InGoal Radio Episode 298 Michael DiPietro of the Providence (and Boston) Bruins

Intro

Who had Ilya Sorokin on the bingo card as the guy that was gonna give up 895 to Alexander Ovechkin? And how how crazy is it that 895 comes against a guy he'd never scored before against?

Ticked another one off the list. Yeah.

It was from the spot, but it wasn't the one tee. The only thing more poetic would have been if it was the one tee instead of the sling and wrister.

Daren Millard along with Kevin Woodley and David Hutchison. This is InGoal Radio Podcast. I just wanted to acknowledge that, because it's been such a wonderful story with Alexander Ovechkin chasing down Wayne Gretzky. I think Ovi went blocker side. I think that kind of threw Sorokin off.

I by the the the save looked like he he thought it was gonna go glove.

Woody, I I hear that sometimes that shot throws a lot of people off.

I was just gonna say, Daren, we had a nice little piece up at ingoalmag.com. We don't normally do stories on shooters at InGoal Magazine. We're normally all about the goalies. But over the years, I had collected some anecdotes from NHL goalies facing Ovi's shot, mostly for nhl.com, pieces here, pieces there, but I put them all together for a piece on what makes it so unique because everybody in the world knows it's coming. Most of the time, you know where it's coming for, and yet the best goalies in the world can't stop it.

And so what what is it that makes it so special? And, you know, to put it in well, James Reimer said it's the most unique shot in the NHL, and it's the curve, which Dube talked about, Devan Dubnyk in the story. It's that little hook that he has sometimes on the end of it. He seems to be switching that over the years. The thing could come at you a 100 miles an hour, or it could actually come at 75 and drop and duck and dive like a knuckle ball.

And some goalies say it was like a slider. It would curve around you on the glove side as you move to your right or down and away from your blocker. And because of all the spin and all the change in direction, quite often, even if it hit you, it found a way through a seam because of how it was moving. So the most unique shot in the NHL, Reimer said, Doobie said it could come off the blade four different ways, which just basically made it impossible for any goalie to read it.

They said the same thing about the golden jet. When when he was curving the stick, like, well, then there's no limitations on that. And Bobby Hull would take the shot and it would it would rise and drop and all that kind of weird adjustments during the course of its flight. So it it it's funny to hear that coming from the goaltenders about Ovechkin.

And that would have been way different for goalies at the time just

because they didn't have masks.

Well, that's who well, I think they did in most of that, but not all. They but no. Just there were so few guys curving it. I mean, that was a lot newer at the time. Right?

When when Hockey started doing that. So the contrast in which you're having to read would have been completely different. And that's probably part of what's happening with Ovi is just the contrast compared to everybody else.

The first time I did that story, I think it was for his five hundredth goal. My bosses at the NHL asked me to sort of talk to goalies about it. And it was Braden Holtby that told me about how it moves and how it curves, and I honestly didn't believe him. I'm like, come on, man. Like, that's not even possible.

And he explained it all to me, and then I started asking around. And Ryan Miller verified it. A handful of guys that faced him a lot in the Eastern Conference all talked about it. And I think it's become somewhat common now. Like, people understand it.

But back back then, I wanna say I I don't think it had ever really been talked about to that degree. And and I I do think it's one of the reasons he's had this longevity. Now he's found other ways to score, and he was a powerful like, there's so much about his game that has evolved and and had like, when he was early days, like, the physicality of it. But at the end of the day, most of them are that shot, and it's the uniqueness of that shot that allows it to be effective, you know, even when, as we've said, everyone in the rink, everyone in the coaching staff, every goalie in the crease knows what's coming. They just don't know how it's coming at them.

28 goalies have faced Ovechkin not allowed a goal. Just 28.

Oh, I loved that butterfly. Yeah.

Yeah. I I think we need to start printing t shirts saying, OV never scored on me and we can all buy them.

I wouldn't normally mention this on our stage, but nhl.com did put out a wonderful video that showed every single one of the eight ninety five in succession. And it's it's a lengthy video.

Wow.

And it's just one after another. But why I bring it up is just you get

to It's nightmare fuel. Relive

Well, there's that. But also, we get to relive all the guys. And I I found myself watching it over and over and going, like, trying to guess who's that guy? Because they're they're quick.

Nice.

Who's that goaltender? There's Sean Burke. There's Burke will really got off me for for saying that. But but picking out the the goaltenders who were scored on was was neat

I'll just you guys do the rest of the show. I'll be over here in the fetal position after hearing about this video.

He didn't get a lot of, like, lucky breaks. He didn't need a lot of those.

He he and that's the other thing. He hammers it. Right? When he win the twenty eighteen NHL skills competition hardest shot at a 101.3. So imagine, like, it's like you're setting up for the shot.

You know it's coming. You know he can deliver it at a 100, and all of a sudden it's going 70 to 80, and it's dipping and diving everywhere. Like, there's just no way to prepare for that. And there's no way to read which one you're getting because it depend on where it left the stick on that blade or that little toe, that little almost 90 degree hook he had at the end of the toe for all

those. Sorokin allowed 895, and it wasn't even the worst part of his week. There was the game against Nashville that went back and forth, and, and he didn't finish the game.

So Well, we've had a few of those. There's been a few nights where I've watched the league and I've been a position. The Canucks last night down five two, three goals in the final minute, two with the goalie pulled, winning overtime. Yeah. Good. Like, it's a tough time to be a goalie right now because the defense has got You know

what you didn't mention there, which I find just staggering. Nobody talks about the fact that Vancouver scored five goals in the third period. It's all about the the three in the last minute, but they scored five in the in the third period. So I don't know. There were teams who are scoring seven goals on on a regular basis.

And there were four goals on that empty net pull too. Like, don't forget there was one going the other direction too. We need to

have a team meeting about some of this stuff that's going on.

Yeah. Let's get let's get some things in order here, boys. This is starting to be a little trouble.

It's been a

positive Save percentage is gonna get save percentage is gonna drop below 900 this year. Just over the last course of the week, it might be enough to drop it down.

What what is good about goaltending right now then?

Oh, there's still lots of good goaltending. There's just not a lot of great defending. Well, I'll tell you what. Why don't I give you guys a list of the top 10? Actually, no.

We'll just let's do this top seven, then we'll get into the top 10. Here are the names of the let's say minimum 50 shots. So you gotta play at least two games. That's still a pretty low bar. Top goalies in the NHL since the Four Nations.

Here's your list. Adjusted save percentage, so relative to environment. Akira Schmid of the Vegas Golden Knights. Philipp Grubauer of the Seattle Kraken. Anton Forsberg of the Ottawa senators.

James Reimer of the Buffalo Sabres, who by the way has won seven straight games, seven straight starts for the first time in his career. Scott wet Scott Wedgwood of the Colorado Avalanche. And even after giving up the sixth spot to Vancouver last night, Casey DeSmith, which tells you how good he was before that game, He's still six of the Dallas Stars. Number seven is Frederik Andersen of the Carolina Hurricanes. What do all of those guys have in front?

K. I I had a was jumping out at me, but there was no number one guys for the first six, But as Frederik Andersen Well

but Freddie hasn't played because of injury. So all of these guys that have played less are your top seven goalies in in the NHL since the Four Nations just based on statistically relative to this the shots they're facing. Now there are obviously some good goalies that come after that, but included in the top 15 are Jonas Johansson, Jake Allen, who, again, he's had a great season. We've talked about that before, but, you know, not the highest workload. Dustin Wolf, who's also had a great season, but again shared the crease.

