. I don't know if they've ever gotten over. I don't know what they have, but I don't feel like they've gotten over 30 shots on us in a long time. And there's times when they give they have 18, but they score four, and you're like, oh, like, you had a bad you look at it like, shit.

I had a terrible night, but you're like, maybe if you thought that way, but, like, I actually had a great night. They had 18 shots, but 13 of them could've went in. Because they just look off, look off, look off. Grade a. Guy's gonna pull the trigger.

No. I'm gonna hit the next layer. I'm gonna pull the trigger. No. He goes back to the other guy in a weak side shot, and you're like, they could have shot three times in that one situation, but they looked off until it's an absolute grade a plus until they take it.

And then you get other teams. You know, Carolina slings the puck to the net. They're like, oh, you got 35 shots. Like, yeah. But 28 of those could have been off someone's shin pad and in because they just sling it through traffic.

Yeah. And it's a hard night, and they don't stop. They're firing at like, they're hoping for that. Right? They're throwing it off the shin pad for a reason because there's not many times you're beating goalies clean anymore.

And there's just different ways to go about it. There's the shot there's a shot quantity team, and then there's a shot quality team. And there's not a lot that really sit in the middle and just, you know, give you eight dump ins from the red line anymore where you can just pad the numbers.

No. No. That's just in beer league, and I usually let a couple of those in anyways. So what are those conversations like? You talked about, you know, like, the people judging goals and stuff and looking at what are they like when you're watching with Freezer?

Like, give me a a little quick glimpse into how a video session might work the following day when you're breaking down a goal, when you are breaking down how you played, you know, on nights where maybe the math doesn't look as good as you felt.

I think Reese does an unbelievable job at just being, you know, an advocate for his guys. I don't I don't know if you know? And I've heard it from other people and coaches in the room. They're like, you know, I don't think you guys understand how hard he fights for, you know, shot clocks and, you know, obviously, advantages for us or, you know, in in harder conversations of how well we're doing. Yeah.

And he reiterates that in video. So, I mean, he doesn't usually like to show the goals, but I've kinda gotten him to showing the goals because I like to break it down. And he's you know, comes out to me after a game, know, great game, good win, or whatever. And then, you know, probably my second talking point is the goals. I can't.

He's, yeah, but you did good. I'm like, I know, but I don't need to in my mind, I don't need to do any better on the ones I stopped. I wanna do better on the ones I've missed. And I like to break it down because I like to get it off my chest. And I think that's been one thing over the last couple years that he's maybe had to switch a little bit as we have to talk about the goals.

And I like to see them in video and kind of things just because it to me, it's it's almost like a you know, you're cleaning the dishes. You gotta get the dirt off and and go about it, and that's kinda how my mind likes to erase it. But he's always, you know, first one you know, he's always got his notes on the screen. You know, great handle here. Great positioning.

Look at your you, your checkoffs. I mean, the big thing that I find when I play well is I have to work. And that's not just up downs. It's checkoffs. It's a lot of shuffles.

It's, know, moving my feet and just not sitting in a reverse. Like, my whole, I guess, mantra of my game when I'm well is working is head checks, a lot of shuffles, not getting planted, a lot of, you know, grabbing my feet back as quick as possible if it's in dead dead zone areas in, like, the corners and things like that, and then trying to, you know, quickly play the puck behind the net. If I get back there and hold onto it, usually a little bit more chaos ensues. So doing everything quick, but I I just think when I get to, you know, an aggressive use my feet kinda check off mentality, there's there's not many nights where I'm gonna, you know, have a bad outing when I'm when I'm properly working.

This one might be better suited for a ProReads one of these days. But when you talk about head checks, obviously, you mean looking off the puck. Advice for young goalies on when you can do it? Because I I have seen a lot of young goalies, like, right up to right up to higher levels, like, prospect levels that, you know, the goalie coaches of the world at the NHL level see them and say they don't do it enough. They're not looking off the puck enough.

Advice on on, you know, when to look for those moments when it's safe to, you know, look away from the puck and scan the ice and make sure you're taking note of where everyone is and what hand they are and all those important pieces of information.

Yeah. I think, I don't know if it's a personal thing that I do differently, but every face off, I have, you know, a count. Is it four lefties, one righty? Is it three and two? Is it a one timer up top?

