291 Parents: Choosing the right mask for your young goaltender
The audio segment published here takes you directly to the Parent Segment from this episode.
- Prioritize fit and certified protection when selecting a goalie mask for a young player — aesthetics come second.
- Parents who also coach their young goalie have the greatest influence in the early years, but must intentionally loosen that grip as the child matures.
- You don't need a playing background to become a goalie coach — Hockey Canada and USA Hockey offer goaltending coach certification courses open to parents.
- Allowing a young goaltender to work through problems independently builds self-reliance and a healthier relationship with coach feedback.
- The coach-athlete relationship mirrors the parent-child relationship: early guidance gives way to supported independence over time.
In our Parents Segment, presented by the Stop It Goaltending U app, we share our thoughts on choosing the right mask for your child.
Coaching Your Child: Some thoughts on your evolving relationship
I’ve spoken before about balancing the roles of both coach and parent, but as I saw the question come up again recently, it got the wheels turning.
We rarely take ourselves too seriously here but the thought popped into my head – Goaltending is a metaphor for life. More specifically, the way a coach-athlete relationship evolves mirrors the journey of a regular parent-child relationship.
If you’re considering coaching – even as a volunteer with a child new to the game, I encourage you to take that step. You don’t need to have played yourself. Just as we all began parenting without prior experience, you can begin coaching the same way. You learn, you adapt, and you grow alongside your child. In return, you gain an experience and a bond that you wouldn’t trade for anything.
There are fantastic resources available – I’ve now taken the first level of the Hockey Canada and US Hockey goaltending coach certification courses and in both cases there were plenty of parents there eager to learn and help – you can do it too.
We were all new parents once. We made mistakes, we learned, and we raised kids we are proud of. Coaching can be the same journey.
In the early years, as your child takes their first strides on the ice, you are the most influential person in their development as a goalie. But as they grow, just like in life, your role must evolve. Being a goalie parent and coach means finding the right balance—supporting their growth without overshadowing their independence.
Personally, I never wanted to jeopardize my relationship as a parent, so I know I pushed less than others might have. There were times when my son got frustrated that I wasn’t more hands-on, that I left him to work things out on his own. But looking back, I believe that made him a better goalie. He became independent. He valued coach feedback but also enjoyed working on his game alone. If I had been an overbearing taskmaster, controlling every aspect of his development, he wouldn’t be the self-sufficient, confident man he is today. So don’t stress about pushing too hard—your role as a goalie coach might last a few years, but your role as a parent lasts a lifetime.
Some of us have the experience to remain a coach for many years or continue by committing to learning and growing with their child. Many great coaches have climbed the ranks without an extensive goaltending background. You on the other hand might choose to only help out in those early formative years.
However long you work with them, every parent-coach faces a transition. Just as we prepare our children to go off to school and learn from experienced teachers, we also have to prepare them to learn from other coaches. That moment will come at different times for everyone—whether it’s after a few seasons for that volunteer parent at the U8 level or later as a teenager. For us, that transition came at U18, and while admittedly it was hard to make that change earlier than I would have hoped, I was excited for my son to have that new experience of working with a different team coach.
Throughout their childhood, as parents we expose our kids to new experiences—skating lessons, preschool, dance, social and other skill development opportunities. These aren’t just to give parents a break; they help our children develop skills and independence. Parenting is about preparing our kids to leave the nest and thrive. It’s not easy for us, but ultimately, it’s a sign of parental success.
This philosophy applies to goaltending as well. From an early age, I made sure my son worked with various coaches. He was exposed to different perspectives and learned about himself as a goaltender. Playing other sports also played a role in shaping his development. All of this built a strong foundation so that when the time came, he was ready to move forward.
As he grew older, our relationship evolved. I didn’t have all the answers, and others taught him things I couldn’t. But we worked together, discussing ideas and learning from each other. If I had tried to control too much—if he had only worked with coaches who shared my approach or worse, had I insisted on being his only coach—he would have missed out on those invaluable learning opportunities. No matter how well he might have played, he wouldn’t have been prepared to stand on his own.
Now, he’s out of the nest. He works well with his team’s goalie coach. He thrives when training independently. We still talk about goaltending, but now he leads those conversations. I believe that makes him a stronger goaltender—and a stronger person. But all of it was built on the foundation of the years we spent together on the ice and the relationship we nurtured along the way.
For those navigating the balance of being both a coach and a parent, I hope this offers some perspective. And for those hesitant to coach their young child, I encourage you to give it a try. The unfortunate reality is that without you, your child might not get the support they need. But more importantly, coaching provides a unique opportunity to build a bond with your son or daughter—one that will last a lifetime.