Not the highest workload. You know, now there's some So

you're making the points that in the guys that are playing a ton are tired?

I I'm not saying because Vasilevskiy's in the top 10 barely. Darcy Kuemper, who's been pretty much a workhorse, and he's a number one and should be a Vezina candidate. He's in the top 10 as well. Those are the guys that sort of round out the top 10 on this list. But the fact that so many at the top, Connor Hellebuyck's thirteenth, Jordan Binnington's come on, he's fourteenth.

So there's some big names there, but even Binnington, like Binnington's come on. But since the Four Nations, they've also worked in Hofer on a regular basis. I just think there's something that, like, I'm not pretending to have an answer, and I'm not saying teams need to make decisions based on the numbers I just presented. But given next year's gonna be the same with an Olympic break and arguably even tougher, I think it's pretty important to take a look at like, this can't be a coincidence that the best goalies in the league since the Four Nations, like seven of the top 10, are backups or guys who just haven't played their normal workload. Demko was in there in the top 10 for the longest time.

He's another guy who hasn't played much this year, but his last couple of starts dropped him well down the list. So it's a tiny sample, but I just

think of it. Right?

What do you mean?

Like, nobody's playing more than they normally would. It's just

he's just he's just saying the fresh guys are. Yeah. They're still fresher.

Fresh guys are doing better down the stretch. These fresh guys are fresher down the stretches, I guess, what I'm saying, Daren, and they're having significantly better results, including guys who you wouldn't normally think, you know, would be on the

the box thought, Woody? The guys who haven't played as much haven't been pre scouted as much by teams, so they don't know how to exploit them as well.

I would I would I would listen. I would entertain that to a certain extent. I think pre scouts get most the Probably. By teams in the regular season anyways. They matter more come playoff time.

And I think as far as

Well, Grubauer and Ryan were

What to make of these Yeah. Henderson. They're pretty well known. Yeah.

Yeah. And what to make of these numbers too. Like, I'm not saying like, oh, hey. Like, look at how good this guy's numbers are. He's gotta start ahead of somebody else in the playoffs.

That's not the argument. But I certainly would say that if you see signs of fatigue in the other guy, you know, the one that's been top three in the NHL for the last two mites two months might warrant to start now and again in the playoffs. Like, could we actually see backups get starts in the playoffs rather than just running guys out there and running them into the ground? I mean, look at Carolina last year. Freddie Andersen had this last year where he came back off the blood clot, played brilliantly, But again, they monitor his minutes.

You get into the playoffs and they run him out there every second night and he runs out of gas. Like, I I like, I'm not saying across the board and I don't expect it to happen, but there are certainly some teams and some examples on that list where the numbers say you should give the other guy a start in a playoff.

May have to give the other guy a start. Like, Edmonton last year. But that's Edmonton had to give the other guy a start last year.

Yeah. But you have to I'm saying, what if it's not that extreme? What if what if the you can just see the guys not Must have a hammock.

And you guy. Yeah.

You seem you see diminishing returns after

fourth starts. See doing that. He's How many other teams?

He's hanging in. Yeah. But that's the problem. Like, Carolina waited till it was, like, the end, and then they switched. And now your other guy who's can give you great minutes if it's every fourth game has been sitting around for two weeks.

That's the problem. Like, if you don't go to it early, it's too late. Like, so like, you can't leave the backup till game six. Like, you see signs of fatigue, you need to be thinking about this in game four and five.

Top of your head.

The guy a night off so he comes back for this.

Conference LA, would would they do it with Kuemper and

No. I think Daren Daren and see, there's a flip side to this, and that's that some guys are better when they're just the number one. No question.

Which Darcy is.

And I actually Darcy is. I think Darcy is absolutely not part of this discussion. He's also I have no scene. He's also one of the guys that's still on this list in the top 10. He's not falling off.

Interestingly enough, as Anderson's come back, Pyotr Kochetkov, who was climbing into the top 10 of the league standings, has fallen off a cliff statistically. So maybe he's one of those guys that needs the net as opposed to splitting the role. It's I don't have the answers. I'm not pretending to have the answers, but I think within this dataset, there are at least some questions that warrant asking or further discussion.

I don't see a lot of teams in that position unless they absolutely have to.

Well, hockey is

Well, look at the Leafs. Oh, Look at the Leafs.

Maybe maybe the Leafs. Sorry. That's a great point.

But but Craig Berube is on record as saying he just wants one guy.

Yeah. He's as old school as they come.

So it's it's yeah. It's it's gonna be real it's gonna and again, I'm not it's really easy for me to sit here on my couch and suggest that, like,

playing fantasy hockey.

If you're winning the series, if you're winning the series, people's it's bulletin board material and you cause the other team to get motivated and they lit up your backup and the series changed. If you're losing the series and you fall behind further because you like, it's a no win for coaches. Right? They're always gonna take the safer out, and the safest bet has always just been to stick with your guy.

Chris Knoblauch did that last year. He made the change.

A 100%.

And it got And he changed back. Final.

Yep. I and I He made it once. I was just gonna say that you need the right combination of goaltenders that both need that situation and thrive in that situation. And a coach who's got the open mindedness to make a move like that. Chris Knoblauch was in his first year coaching in the National Hockey League.

So maybe it's more likely he'd make a move like that. Maybe he'd also need to look at who the coaches are.

I I go the other way. Like, it was it was it was so brave or or

just cajonies. I just mean it. I just mean Oh, it was for sure, but you have to be that person to make it to the National Hockey League. You've gotta have that courage. But maybe a younger coach.

I'm just theorizing, might be a little bit more innovative. Whereas look at Craig Berube, you're talking about wanting to have only one guy, and he's got the perfect situation to to share the crease, but he's

also a compacted schedule element to this?

There might be. There might be. I do think the schedule has been pretty tough. There's been a lot of weird Well, I just bring

it

up. Weird back to backs and three and fours coming, and it's gonna be like this next year

as well. Right? I I talked to Steve Hetzpetroz. He's in charge of NHL schedule with the National Hockey League and broadcasting. In a normal year, Steve told me, games per week are 3.25 in a normal season.

This year, games per week rose to 3.38.

What are they since the what are they since

the foreign positions?

Next

year, with the Olympics

It can be higher.

3.55. Yeah.

I think tandems are gonna be of the order even

That's 25 points higher from a normal year to to next year.

Well, and I wonder what it's gonna look like post Olympics. Like, it's usually the stretch drive where it gets even more compacted and we see some silliness. It's anyways, it's just it's something worth noting, something I wanted to bring up. I mean, I was just searching sort of looking to see who's who's done the best since the

Good for the backups. Wedgewood's been fantastic.

Wedgewood's been fantastic. Like, those are the ones where it'll be interesting. Wedgewood, honestly, Casey De Smith. Yeah. I know, like, I know the sixth spot against Vancouver last night, but, like, up until that, he was posting, like, Vizna trophy level number.

One forty nine, one fifty save wins this year.

Yeah. He's just he's so so do you feel you need that at any point? I guess it depends on on how Jake plays and whether you feel you need to rest him. It's just it's going to be really interesting. And the other one I would say is Philipp Grubauer.

You know, full credit to him, gets sent to the American Hockey League, has a season where I don't think I think he was probably caught off guard by the way the roles changed. And he went long stretches of not playing, not something he's done in a long time and that we all know how hard that is. And so since coming back up from the American League, they've been in more of a rotation. He's playing more regularly and he seems to have found his rhythm. And I mean, it is what it is.