Is it so, I I mean, if you even wanna use this clip next time we do it, we were playing LA, my last start, and, it was late earlyish in the third, maybe five, six minutes into the third. I had counted the rush, and it was two lefties, one righty. Or sorry. Two two, yeah, two lefties, one righty. And they were in our zone.

Puck got rimmed around a couple times, and I didn't have a chance to check. And we got into, like, a just like a scrum on the wall. Puck was pinned. And I saw the righty's hand, and I was like, okay. Found the righty.

And right as I kind of said that to myself, the puck popped out, and they threw it to the slot all alone. And I'm like, it's a lefty. It has to be. There's no one else on the ice that isn't a righty. And I saw that guy popped out.

He went I I took away middle. He went lefty back into my my low, low glove, sealed it. Big save. They had just scored. It was four one with, like, sixteen minutes left.

But it was just one of those situations where that pays dividends for me. Because even in, a three man rush, if I have a righty and everyone else is a lefty and the righty made the pass, that righty is on my backdoor. The only other, option is a lefty one tee back to the middle if they went weak side. So I always check hands, and that's a big thing for me. And I checked that early.

I checked it on line changes. If they're in a rush and they do a delay, I look off off to the bench and see who's coming. Is it a lefty? Before games, the lineup board always has, you know, a count. And if I know there's only three righties and two of them are defensemen, everything's coming from my left side.

I'm big on hands. I like that. It just kinda gives me a little more confidence of where I want my pushes to go. But as for when to check off, obviously, rushes, you wanna know numbers. So if you have a guy you know, a team breaking out to three on two, you got two guys wide.

It's a it's a quick check. You can kinda see the whole thing breaking down. Obviously, after saves into rebounds, if it's going to the weak side and everyone's shifting over, I like to check off net. If they rim the puck and it's going to a d man, I always look off to the backside if we have coverage. If someone out of the off weak sidewall is beating our guy backdoor and you have a lefty to a righty backdoor, a lot of the times that shot's going off net for a tip.

Stuff like that. I mean Yeah. There's times you can't, but you get frozen. But, I mean, the most you can do if there's a guy in the corner and most of the time they're not shooting threats, they got a guy in the high slot. It's just a quick check to see where he is.

They don't make the pass. You you already knew he was there. I think the thing that gets guys a lot is when you don't know someone's there is when they score on you.

Right.

When you get surprised. Right? It's like everything hurts more when you you don't see it coming. Right.

When you get surprised. Right? It's like everything hurts more when you you don't see it coming. Right. I think as you know, obviously, there was a there was a time in San Jose.

It was a tough game mentally with, you know, the crowd and how kinda boring it was. But, that Zibanejad came over the blue line, and I was a little bit late on a check. And I was like. I could probably should check my weak side. I checked weak side.

He pulled up at the blue line, and as I was looking back, the puck was in the air. And it wasn't like a dangerous start. He just kinda threw it towards the net, and I quickly got a blocker on it. It was probably gonna miss the net. But it kinda caught me by surprise, and I was like.

If that would have went in, it would have probably been one of the worst goals given up in the league this year. But it was just I was late on my check, and I'm like, oh, now I need to check, and he was probably looking for a change and just slung it towards the net. But, you know, there's situations where, you know, sometimes you get a little bit of tunnel vision, they go backdoor, and you just gotta hope that you're quick head on it and you you get in the right position. But the most you can or the as much as you can find people, obviously, I think it gives you a lot of options to read the game better.

Funny because I'm I'm like, that is just gold, by the way. I'm gonna pull that whole clip and, like, go look for examples. It's gonna become separate articles on this site. It's just just absolute gold, Scott, for young kids to hear that. But you talked about working.

When you're at your best, you're working. And and and I thought of physical. You know, you talked about getting up off post and not staying down and things like that, but you're working mentally the whole time. And it sounds like that's the key. Right?

Like, when you when you as soon as you relax in a building that is, you know, like a like a morgue, frankly, in San Jose right now, as soon as you're not engaged mentally, that's when something like that can happen to you.

Yeah. And it's it's hard. You know? I think a nice a thing that I've kinda almost dug more into is, you know, a golfer's mind. Right?

It's it's him and the ball four nights in a row, and he can't make a mistake. But in between shots, he's got two minutes of or ten minutes of walking, and then he's gotta focus back in. And there's some nights where you don't get a shot for eight to ten minutes, and then you get a breakaway error or something like that. And it's just like, you know, for them not to shank the ball for four straight rounds and be as good as they are, you know, in that same aspect, we had period where you're on a power play or a penalty kill, and you get six shots in forty five seconds. And then there's other nights where, you know, you get out the first period, you have one shot.