As parents, we’re always looking for ways to help our kids succeed—especially in a position as demanding as goaltending. That’s why NHL Sense Arena is such a game-changer. It’s not just another training tool; it’s real goalie development in a virtual environment. Your young goalie can sharpen their tracking, decision-making, and puck-reading skills—all without the wear and tear of extra ice time, and without the added cost of expensive extra on-ice sessions.
This segment is from InGoal Radio Episode 291 with Calgary Flames AHL and Goalie Development Coach Mackenzie Skapski
Episode Transcript
Slide over to our parent segment brought to you by Stop It Goaltending U the app, and, we're chasing scouts today or advising you not to chase scouts, but, Stop It Goal Tending U the app, a great friend of ours.
Yes. And didn't real I'd like, this is the perfect moment for me. Did you know that they have advising? I'd stop at goaltending U the app. So as Hutch is gonna tell us not to chase scouts, there is a great place where you can chase advice and chase help in getting reference to finding whether it's schools or junior teams, and that's with the Stop It Goaltending U, the app, and their staff.
Twenty five years in business, they built connections all over the country and a reputation as straight shooters. They can help you as a goalie connect with the right places for the next step in your career, as well as helping you figure out how to take those steps. Are you ready? What steps should they be? What should they look like?
They'll make sure as much as we talk about every week, the Stop It Goaltending U the app, having the daily one minute tips, the five minute video, and the twenty minute video that'll help you become a better goaltender. They can also help you take the next step in your goaltending in terms of finding a place to play. Like I said, whether that's junior or up into college. So make sure you book an appointment, check-in with The Stop It Goaltending U, the app, and their personnel to get better advice on advising and the next step in your career. They've got it all in the app, all the experience that comes with it.
And, of course, as we say every week, you get a free subscription at InGoalMag premium, the best of both worlds. Stop It Goaltending U the app, and InGoal Magazine all rolled into one for one monthly price. Hutch.
I'm gonna call an audible. I may have to come back to this and re-edit and just fly in with what I planned out for today, but I'm gonna call an audible because there was so much discussion about masks around the CCM Axis F9 in the Gear Segment today that one of the things I see the most in the parent groups, probably the most asked question aside from playing time for goaltenders, which it's sad to hear that come up all the time, What mask should I buy for my kid? And then you immediately get a flood of comments from people, well, I just my kid wears the Warrior, whatever. My kid wears the Bauer, whatever. I've been in a CCM, whatever, and this is the mask you need to get for your kid.
And I think it's always the wrong advice. I mean, it might be the right advice, but we've got Woody in such a curmudgeonly sent time this morning that I think calling an audible here is a good idea. Because Woody.
Why? Because I just had the perfect segue from my Stop it Goaltending read to something about not chasing scouts and now you're you're not gonna curmudge in me.
You are gonna advise people today, Woody. You we're bringing in your gear adviser from ingoalmag.com. Woody, what should people be looking for in a mask?
Fit. Fit. Thank you.
Fit. Those are the top three points, aren't they? Fit. Fit. And I mean, you're not gonna go to Canadian Tire by
the What's fit?
What's fit?
Yeah. What what what is fit? Is is fit Your forehead?
Fit is temples around the forehead, no gaps in those areas, pressure points, how it sits on the head, how the backplate is the backplate sticking out? Is there a gap between the backplate and the side of the mask because your head's too big for it? There's a lot of different elements.
I just think sides. I just think on the If
you have a gap on the sides and it's rattling around, that's no good either.
So there's multiple fit points.
Yes.
But I'm gonna say this and correct me if I'm wrong, but I've worn a lot of masks. Nothing ever fits perfectly. Does it? Unless it's custom made or 3D printed?
I mean, I think we are getting to the point.
Yeah. I don't wanna say you can't I mean, CCM is gonna launch a custom molded 3D printed. You can order it fit to your head. They they they print it to your dimensions on your face. We've we've already talked about the scan process.
I think we've even had a Gear Segment on it, and it's it's I think you can order it right now. I love the fit in the I don't wanna overstate the 3D printed CCM mask for how perfectly it fits my head because the CCM shell already was a good fit for my head. Now do I love the fit even more with the 3D printing? Yes. But I I don't wanna overstate it as the end all be all, even though it has been for me.
You know what I mean? Like, it because again
Mhmm. But if your if your child is not not gonna go for the 3D printed mask, what what order do you put the places that have to fit the best? Is it forehead? Is it cheeks? Is it back plate?
Is it chin? He Hutch open now. Honestly don't know this.
No. It's a great question, and maybe we come back to this with an answer from from some experts. But I would even step back just a little bit and make this really clear to the parents who are new to the game and and don't know this. There are different dimensions of head that the different masks fit. So Bauer, for example, offers a couple of different lines of masks and they fit different heads.
the advice that I always give parents when I do chime in on there is, number one is fit and then spend what you can afford. My kid was scared of the puck as a young goaltender and I overinvested, some people would say, in a in a mask, and he never felt fear again and was fine.