These things happen. You got to make do with with whatever job you're asked to do. But I don't think it's a coincidence that Grubauer is back to playing more regularly and he's back to playing at a level, you know, that, like I said, it's a small sample, but, know, over those four starts is is, you know, amongst the best goalies in in the NHL. Again, sample, let's see what happens. But that one becomes interesting because I think Seattle has a decision to make or there's talk of them having this a decision to make on their goal attending.

And if you're looking at Grubauer a free agent this summer, if they buy him out or maybe getting him at a 50% retained, and you're looking at the need for tandems, is he a guy you go get if you're gonna park him on the bench for two weeks? No. But if you're looking at a job share, Philipp Grubauer can still play, and there's a lot of upside there. And a team might be able to to find a hidden gem by giving him more of an opportunity than Seattle did earlier this year.

The big rink upstairs, has a couple of goaltenders. We will offer our condolences and comments and memories of Greg Millen and Mark Laforest later in InGoal Radio, the podcast. Right now, let's get over to The Hockey Shop Source for Sports Langley, thehockeyshop.com, our presenting sponsor with the Gear Segment, and we're talking about some twigs.

Yeah. Pro return sticks. And before we get to the sticks, we also talk about custom orders from Bauer and some of the unique elements you can only get if you place an order through the Hockey Shop, including the old trigger grip. But sticks that we talk about today are not the only pro returns that the Hockey Shop has. They weren't ready when we filmed, but they are ready to go on sale at the same time as these sticks Friday, April 11.

So some of you might listen to this before the sale launches, So a little patience, Daren. I'm talking to you. You're gonna be all over the website looking refreshing. I know all the time. Where's my ProReturn sticks?

Where's my ProReturn sticks? And when it eventually launches on the eleventh, there is gonna be so much ProReturn gear. I've seen it. It is just a massive inventory of Bauer pro return gear. Andrei Vasilevskiy retro set, like his actual set.

Linus Ullmark sets from the Boston Bruins. Cayden Primeau sets. There's some sick graphics in there. And, obviously, some of them are pretty team specific, and they might be a little hard to fit into the old beer leagues quad, but the performance on them will be off the charts. Some of it, like that vast that I'm telling you, that Vasilevskiy retro set is not lasting long.

It's like the throwback, reactor graphic on a Vasilevskiy pad with matching gloves. Pro return on sale. Hockey Shop, Friday, April 11. Now let's go to Cam, and he can walk us through the sticks that'll be available and some of the custom options available on those sticks that you don't have to buy with a Pro Return name on it. You can get it ordered yourself from the hockey shop and thehockeyshop.com.

Gear

Welcome back to The Hockey Shop Source for Sports. I'm InGoal Utopia with Cam Matwiv, and oh my goodness. Look at all the pretty color. We we have a couple Pro Custom Sticks. Just a few.

I came in. I noticed that on my way in, like, this is a mere smattering a tiny sample

[crosstalk] Yes. Of what is on the wall Yes. From their pro sticks. But we wanted to use it not just to highlight the fact that you can go on the hockeyshop.com and find them. I mean, I feel I like I'm collecting hockey cards.

I got a Linus Ullmark. I'll trade you for an Ilya Sorokin.

I've got an anti vancass.

A Laurent Brossoit, a Jack Campbell. One of my favorites, no longer with the Canadiens. Now in KHL, playing very well over there, Zach Fucale. So we've got a wide variety of sticks, a wide variety of grips. Oh, it's deep.

Triggers. We got multiple trigger grips. Yeah. Not only are they available on the site, but also this is a great opportunity

Segue.

To talk about the options when you're custom ordering Bauer sticks. And here's the interesting part, Cam, as I understand it, you

explained to me. Some of these are sort of not in store only, but through store only. So you can go to a customizer, but you won't be able to get the same amount of options as if they order from you.

I mean, there is a steep amount of options, but I don't want to trigger you with any of those grips. It's okay. I'm gonna round out this part of the segment with talking about the different grips that are available.

I was not warned at all that this would happen. How long have you been practicing that?

I thought that went on the spot. That was pretty good.

That's like, oh, you are so ready for fatherhood with those jokes. So My god.

As I alluded to, and we have these wonderful examples provided to us by Bauer. Thank

you very much. Silence for me the rest of the way.

So if you go on to bauer.com right this second, you are able to order custom one off sticks. There are different options for the grips. You do have the round, and you do have the steep option available.

Which we see here in the Ontironta. The steep is very and, actually, he's now using a Bauer one, Sergei Bobrovsky. However, if you want something fancy like a trigger grip Can I get a trigger in a steep? Options available.

This has to be ordered as a minimum of three through our store.

There's the Jack Campbell trigger grip.

Show up an example. So the one that you will see as a standardized option will be the one that I'm holding in my hand. Pros. The inherent nature of ProReads might have something slightly a little bit different, but this will be the only one that you can get.

You know what that looks like? It looks like a Linus Ullmark. So This one's got a goal in it. Yes. It does actually.

Mean, this is straight. It's a cursor.

Within that customizer that you find through us, there is the option for

[crosstalk] a different curve. So you can get more options if you come through the store.

Yes. Different curves, trigger grip, 95 flex or something a little bit stiffer, which we see on a few of these sticks as well that do have that stiffer profile. We see 87 and we also see 95.

I was gonna do a flex and show you guys the flex, but let's be honest, I'm too weak to flex a 95. It just wouldn't move.

There you go. So we have it here.

It's okay. So, again, purpose of this to highlight some of the options that are available, but it's to create kind of that conversation of what and how can I

get it? And if I might suggest, if you've thought about a trigger grip, you've liked the idea of a trigger grip, you've never had the opportunity to actually play and try a trigger grip before you go to the point of ordering three through Cam in a store, you can try a ProReturn and see how it fits your hand and your game.

Exactly. And they're on sale as well. But as with

[crosstalk] all ProReturn stuff, no warranty. No warranty on the Pro Returns. There's tons of models available in store and online at thehockeyshop.com. If you have any questions about the lineup of Bauer Pro Returns or the custom order options that you can get through Cam that you can't necessarily get through their website, give them a call at (604) 589-8299 or 1-800-567-7790 or check us out at thehockeyshop.com. I got nothing. I'm shocked by the pun level was so off the charts.

Rounded out to a finish. You

mentioned the Vasilevskiy retro set. What if you if you bought those, would you use them? Like, they'd be a little big for you, Woody. But if if if they were a size appropriate or if if you bought them, would you use them? The Vasilevsky set?

Oh, as opposed to what? Putting them on display in my office?

Be a tough one.

So here's the beauty of the Bauers. You could do both. Just wipe it off after. Right? You're like, so easy to clean those ones.

You know? Hey.

Just a little wipe down.

I don't know. Like, let's be honest. I'm not worthy of wearing a ilevskiy set. That'd be like it'd feel like a little bit sort of

I wouldn't wear them. I'd I'd have them up in the office.

Yeah. Would you?

If I had the money to be able to afford to pay for a set of gear that I wasn't gonna use, I would do that.

That should be get him to sign it?

He just it's got the it's got his he's got his logo on the back, like, in the back back of the pad just above the knee. It's got the Vasilevskiy logo. I he's yeah. He's he's so good. That's that's like long the Luongo pad over Hutch's shoulder.