And it's just like, you know, that mental aspect to stay in it. I find that when I'm working and, you know, challenging myself in that aspect, I find that I don't really think and, like, get into that, you know, dead headspace for lack of a better term, and then just kinda get lulled to sleep. It's more like, okay. I every time they come in, even if I don't get a shot, I'm checking off, working off my post. I'm I'm shuffling.

I'm staying, you know, square to it the best I can. And finding the puck through screens is the hardest thing in this league that I think has become because of the layered screens, because of the size of people, how quick the puck moves. They have options.

I'm staying, you know, square to it the best I can. And finding the puck through screens is the hardest thing in this league that I think has become because of the layered screens, because of the size of people, how quick the puck moves. They have options. You know, you get a team that rolls in the d zone, and your team gets forced into a man on man, and guys are peeling off on other sides, and they're interchanging and drop passing, and you're trying to, you know, obviously stay on puck, but also know, okay. Now the righty and lefty have switched sides.

They're no longer one timers, but the guy that wasn't a one timer is now a one timer, and you're just trying to find everybody, and you got, you know, six five forwards in front of you that are trying to screen you. It's it's work, and, you know, I don't think that gets enough credit for how good some of us are at finding pucks through screens and keeping your positioning with how much it gets rolled around and moved around. But I think that that golfer mind is also something that might actually, like, kinda, I guess, reiterate to us with just them having to step out and step in every time that they have to take a shot.

It just keeps keeps you mentally engaged in those. And like you said, if you're thinking like that, you're not you're thinking about process, and you're in the moment. Because the other part about golfing that I always make the analogy to goaltending is it's really easy. I heard Jake say it the other day last night, and I I know he'd I'd read a quote where he'd said it last week as he was trying to reset a little one shot at a time mentality. You know?

And I've I've actually used to cover PGA Tour and talk I've actually ghost wrote couple chapters of a book for a guy up here, and that was sort of the philosophy. And it's so easy to say, man. Like, next shot mentality, one shot, like, is so easy to say, but it's so hard to do. But by focusing on all the other little things that lead up to it, it sounds like that's part of keeping you engaged for when that that next shot does come.

Yeah. No. I mean, it's you know, I I a lot of guys visualize. I've I do, but not as in-depth as, you know, some of the stuff I've seen and heard people talk about and things like that. But it's it's obviously, you know, one of those things where you have to find a way to to not get lulled to sleep by a boring game or a boring atmosphere.

And so it kind of makes me go back to, you know, Marty Brodeur and the swarm defense and the trap and getting 17 shots a night and only giving up two and and staying engaged. I know he played the puck a ton to probably what he probably had more fun playing the puck than he did stopping it. But, you know, just how those guys got through it where, you know, you see most guys excel with more work just because it's your your rhythm's there. You're up down. You know, we've we've played goalies this year that have, you know, used that goal lead term against us, and it's the best game you've seen them play.

But then you play them again, you don't get as much work, and it's like, oh, we've dominated them today, and he dominated us. And I've done it to teams. You know, I played Edmonton early this year, and they put up 59 or something. And it's one the funnest games to play in because you're like, I'm just constantly working on it. I gotta wait for anything where, you know, I get into San Jose the other night, and it's twelve shots through forty minutes, and you're just like, can you shoot on me?

Like, I'm off the puck, actually.

Give me one, please.

Yeah. So but, no, I mean, it's it's every night's different, and that's, you know, the challenge of this league to be consistent in all all different formats is, is definitely a challenge.

Well, I I love it. Being good when you're not busy is a is a challenge for everyone, so it's great advice to have. The other one, I just wanna go to the golf analogy because, again, you know, Jake mentioned it the other night, like, letting he felt like he was letting the game come to him. And much like golf, goaltending might be one of the few positions in all the sport where you can't just try hard. Is that how like, is that like, would you agree with that?

Is that something that you've had to learn to manage too? Because you can't just go out there. You can work harder in practice. You can do like that. But once the game starts, can't chase it.

You can't you can't be like a forward who's having a tough night and just decide to go throw a big hit to get themselves into it. Like

Yeah.

You know, like, how how do you find that balance?