And so just because little Johnny is wearing the Bauer 950 doesn't mean that your little Freddie is gonna be best in a Bauer 950 because maybe he needs the ENME line or maybe he needs a CCM mask. There are different fit sizes as well in the helmets. And just from a very basic perspective, just understand that that is the case. The advice that I always give parents when I do chime in on there is, number one is fit and then spend what you can afford. My kid was scared of the puck as a young goaltender and I overinvested, some people would say, in a in a mask, and he never felt fear again and was fine.
And it was a game changer for him. It made a difference to his comfort on the ice and the way he played far more than dropping $2,000 on a set of pads would ever do. So to me, it's the number one piece of gear that you're going to invest in. And, and I think that's the first part of all of that. Just understand there's some basic fits.
Daren, I think you've got a great point which one is the most important. I don't know how often people get down to these two masks fit, but this one is better in this area versus that. That's a good question. Maybe that's something we need to talk to Cam about in a in a future one, because we do like to do these ones that overall look at, you know, general concepts like the glove break that we've done before. Maybe we could talk about fitting a mask as as something.
I would say, just another piece of experience. I've only had a custom built mask once. I was so excited to get my face fitted with the with the plaster and so on and to ship it off to the manufacturer and then it arrived and it didn't fit the way I thought it was gonna fit. It was not the old, fiberglass, you know, complete mold to my face, it was just a current day mask where they they have some general fits and then they they sort of do their best to fit you to that.
I did the same thing and I lost some weight in between when I got fitted and it arrived and it didn't fit properly.
Yeah. It's like, it's sad, but
So one thing I think we should give kudos to here and parents should be aware of this is this has changed dramatically in the last ten years. In that the companies have expanded, as Hutch mentioned, different lines having different fits, but also the sizing that's available. Like, forever, the Bauer 960 was just the Bauer 960. And if you did didn't fit your head, kids still wore it in junior. Look at Corey Crawford wore it, and it used to sit halfway up his forehead, and he had to go to the dentist three times a year to have his crowns replaced because the bottom of the mask was rubbing against his teeth, and every shot off he took off practice off the chin would would chip a tooth.
So we've expanded the fit lines. There's more fit options. There's never been more alternatives to get a good fitting mask than there are right now. And that the key is to not go in saying, I want this brand and this model. The key is to go into a place and listen, I know I say this, not everyone has access to one, but like the Hockey Shop, because I know I've sat in on fittings.
And think some of our videos with Cam have talked about in the past about where the gaps need to be tight and where you'd need to be mindful of too much space. And I believe it's sort of around the temple and the side of the forehead into the front of the forehead. Because don't forget the front of the forehead. You've got a sweatband there as well, but more around sort of that side, around the outside of the eyes, around the temple area. And that is one of the key things that fit.
You asked about chin cup, Daren. Well, as you mentioned, chin cups are mostly adjustable, so you can alter that a little bit. The key is to not go in with a closed mind. I want this. The key is to go in understanding I need whatever fits best.
And we've seen I've seen Cam take parents going in saying, I want this thousand dollar model and say, listen, at this age, even in the small size, this just isn't fitting your kid properly. This yes. It's cheaper. Maybe it doesn't have the same foams. But at this age, the fit is the most important thing, and this is a better recommendation even though it's not you're not gonna spend as much money with me.
And that's the type of honesty and experience you want in that fitting process. It's not about buying the biggest and best and most expensive every time.
Two two points I don't know that everybody's aware of, that that are worth mentioning. Woody is correct about all the different fits that have now come in. I don't know that everybody realizes that that's a very significant investment on the part of the companies. It's not as simple as let's just make a different size because every different size with every different combination of cage and so on has to be tested to be certified. They don't just certify the Bauer 960 and then they get to make it in as many sizes as they want.
They actually have to invest in the whole testing process for each of those masks. So kudos to the the gear companies for actually making that investment to make that happen. The other piece I would just say is, I personally would be cautious about buying on the secondary market, about buying used with a mask above all other pieces. I don't I don't know that you're too worried about the integrity of the shell itself, although that is a consideration. But the foams with all the use and all the sweat do break down over time and that's a huge part of, obviously, of the padding and the mask.
So I would be a little cautious about purchasing secondary on the mask market.
Good stuff. We'll chase scouts next week?
Yeah. Let's chase them next week.
There's still gonna be there. There's lots of them out there. I am curious what your take is on that pursuing attention and exposure.
Okay. Well, we're gonna we're we'll talk about it next week, but if anybody wants to give me their opinions on this, leading into that, parents at ingoalmag.com, and I'm happy to chat to anybody anytime.
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