Right? Those are never seeing the ice again. They did see the ice with Roberto. They're now

I wore them once because I felt like I had to just to experience wear them? You did see their They're too big for me.

You did wear them?

Yeah. I did once.

That was before we got them signed, they were actually sent there's a This is he has a reason. They were so Roberto wore them in practice a couple of times.

When he was with Vancouver.

Glove and blocker. When he was with Vancouver. It's a Reebok P4 for those that can't obviously, we don't publish the video. And there's the matching glove, and and I had the blocker. I used it to help a charity out with an auction.

So I don't have it, but I do have the other pad. So it's a Reebok P4. Oh, you have the other pad? Mhmm. Yeah.

I have the other pad. So we each have one of the Roberto's pads in

our Are they both signed?

But I had them both when I wore them. Yeah. They're

yep. They're both signed.

I didn't I didn't go on the

S- Yeah. Daren, we I didn't make Hutch pull a, like, Vaughn demo day where we had to sample a pad and write a review on only We getting actually had two from Roberto. So Reebok, at the time, Roberto ordered and people remember this in Vancouver. He went with an all white pad Reebok p four with a green outer roll. Solid green outer roll.

That pad showed up, like, four practices into using this set that we have. And we needed a test set, and and Reebok said because he's because they were gonna the Canucks were gonna send these back as Pro returns to Reebok to sell. And Reebok said, no. Give them to the InGoal guys so they can do a review. So in Hutch's defense, we had to get them on the ice a little bit because we do that with all our reviews.

We make sure we get it on the ice. Now I don't know how the hell Hutch wore these because they're Roberto's pads and Hutch is not Roberto sized, but we do have testers who are Roberto sized. So they did get a legacy. Few Yeah. They're they're coming right up to your crotch.

Maybe to your waist. So We yeah. They we did did wear them. And then afterwards, after we were done the review, years later, actually, when Roberto got traded, Actually, when he came back with the Panthers, I put this whole set of gear in the back of my car. And, actually, I drove him somewhere to go see

recorded to the podcast with him?

It it was when I recorded the podcast. And on the way out, he just I had him scribble on each one. So we we kept them as souvenirs. This is back in the this is they're good memories from the early days of this whole night.

Year one, year two. Yeah. For sure.

Yeah. Yeah. When we did that review. As a matter of fact, can see it, there. You can see over his shoulder.

I was just that's you caught me looking up to where mine is in my office. The the autograph is actually significantly faded over the years on the pad.

Oh, I can see it pretty well. It works. The thought that counts. I know it's there.

Those had to come up to your belly button.

Oh, it was absurd, but I still felt like I had to.

Just had to try them. Glove was like flat

or no. If somebody handed me a Formula one car, I'd have to drive it even though I'd probably end up crashing it. I mean

Did you ever butterfly in those things?

Oh, yeah.

Because they they would overlap so much.

Again, Manny Legace.

It was a it was a it was a very narrow butterfly, Daren. They went

straight tall's Manny Legace? We've gotta be similar heights.

No. No. No. Don't keep And bringing Manny into

didn't he wear 38's?

This is

No. I'm just saying it

can be tolerate the Manny

Legace slum.

I'm not slandering. I'm just saying it can be done.

Sounds like you're slandering Manny.

Take it back.

No. I'm just shut up. Stop teasing me, boys. You're not being nice.

Bullies.

Carl Lindbom plays for the Henderson Silver Knights. He's had a fantastic rookie year, in the American Hockey League. First year, he's played pro in Sweden, but first year pro in North America. I saw one of his sticks the other day, and he's got the the trigger finger on it. I'm like, oh.

Did you try it?

I gotta get a couple of these. Because his pads I I put my pads up against his. He wears the EFlex but, and they're the exact same size. So I'm like, woah. I wonder what kind of sticks he he uses.

Just thinking down the road, might have to borrow a couple. Sherwood's been great to me with with my sticks. But if I need one in in the meantime and they had the trigger finger, I'm like, oh, gotta do it.

See, that's what the ProReads out the Hockey Shop is best for. Like, you know, you don't wanna you don't wanna custom order one, you don't wanna buy multiple, you wanna just try it out, you can can give it a try. Order if you

three if you want it custom with the trigger. That's exactly right.

Is that minimum for the trigger?

I think you can order the single sticks custom but I think for the trigger through Cam, it has to be three. So, yeah, definitely try it.

Yeah. There are certain things

And there's so many different ranges of the trigger. Like, some are just, like, slanted shaved down, others have an actual trigger there. Like, there's there's all kinds of different versions out there.

You only got one chance to see Yeah. One the one from Bauer is just a very there's one very specific cutout that you can get from them.

I'll take that. Gotta do it. Locks me out from

the that's the best option, but if I had a stick on its way out, I'd probably take the hacksaw to it and see if I could build one of my own.

Yeah. I did it. Yeah. Okay.

April 11, Daren.

Yeah. I'm in.

Friday, April 11, all the pro stock goes on sale at the hockey shop and the hockeyshop.com. Get on there, Daren. I know you're I there

was on there earlier today. There earlier today. Just

We might know somebody. We can maybe set aside a

trigger for you. We might

I can't help myself. I enjoy it. It's it's soothing for me. Just wanna mention, we were talking about all the, like, defense optional right now. This game's still going.

Minnesota scored 7 tonight. That game's still going. The Flyer scored 8 on the Rangers tonight.

Oh my gosh.

It was 8-5 in that game. The Wild were up 7-4 in in that game, just as we record this. There's something Yeah.

Well, I I just think that the amount of work and attention to detail required to defend in today's national hockey league effectively is so high because the skill level of the players is so high and the offensive potential is so high that if you don't have that to the nth degree, pucks are going in. It's it's go it's not a goaltending problem, pucks. You turn it into an all star game, man. You aren't where you're supposed to be. You start opening up the slot.

These guys are tickling the twine just under the bar. Crossbar post seams right in the elbow, like time and space is your enemy. And so if your team isn't paying enough attention and giving too much of it, pucks are going in. It's just the reality. It's gonna be really interesting to see if teams can crank it down and tighten it up come playoff time because this is obviously not what wins in

the post. Point, Woody, about goaltenders being tired at this time of year and needing some fresh legs in there to play better has to be true of defensive play in hockey too. It's a long season. Some of these teams, their fate is sealed.

They get to sit on the bench for third thirds of the game. Come on.

I I gotta be nice to defense. I'm not I'm not gonna give the forwards a break for not back checking, but it's tough to play defense in the National Hockey League.

Just hard timing. You're you make a great point. Think there's probably a fatigue factor.

And if your team's team's, fate is sealed in the playoffs and yeah.

Rolling out some young guys who

have, you know Fresh legs and a lot to prove.

But not necessarily the chops to know where to be every time defensively or or the grit to sort of grind down on guys

It's messy game.

Play a heavy style of game.

Schmid actually said that about the American hockey league. It's easier to play in the NHL because you know where everybody's going to be all the time. It's more predictable. We've heard

that maybe not a lot of guys.

Right? Yeah. We've heard that from a lot of guys, and Akira Schmid is guy I think who is probably better in the NHL than he is in the in the AHL. His game fits the way it going. And just so you know, since we were in the two minutes that we've talked, it's now 7-5 Minnesota and San Jose.

The save that Schmidt made gloving the puck and they ruled the puck across the line inside his glove?

We did. And then we have a question for everybody else who watched

this up to me. Scott. And I think it's

Black webbing.