I find that, you know, earlier on in my career and not even earlier on, honestly, in the last couple years, like, there's times where you're like, alright. I'm ready to go. Game starts. They they're they got two in your first 10 shots, and you're like, I'm not even having a bad night. I feel good.

But then you're like, in your mind, you're like, alright. Let's go. Like, we that's it. They're done. But then you get to the point where it's like, I'm gonna push hard.

They make a pass from the goal line to the blue line. You, like, try and aggressively push and get zoned in. And then they go to the weak side and you make another hard push. Then they throw it and it hits something and goes in. You're like, well, what the hell?

Like, I'm working so hard here. Like, that was my best two pushes of the night. I'm top of my blue paint. I'm, you know, doing everything. I shifted properly, and it's in the back of your net.

And then you're, like, kinda, like, steamrolling. Alright. Well, now you gotta work harder. Like, instead of it just being like, okay. Like, do the proper work.

Go back to your process. And, you know, there's not every time it's a bad goal. It's just the way the game works. But there is times when you tense up and you try and work harder, you take more ice, and all of a sudden, they're on a two on one, and you're two feet outside of your blue paint for no no apparent reason. They make a pass, and it's a backdoor tap in.

You're like, well. Like, I was working so hard. But like we said, the harder you work, sometimes it's it's not like you gotta chop wood faster. It's, you know, you just gotta wait for it and continue the process and work in the the whatever game plan that you've come up with to have a good night. And, you know, that's that's a that's another hard battle.

But I think, you know, like I said earlier, if I can do the things that I've set out for me to do to succeed with that, you know, working mentality and head checks and proper positioning and you know, I work hard. I I I sweat, I think, just as much as anybody. I think me and what I've heard from Bobrovsky might lead the league in sweat sweat rate losing. But

How much are you dropping?

Oh, I'm I'm practice. I'm, like, seven to 10. In games, I'm 10 to 12 depending on the the workload. I don't know. I'm I just feel like I'm in a sauna suit half the time.

There's not a lot of Warm building

in warm building in Dallas too when you're playing at home.

Yeah. I don't know. I've I've worked with, you know, nutritionists and our our sports science team and stuff, and I the day after, I swell up because I got so much sodium in me trying to retain water, but it's just, for whatever reason, I'm one of those heavy sweaters. But

Have you had to have you had to adopt a plan for that? Because because Oh, yeah. I've had that question from, like, guys that are moving up to junior, and they're like, I am they're having dehydration and cramping issues, and they've reached out to us. Like, hey. Is there any advice?

I've actually linked them up with guys like who who went through that in his career. Other guys, I'm trying to think of, Dan Ellis used to I mean, he was hundred and seventy five pounds and would lose 12 in a game. Right? Like, to try and help these young goalies find ways. What what's the key for you?

So I did a sweat rate test with, University of Detroit Mercy. There was a lady that worked at her gym. We did, like, a DEXA scan and a sweat rate test, and, it was I've it was a couple years ago, but I feel like the numbers were, if you were to have I think she just used, like, the Propel drink because they had I don't if they had a hundred milligrams of sodium or something in it. But she's like, if you were to do an hour workout and then you were just to drink Propel as your sodium intake without adding any salts or anything to it, so you would have to drink, like, 36 Propels after an hour workout to replenish the sodium level that you lost in, like, my sweat rate thing. Oh my god.

That's when I added in you know, we have, like, LMNT and Liquid I.V. and Relight and all those different salts around the room now. And, I I load up that. I load up a carb powder. Because a lot of it too is if you're not replenishing carbs with sodium or even salt and you're just drinking water, you're actually not doing anything for yourself. So now, like, I used to I used to just do a ton of water with salts.

And, Angie Ashi, who runs Elite, Elite Nutrition, worked with her in the summer. She does a lot of MLB stuff. She got a few, books for fueling your body and stuff. I feel like I'm gonna ruin her book name. I might look it up here real quick.

But You

can always you can always text me later, we can add it to the show notes.

Yeah. No. I know. It's Send

send her some love and some links.

Yeah. She does, elite sports nutrition, so I've been working with her for years and trying to get through all that stuff. And she's just been such a a useful, you know, outside source that I've that I've done as a registered dietitian, does all her books, does a lot of athletes, things like that. And, you know, she was like, honestly, like, the problem is you're probably eating a banana between periods and having, you know, one water bottle with a little bit of salt in it. She's like, you're probably getting in maybe 20 carbs to 40 carbs a game.