Yes. He has white lacing in the glove, and you could see the puck inside the glove, made it much easier to rule that the the goal should count even though he made a wonderful save. Dark webbing, does that does that change things? And the people that I talked to say, maybe it doesn't cause the goal not to count, but it makes it a lot more difficult for the situation room.

We've talked about dark gear and dark edges, and there are some coaches who don't want you to have dark edges because it frames you and shows where you end and the open net begins. The converse to that is if you're wearing dark gear, black in particular, you do tend according to the goalies that do to get quicker whistles because referees lose it in your equipment a little faster. And I would argue in this case, maybe not even a black glove, but just black lacing. It's you know, we're talking sometimes. That one was a little clear, but there are times when the puck barely crosses and they need to see that sliver of white ice.

Well, if you've got black webbing that sort of hides where the puck ends and your webbing begins and what's what, absolutely, it could save you one of those calls.

Quicker whistles. Didn't know that.

That's what the guys that wear it say. I I mean, it's anecdotal, Daren, but, yeah, a lot of the guys that wear black gear say they find they get quicker whistles because the puck gets lost in it fast.

Hutch, I'm gonna save this story. I was gonna bring it up, but I'll put it off to next week. Can you remind me of GEICO? Next week.

Try to remind you of GEICO. And anybody who would like a preview for next week, just go search GEICO and you will find some goalie fouls. Give people detective work to do this week, Daren.

Major goalie foul. Not just Want to see it.

Not just one. Oh, really? I sent you both.

Oh, no.

You sent me the idea, and then I sent you the two fouls Yeah. That I saw. Yeah. It's all your your idea though, Daren. I'm not taking credit.

It's not good. You you you can't unsee it. Let's get into Vizual Edge ProReads. Charlie Lindgren is this week's ProReads.

Yeah. With some great tips. Charlie's always excellent in this format, and Charlie got to be on the ice. I was hoping he was gonna get a helper. He he had the good sort of lead behind the net that led to the goal for 895, but there were two passes in between.

But he's on the ice. He got to celebrate. That was kinda nice and fun to see. Out there with Hunter Shepard, who was called up from the American Hockey League while Logan Thompson's out with a with a, head injury. So Charlie was a perfect fit this week to be on ProReads, and ProReads is a perfect fit to be sponsored by Vizual Edge because everybody that knows ProReads at InGoal knows it's all about helping you read the game better.

See the plays, envision what's coming next, anticipate better, and manage how you handle those things better. Well, Vizual Edge is all about helping you see the puck and see everything in front of you better. Whether you wanna train your peripherals or train your puck tracking ability, there are all these different aspects of your visual acuity that Vizual Edge has the ability to test and then help improve and train. You take their edge test at the beginning when you first sign up, you get a score, and then they set up a program that helps you improve in the areas of weakness while also working on your strengths to continue to make those better. So whether it's convergence, seeing a puck coming at you all the way and being able to track it all the way in and then off your body and out if there's a rebound or divergence where you're scanning the zone and able to quickly pick things up.

We've had guys like Cam Talbot talk about the way they see pucks off releases through traffic or find pucks coming through a screen. So much improved since he started using Vizual Edge. So Vizual Edge sponsors our ProReads segment. It's a perfect fit. Make sure you check it out, InGoal members.

If you check it out on ingoalmag.com, you get added discounts. Everybody else also gets discounts. Just use the code. Is it InGoal 50 Hutch?

I think it's just InGoal, Woody. I think it's just InGoal.

It's just InGoal. My bad. We we got too many codes and I I've been hitting the head too many times because I haven't been doing my training. So I'm not tracking it well. It's hit me right between the eyes.

It's not great. But check it out on our ProReads this week featuring Charlie InGoal. Charlie talks about power plays and depth management and the secret to RVH inside leg or anchor leg placement and how it can help you get off your post better and make better depth decisions in terms of not chasing the puck, not chasing the play. We got a great one with him against the Tampa Bay Lightning power play this week where he breaks us breaks it all down for us at ProReads.

Correction. The code is I oh, I just about spilled the beans, Woody. There's a secret code. If you're an InGoal member, you will be logged in and you will see it. But if you're not an InGoal

That's the big money.

Just about spilled the beans. So but that's a nice reminder to folks that if you have an InGoal membership, you can save even more. Get yourself signed up. And what's the one for

non members?

I'm gonna have to log out before I can tell you that to be absolutely sure. I'm pretty sure it's InGoal, but

I should probably know that. You probably

Hunter Shepard in the in the in the picture in the celebration of Ovi's goal was like beast mode with that hair.

What a cool experience.

Totally. He part of history right there. That was that was outstanding. Alright. Stop It Goaltending and U, the parent segment, and then we'll get back to the the code so that now you have to stick around.

I got the code. It is just InGoal, and it's $5 a month discount.

You guys are a well oiled machine.

We're so No. The best part about

this smoothie really is. You don't need to say anything, Woody. I was right. But Woody still has an opportunity to say something else into a microphone, so he takes it.

No. I'd actually scrolled away from I couldn't see you. I was scrolled away trying to make sure we had it right. It's been a long day.

I love watching the two of you, like, working the the screens while you're on a Zoom. It was fabulous.

Vizual Edge just got the longest read in the history of a podcast read because of our mistakes. So I'm sure they'll

a couple topics. Fancy producer talking into our ear giving us all the facts and things.

They just screw you up anyway. Do they?

I don't actually, don't know how you could possibly do your job with somebody talking in your ear.

Producers. Well, it's art.

The first time somebody started counting down in my ear while I was live on television, I almost froze in my spot in the spot.

If I could have heard that and watched that, I would have been peeing myself. No. No. Somebody cutting Woody off.

The good producers know when to jump in between words or pause. A The ones that don't and just start blabbing away as you're you're talking, those are ones you have a conversation with after. I go Woody. Stop It Goaltending U. Parent segment, what do you have for us this week?

Parent Playbook

Just gonna have a little bit of a word with the parents about how some of the advice that we give to goaltenders also applies to us as parents. But I think Woody's gonna tell us a few things The

weekly primers this week at Stop It Goaltending U are on resiliency, the journey to bounce back. So five one minute quick primers from Brian Daccord about resiliency. They've also got a new drill of the week. It's a triangle drill for two on ones. Just a quick breakdown.

They've got multiple videos on that. Good drill for goalies. Fits a lot of the stuff we do over at ProReads as well. And, of course, if you get a membership to Stop It Goaltending U, the app, you also get a membership to InGoal Magazine premium. So the best of both worlds.

You get Stop It Goaltending U with the weekly primers, five new videos every week. They do all kinds of drills, tips, goalie breakdowns, pep sessions, all of that on Stop It Goaltending U the app, and you can subscribe and become a premium member and get access to even more services, including, resources around if you're making the step to junior or college, advisory stuff. It's all in the Stop It Goaltending U the app. And as I said, buy a membership, a monthly membership to Stop It Goaltending U, and you automatically get a membership to InGoal Magazine premium.

Hutch.

I was listening to this week's feature interview, which will be coming up soon, and the phrase physician, heal thyself popped into my head, guys. Or I guess I should say, goalie parent, heal thyself. That's from a phrase originally from the bible, but now it's, more commonly used just to suggest that we should take care of our own issues before we start pointing out others. And like I said, the interview resonated with me this week. And as I was listening, as I often do, I mentally check this box that says, yep, this is a special one.

I need to send it to my kid. And so many things in the interview when you hear it, I hope resonate with you as they did for me. I could picture my kid cheering for his partner in the middle of a practice and so many great insights into the mental game that I thought applies for him and so many young goaltenders. But, you know, as Mikey spoke more and more about his mental approach, it actually started to hit home personally, not for how I saw it in my son as a goalie, but actually for myself as a goalie parent. I, I tease Woody every now and then about watching the shot clock, but I have to say that I've done the very same calculations a thousand times in my own games.

Okay, boys. Two shots, one goal. Jeez. I need eight more saves to get myself back to 900. Wait.

Oh, no. Now that's three shots, two goals. I need 17 saves now to get myself to 900.

I do that all the time.

Absolutely. Still.

Yeah. Me too. Me too.

The calculations get harder, the more pucks go into the net too. It's just a feedback loop.

Guys, give up 50 The

feedback loop. Yeah. So but the thing is I do the same thing as a goalie parent sometimes, and I know lots of us do. You start calculating how many more saves your kid needs to make to get to 900. You even start calculating the save percentage of the kid at the other end for some sort of comparison purpose.

So whether it's tracking shots or judging goals or obsessing long past the goldfish length memory that we should have, These thoughts creep in for goalie parents. And guys, it's perfectly normal. And then if we go and share them with our kids after the game is often we will, those thoughts that we had, all we do is end up adding to our kids mental load. All we do is end setting the wrong example for how to handle the situation. But today's segment is about you and me, the goalie parents.

Being a goalie parent is hard. You're not destined to live in a state of constant stress, though. There are things that we can do. And as I've discovered, they're sitting right in front of us. So whether it's passing on this episode or maybe some other tools that we have normally to our goalie kid, we need to know that they're actually available to us too.

All the lessons that we're hearing for for goaltenders through InGoal and through today's interview and so many other places, they apply to us as goalie parents. Don't count stats. Do your breathing exercises. Give yourself a moment to be frustrated, but then move on. Next shot.

Let's go. Actually, as a parent, you could build a routine that creates calm for you. And let's be clear here, boys. I am not claiming perfection on any of this, far from it. But I do think it's good advice.

When I'm able to follow it, the games are so much more enjoyable for me. I will admit that these things are also easier when things are going well for your kid, but that's kind of the point. There are tools to help you when they aren't going well. So here's your homework this week, everybody. Listen to this week's feature interview and make yourself some notes with that context of yourself as a goalie parent in it.

What are you gonna do for yourself? Or go over to ingoalmag.com. Top menu, mental game is one of the links. Click on it. Go find an article and read it or watch watch something in there.

Find something that you're gonna work on for yourself this week. Whether Johnny or Susie are playing spring hockey or they're in tryouts or maybe they're playing baseball or soccer, whatever. Pick something for yourself this week to work on so that you can enjoy the game a little bit more. Then hit me up parents@ingoalmag.com and let me know what you're working on. I'm here to listen, and I'm here to learn from you.

That's great advice for the mental challenge to goalie parents.

And all sports parents. Right, Woody?

Yes. It applies to those with daughters in volleyball as well.

You have plenty in the game with them.

Or sons.

Yeah. Are you a goalie are you a Oh, yeah. Crazy sports parent, Daren?

I I would I would go off by myself and watch. Because I found I would just get talking too much and wouldn't pay attention or get distracted. So I would just go off by myself and pay attention and and focus. I don't know whether that helped anybody. Maybe she my daughter wanted me to be distracted.

I don't know. Maybe you're qualified to be a goalie parent too then, Daren, because we like to hang out in the corner of the rink all alone quite often.

I love the, parent segment brought to you by Stop It Goaltending U.

Hey, just so you know, in the time it took Hutch to, explain that parent segment to go through that, it was brilliant. I loved it. Way to rip off of Mikey DiPietro, who is a great feature guest coming up. It's now 7-6 in that Minnesota wild San Jose Sharks game. Yeah.

Do your breathing exercises, Woody?

And there was an 8-5 game.

Could it be in the between this and no and Daren bringing up Ovechkin video? Like, I'm pretty close to just being in the fetal The

Ovechkin video was fun just because you get to see the different gear over the years and all the different goal. Oh, I forgot about that guy. Forgot about that guy.

Now I'm gonna have to look through my fingers.

I watched 895 goals, and I thought, I wasn't bad the other night.

How many saves does he need to make to get to 900 now?

Exactly.

Hey. Speaking of that speaking of 900 saves, we also didn't give a shout out in that beer segment to the goaltender who has made the most saves against Alexander Ovechkin without giving up a goal. Do you know who that is? Cujo? Nope.

Still playing.

No. He was only two.

Still playing. Got a 1,000 save percentage on OV.

Was it 16 shot?

I think it was 18, but yeah, it's pretty it's up there.

You're gonna you're not gonna get this one, Daren.

Woody Woody now knows it? You looked it up?

I I no. No. I didn't look it up, but I remembered. I because I I locked it looked at the list yesterday. I know I know Kevin Lankinen in here in Vancouver had 14.

He was one of the top Oh, really?

Because Schmid I talked to about this. He faced him four times and never allowed a goal. But

He's on the list. Yeah. He should have a Budweiser can. Did he get it?

I don't whether he got it, but I was kinda angling for Maybe You're trying to accept it.

Yeah. I think they should all get eight at least.

Yeah. No. No. He he would've he would've got it.

So there there's the question, Daren. Like like, Hutch is Hutch is, are you wearing the pads? Are you wearing the Vasilevskiy pads?

Would you

open the the beer? Are you cracking?

No chance. Are you

cracking it?

No chance. No. No chance. I

I gotta commit I gotta commemorative Budweiser up up up there in the in the in the office display for Daniel and Henrik Sedin's No.

I'm not I'm I'm I'm not cracking that thing open. K. K. Who's the goaltender?

Same first and last initial.

Place for Florida. Which might be news.

That might yeah. I'd actually forgotten that. Wow. Recently with Florida, I think. Somewhat recently.

Who is it?

Vitek Vanecek. Really? Mhmm. Yep. Never would have got it.

I wonder who's faced the most shots from Ovi other than Brayden Holtby. The practice doesn't count.

And what was the other thing about Brayden? The conversation with Braden about Ovi. After figuring out what the shot did and how hard it came in, they had to have a discussion about how often he unleashed it at full velocity in practice. And it was a heated

it it it I don't

know if it's a heated discussion, but it definitely got heated at various points until they came understanding, as I recall, was the way Brayden Holtby phrased

have been fun to be a fly on the wall for that conversation. Back

in the day, goalies chasing around guys.

Oh, yeah. I may have done it.

So what? I can't remember. Oh, it's Mike Palmateer. I I don't know that I get this story right, but even the way I tell it's gonna be good. Even if it's not accurate.

Washington Capitals, funny enough, Palmateer is playing for the Capitals, and Mike Gartner's playing for the Capitals. And Gartner Palmateer would step out of the net when Gartner would come down and along the side boards. So Gartner just started shooting at him on the side. I thought that was fantastic.

I remember doing a story on for NHL about, like, the burning rubber story. Right? About the the shots off the side of the mask. You know, speaking of Ovi and the spin, like, imagine how much you'd be smelling burning rubber, you know, if you're facing him and he's getting you up around the shoulders, it's leaving the puck marks, and it's just would just be burning rubber all the time. Woody?