And between, you know, the the the game, I would like you to almost get a 100 carbs an hour with how much you're sweating and how much water you're losing. So my biggest thing now is I'm getting, you know, calories in with carbs while playing, and it's honestly changed everything. Like, I can leave games. I still sweat a lot. I probably dropped it down to probably six to eight pounds depending.

But I used to my ears used to pop. I used to not be able to, like, really wanna eat after games just because you take such a such a like, a shocking load to your body. I was just like, you know, even after practice, they're like, alright. Well, get some food in. I'm like, I don't wanna eat.

I just wanna go home and crawl into bed and just, like, let my body reset. So, honestly, it's been a lot better since we've kinda had conversations about, you know, just how much I actually need to replenish the carbs with the salts, and it's just been you know, I'm still not the most knowledgeable person on it, but just having those people in my corner, and we've hired some new strength and nutritionists on the team this past summer that have, that jumped on board and helped a ton with just, like, fast fast acting carbs and those honey stingers and gel packs and stuff. And Jake and I have been taking them during TV timeouts just to quickly, you know, fix your glycogen and your sugars and all that stuff as we're as we're going. And, obviously, they're the science behind it, but, it's been it's been a nice little change that I can leave games and practices now without feeling like I just got hit by a bus.

That's nice. That's nice. That that's probably a bonus. Hey. Listen.

Speaking of being hit by a bus, I think I said we're gonna talk for fifteen, twenty minutes. I just looked down. It's forty two. As usual, I've taken up more time than I said I would, but you and I get talking about goaltending, all the things around it. And, man, I just can't thank you enough.

I really, really, really enjoyed this conversation. And whether it's nutrition or look offs, skating, there's so much in here for the young goalies that listen that are gonna take away, Scott. I I thank you, man. Really appreciate it.

Of course. Yeah. No. I I I like to talk. I feel like the the media world's not too far away from me when my career's done.

I don't know what it's gonna be, but our coaches here there, they joke. Like, I feel like you're gonna be like a Marty Biron when you're done. And I was like, honestly, I don't know what I'm gonna do, but I feel like, you know, I like I like to give information back. I like to help. And, obviously, you know, teaching the game to the next generation to hopefully do it better is not a bad way to go about it.

Well, I was gonna ask you. First off, there's a lot more runway left in the career.

So Absolutely. No.

Let's start with that. Like you like like you said, you've got a you've got a new little one at home, and we want her we want her to get to see you play, to be old enough to sort of really appreciate what you've done in your career. So that's the first one. But but it's the way you talk and the way you explain and the way, you know, you like I mean, getting to work with one of the best in research, like, would is coaching something when that day does come where you where you'd ever consider it?

Yeah. I don't know. I feel like, I I honestly would more like to be the head of the ship as a head coach just to

We don't have enough we don't have enough of those. We need more of those.

I know. I don't know if you get enough of a voice as a as a goalie coach or just a goalie in general in the locker room, but, no. I don't know. I do that. People bring up the panels and all that stuff every once in a while to me, but it's just, it's an unknown area yet.

I think, until I have to cross that bridge and figure out where I wanna go, it'll be, it'll be something. But people say I interview well, I talk well, and kinda can, I guess, portray my opinion without sounding too lost is, quality to keep?

Absolutely. It's been excellent, and it's been our pleasure. So thanks again, Scott. Yeah. Hey.

Enjoy one more on the road trip, and then enjoy, I'm guessing, just careful driving home. You'll be in a hurry because I know how happy you will be to be back with the family. Congratulations on everything. Can't wait to watch the stars on the long run through the playoffs, and and knowing how much more it's gonna mean when you get to go home and share it all.

Yeah. Absolutely. No. I appreciate it. It get some of those videos and check offs, and we'll talk about it.

I think that, eBug of ours, Chris Dudo, posted one the other day on Instagram. He was like, count the check offs, and someone was like, I counted 23 in, like, a minute clip or something. I gotta go look at it. But, yeah, he takes, like he's a good buddy of mine now. He's our eBug, but he's been taking, like, warm up videos of everybody and a ton of me and Jakey as we play.

And he's like, do you mind if I post this? But he's got some some funny stuff of how we move around the net and stuff. So it's been it's been cool to see myself from a different angle in the stands.

Sounds like something else we gotta put in the show notes. I love it.