I

I yeah. The the guys that take the shots in in the practice when I get to skate with the NHL guys, it I smell the the rubber just from the stick hitting the puck. Like, it doesn't have to hit you in the cage or anything. You can you

can No. It's like shoulders or or or, like, the the shaft of your stick or

or from the Slap of the of the player stick.

Come on.

You can smell it. Goodness. It's a Really?

You're very you have a very sensitive olfactory.

Is it is it is it a Pavlov's dog sort of thing? You've you've heard it hit the stick so many times and then you've been whacked and smell the rubber that now you just smell the rubber?

Eichel hit by the shaft of my stick the other day and broke it. And he's like, you you broke this your stick. I said, well, we we got like ten minutes left. I can get through it. It's not like, it's still intact.

It's just leaning.

Yeah.

Two shots later, he hit hit the top of the the stick, sent the shaft flying, like, broke the shaft of the stick in half flying. Wow. I think I'll get a new stick now

there's no way was that intentional? Well You broke you broke your stick, he says. And then he comes down and waste another one off and and finishes Nobody gets

the shaft of the stick more than Jack Eichel. And and then we had a conversation about he's like, I I can't think I have to shoot over here more because the goalies, when they raise their arms, the the the shaft of the stick goes goes up.

Like It's an extension.

I've never heard of it a player ever trying to shoot around the handle of the goal stick. That's impressive.

He ripped one here against Thatcher Demko that went elbow, like crossbar post seam and out that I had to look at it twice slow motion replay before I could realize it. He just ripped it from the slot. That's not stoppable. I'm sorry. Like, that's just not stoppable.

So good luck to you. My story, though, was it Daren Pang? Your friend Darren Pang interviewing him for this story about and he couldn't believe how how many times I think he's with the Blues at the time talking about how many times Jordan Binnington or Jake Allen would take a shot in the mask in practice and how they tolerate it. He's like, back in my day, I would have been chasing them around the ice with my stick. First time's fine.

It's an accident if you apologize. Second time, it was an issue. So times have changed very much. We are better protected for sure than than the equipment that Daren was wearing, but it's, interesting to see, you know, just how the old school guys feel about how often the new school guys are taking one in the bean and smelling the

Darren Elliot talked about, tells me all the time about guys that he would chase around in when he was the the LA Kings. Hockey was world famous for chasing guys around. Mikey DiPietro. Sorry to keep you waiting, Mikey. I was around the draft during his draft window, and it was so cool to get to know him.

He's it take it takes guys a while to mature, but Mike DiPietro is our Censoring of Feature Interview winning.

Yeah. And he gets into that process and, you know, his role in it and some of the expectations. But before we get to Mikey and a great story about statistics, I think we need to hear about our friends from

Feature Interview - Michael DiPietro

Oh, we sure do because this week's feature interview is brought to you by NHL Sense Arena. Guys, NHL Sense Arena has teamed up with NCAA division one college partners of theirs to create four new training plans, and each of them is designed to sharpen your skills and keep your game playoff ready as, well, around the Frozen four. It's now available inside your, headset. The plans feature the top drills used by some of the top programs in the country. They've curated routines for forwards, defensemen, cognitive training, and, of course, Us goalies.

But that's a nice reminder that because you get multiple accounts when you buy Sense Arena, you might have one goalie in the family, but you can also use it for the forwards or the defenseman in your family. If you're in the crease though, this new top train drill section, the plan includes puck tracking and visual focus work, high rep shot sequences for reaction speed, lateral movement and positioning drills. They are the same drills that NCAA goalies are using pre and post practice to stay sharp and they're ready for you right now. It's a fantastic time to try NHL Sense Arena. If you haven't before, everybody, it's spring season now.

Sort of lets you establish new routines. You don't have the same access to the ice as you used to, but you wanna keep your head in the game. So check it out at sensearena.com and use the code IGM 50. Woody doesn't even need to look that one out up because I know it's there. Use it at the checkout and you'll save even more.

I guess it's so good now. What was it like connecting with, Mikey?

It was good because it had been a while. I knew he'd have some great insights, some great advice. Tough times after getting traded for the first time, you know, and had some personal challenges that he he sort of explains goes from, you know, being a highly regarded NHL prospect to traded, sitting around waiting for a place to play, and down to the ECHL. He gets into all of it. But most interesting, and we should have whetted the appetite, really good professionalism of us with the, IGM codes today.

Also really good to leave a very big tidbit for right before the interview as opposed to think you people in the industry, Daren, call it a tease. We probably should have teased this one a little earlier. Mikey DiPietro is having a hell of a season in the American Hockey League. But you know what I couldn't mention in our interview? His save percentage.

Oh, that's right.

He doesn't know it, and he does not wanna know it. He has no idea what his save percentage is, where it ranks in the league, and that is on purpose. And it's one of the many things he explains in terms of his evolving mindset and the success he's having because I can tell you it's right at the top of the league this year and why he does it, how he does it, and how it's helped him sort of focus on being in the moment. Really excited to welcome back to the InGoal Radio Podcast. It has been far too long since we had him on as a guest, and far too long since I've had a chance to catch up with a Michael DiPietro of the Boston And Providence, Bruins.

Man, like, four years. Time has flown. Last time we talked to you, you were with the Canucks. You've had a trade. You've been through a whole bunch of different things.

I guess first off, just how is it going?

Things are good. Know, it's I can't believe it's already been four years. But, yeah, it's, you know, it's still great. You get to still play hockey and get hit by things for a living. So, you know, it's pretty good and, I'm just trying to get better and, you know, be, be hopefully a good good example, you know, for the next generation to come.

So that's, what I'm focusing on.

Getting better. You have, and there's been consistent growth. I'm guessing in your game. I'm guessing in you and your experiences as a person. We can get into that in a bit.

But first, walk me through, I think, from an experience standpoint, you know, take us back to getting traded. You know, all the time you invested here in Vancouver and in your career here to have to go start fresh in another organization. What was that experience like? And what in the moment was the mindset? How do you look back on it now?

Yeah. I think, I mean, the story of of me getting traded is actually kinda crazy without going too in-depth. I got traded, I believe it was a Thursday. And at the the time, I needed to get a work visa process. So they told me to just kinda, like, stay put in Abbotsford kinda thing.

So I was skating by myself there for a few days the following week. So at this time I still haven't really moved. And then, you know, at the time I was like, hey, I'm just gonna go home. And basically long story short, without getting into any specifics, well, it turned out to be a twenty six hour car ride to Bozeman, Montana. I got stranded a few times.

And there were a few got stuck on a mountain in Mount Washington because I got caught in a blizzard. So I turned my truck around, went down the wrong side of the mountain. Did not have service for two hours. So I was kind of looking at landmarks, trying to find a way back to the border. And then I got rerouted to Seattle, got stuck for eight hours on a mountain in Idaho, and then made it to Bozeman, Montana twenty six hours later.

And then my dad flew into Bozeman because I was impatient. I just wanna get home. And I told him to meet me in Bozeman. And then he ended up just driving the rest rest of the two days back to Windsor until I was kinda ready to get, you know, told to come out here. Yeah.

So that was, just another yeah. Without getting into too many specifics, that's a story in itself. But I would made it.

I was just gonna say, is there a metaphor there, like, to feeling a little lost literally and going through that trade for your first time in your career?

Yeah. I don't know. I think it really tested how much I love the game. Because I think at that point in my career, you know, there are certain things that I think I was still young. Because at the time, I was only, what, twenty twenty three?

Twenty twenty three.