Yeah. No kidding.

Boy, like, my notepad is full after that. I just kept writing things down, and the hydration part is something I I don't personally get exposed to as much. That was fascinating.

Yeah. I can't believe, like, Scott's not the biggest dude. So for him to lose that much in water on a on a, not just, like, game basis, but even daily basis. So, obviously, he needed to come up with a plan. And as I mentioned to him in the interview, we get questions every once in a while from parents or young goalies, especially as they hit the junior age, really struggling and looking for hydration tips.

We've reached out to guys like Dan Ellis. I've actually connected one of the goalies struggled with Dan Ellis, at one point to help him with nutrition and and sort of hydration tips. And the ones there that that Scott shared are are excellent. Excellent.

And in the NHL, it also depends on where you're playing because there's humid arenas or humid parts of the country, and that can really exacerbate that issue. I love his glove position, and I love Scott Wedgewood's feet. I I I know right away, like, without even looking at gear or anything, but I can just see one save out of the corner of my eye. Like, that's Scott Wedgewood.

Yeah. He's and and and wears a different angle glove. You know, it's funny. We talked about how he wears that different angle glove when he was first in town at the start of this season. I have that interview somewhere.

Now that you've mentioned, I feel like I need to pull it out for a separate segment on Scott Wedgewood's glove.

Outro

Really, really cool stuff. What's happening over at the, website, ingoalmag.com?

Scott, know what? We got a nice new drill up there courtesy of Cam Talbot and Mike Buckley and the Los Angeles Kings. Simple warm up drill I've watched them do, but I couldn't help but notice during that drill, subtle with Talbot, a little more exaggerated with David Rittich. On releases, this is simple skating and release drill, but little bit of retreat, little bit of what the Bruins would call recoil, what the Kings call motion. Had a good conversation with Buckley and Talbot about that.

And so we've got that drill up, and it's, again, like Wedgewood's advice about looking off the puck and some of those different elements, it applies at every different age. This is a drill that you can do to get your feet and your hips moving at the start of escape, get your eyes moving, your hands moving. And if you want, like the Kings, work in a little bit of that motion in your game to help you with the recovery movements. It's a good one, and it's up now in ingoalmag.com as well. A new ProReads every week like we do, your chance to sit down with NHL goalies and see the game through their eyes, read the game through their minds, and get better for it.

Hey, Hutch. What how do you stop too much retreat or too much backlog? Can you ask little Hutch if if he can forward that onto the the people in the organization? Because I just I just have a tendency even on a static drill just to to fall back a little bit. I need to be more aggressive.

I think that for me, that always came back to you know, we talk about the little slogans that guys put in their blocker, their on their stick, something to remind them. For me, it's a mindset thing. I always had a couple of words in my head that would remind me of something like that. One was, like, relaxed and aggressive. Two things that are a little opposed, but but the aggression for me talked about positional.

There are certainly a few tricks that you can try and practice to support a goaltender working on that, but, I think a drill like this is a great place to put it because you can stop at any time and sort of say, yeah, went a little too far there, Control the situation. I think simplicity in a drill like this one is so important. As young coaches, we feel like we have to reinvent the wheel or impress somebody with all the different elements that are involved in a drill. And then you get to the National Hockey League level and you see how many of these drills are so, so simple. And I think there's a reason for that, and I think it really applies for the young goaltenders and the young coaches as well.

And in terms of that that drift, recoil, motion, different people call it different things in. They call it a teeter in Nashville. I do have some advice on how not to do it too much, Daren. It comes directly from Cam Talbot, and we'll share that with the rest of our audience in a future

I cannot wait for that. See, that's the best part about doing the podcast with you guys. I can ask these questions anytime with you guys. I got a direct link. I don't have to email.

How do we get in touch with people? How do people get in touch with us?

Info@InGoalmag.com, and we can answer your questions in general. As we said before, if it's parent specific, parents@ingoalmag.com. But either way, you'll get to us and and we'd be happy to have a conversation. We always love hearing from you.

Or I just I have questions at the end of the podcast. Hey. I got one more of that.

I got I got one more of that. You guys have a great week. We're on the stretch drive to the National Hockey League, playoffs coming up in less than, three weeks. And, the CHL, the NCAA, a whole bunch of major tier two. It's it's all happening right now as we enjoy the wonderful world of goaltending.

Have a good one, guys.

Thank you, Daren.