Mikey, I got news for you, buddy. You're still young.

Yeah. Maybe hockey terms, young. But, yeah, for me, I think that just there are times, I guess, it really worth it. I felt like, you know, when I kinda got here to to Providence, there's just a lot of goalies here and a lot of really good goalies. So there wasn't really any room.

And I ended up playing my first game that year. They sent me down, and I got sent to Maine and the Coast. And I just felt like my my career was going the opposite direction. And, you know, within the span of, like, eight months, I went from the NHL American League and now I'm playing the East Coast. It's kind of the wrong way you want your career to go, especially for me.

And I remember driving to Maine when I got sent down and I was really upset. I was frustrated. I felt embarrassed. Know, I felt like all these, you know, I got traded and I just didn't know, you know, all these different emotions that you feel. And, know, it was I played my first game, and then literally after my first game in Maine, I get a call from my dad and he let me know my grandma passed.

So literally flew home right after that. Actually, no, sorry, didn't fly home. I played one more game, let nine goals. And then I flew home after that game. And which it was just like a really trying time of the year for me or that point in my career.

Fast forward three weeks, I got a call from Danny Briere. Was able to, you know, he asked if I want go to the Spengler Cup. And I thought he had the wrong number. I'm like, Danny, I played four games all year. I let nine goals my second game.

Like, you sure? And I called my parents and they're like, oh my god, go. So I called my girlfriend Grace and, you know, she's like, okay, let's go to Switzerland for Christmas. And another roadblock, we were supposed to fly out. Our flight got canceled on the twenty third, so we got to go on the twenty fourth.

We were stuck in the airport eight hours before our flight came off because the baggage cart broke and you couldn't load the bags on. So we flew out, I think, at two in the morning. We landed in Amsterdam, missed our connector. But by the time we landed in Zurich, we were, in midnight. So it was, like, literally Christmas morning, and the tournament starts on Boxing Day.

So we're at the baggage belt and both of our luggages didn't make it. My hockey equipment didn't make it. My sticks didn't make it and they didn't know where they were. So we didn't have clothes for five days when we were in Davos for the Spengler. And we went to H and M, we just grabbed the necessities just to get us by.

And I was there supporting my team at the Spengler Cup. And, yeah, the gear came on the quarterfinals day, and I couldn't dress because it just came and we lost. So that was my experience at the Spengler. So it was funny. And my girlfriend's like, do you wanna talk to somebody?

Like, do you wanna talk to like a sports psych guy? Like, I'm like, why, Grace? Like, this seems the most. She goes, Mike, a lot of things have happened to you in the past, you know, a couple months. I'm like, you know, you make a good point.

And, yeah. And then the rest of the year, I finished off in Maine that year. So I was kind of for the three months I got traded.

So first off, condolences. I know how big family is for you in California. So I'm sorry to hear about your grandma.

Did you talk to somebody as part of the process? Because you finished that year in Maine. I was gonna ask if there was a rock bottom as you kept adding to the story, but you gotta at some point, there was a bounce back, Mike, because I, you know, I look at how that year finished for you. And I'm I guess my question is what was the starting point? And I'm guessing part of it we've been rediscovering just a certain joy for the game and going out and playing, but how'd you get to that point?

I mean, I think for me, when you hit that point, I guess, where you feel like, could it get any worse? Like, seriously, You know, you start appreciating, like, the little things. You know? And you start looking forward to things to do at the rink, not just, like, practice or or games. And for me, this might sound stupid, a morning coffee.

And in the Coast, they don't really have breakfast for you, but we had bagels. And it was in the morning, I'd have my morning coffee and a bagel, and I'd watch TV in our gym slash lounge. And at the time, it was just like Christmas movies before the Spengler or whatever. Something light and just being with the guys and hanging out. And that kind of snowballed to, okay, let's start playing rebound after practice, or let's start doing a breakaway challenge, or just stuff like you know?

Because when you're in the Coast, a lot of these guys, like, they're they're playing the game just because they solely just love the game. You know? And and a lot of these guys, you know, are on coast deals or or stuff like that and just kinda, like, grinding and waiting to just keep playing. And, you know, for me, getting close to those guys and seeing, okay, like, this is just a page of the book. You know, this doesn't have to be, like, where the story ends.

You know, this could be, like, you know, just keep on going. Keep having fun. Keep competing with your teammates. And I think, like, I ran into a lot of issues, I think, my third year in Abbotsford, where I I forgot my pre in routine because I didn't play for four hundred plus days the year before. I was like, what do I do?

You were you were one of those guys in the for people that because time and flat circle and everything since the pandemic, you were one of those guys that got stuck, lost a year of development, didn't play for a year because of the pandemic.

Yeah. It was over four hundred days. I'm not gonna use that as an excuse. You know, at the end of day, I'm a professional. Like, you gotta find ways.

But I think for me, it was being young, I didn't really figure out a way how to, you know, process it and figure out a way through. And I think that's where a lot of my struggles came. And and you start to once you not like, if you don't have success on the ice, then it starts to, like, kinda trickle down into, okay. Now you're not feeling so good when you leave the rink. And then now you mix in with that.

And then you start getting a negative cycle in. Unfortunately, I didn't, I didn't pull myself out, you know, on it because you have to want to stop that cycle before anybody else or before you can help people kind of help you. And for me, I didn't, didn't do that early enough, and I think that was that was inevitably, like, my problem. So I think going back to Maine, just enjoying the game, realizing that goaltending is not the be all and end all in a game. You are a cog in the machine, and you just need to be do what you need to do, and then trust your teammates to do what they need to do.

And then just have fun doing it and just see where you're at at game 72, game whatever it is. And in doing so, like, yeah, it was a good season in Maine, just finding that love of the game again. So it was kinda like do it in tears. It was kinda like Maine was find the love of the game again, And then last year was kinda like prove it to yourself that you can actually play at this level again. And not just like survive, but like play well and, you know, be what you wanna be.

You wanna be an x factor in a game. And in doing so and and making that jump to probl last year, like, a lot of it, of my success, I think, has to do with my goalie partner, like, Brandon is one of the most genuinely nice people you're gonna meet in sport of hockey. He's probably if not my only one of my only best friend goalie partner combinations I've ever had in my career. Because especially in the American League, you know, we all wanna get that call up. We all wanna make the NHL.

That's everybody's goal. But, like, Brandon, you know, he is just a kind, extremely skilled goaltender. And I just have a bunch of respect for him because he never once kind of, you know, talked down to me or or like, you know, we had a we were cheering on each other making saves in practice, you know, once that stuff in improv kinda got settled out last year. And it was just we have I want the best for him, and he wants the best for me. And we just So

old old school, like, stick taps, and the other guy makes a big one at the other end, slams it.

No. Not stick taps. It's, like, screaming. And then, like, we'll, like, wave to each other in practice. And then the guys at the on the team, like, they give us because they always think the goalies are stirring up because we all love to, like, chirp the equipment guys or chirp the guys in the room and play pranks and just you know, Brandon and I think I have such a good working relationship.

And when you do have that, it just makes going on the rink all that much more fun. And I think I just, I appreciated where my feet were, not looking too far ahead. And I think that was another downfall of mine when I was with Vancouver. I think I was just so young that I just wanted everything right away. And instead of just worrying about, okay, where I, where am I at today and just being the best at where I'm at today or trying to be, I wasn't doing that.

And I mean, that goes with experience too. I mean, when you're a young kid, you don't know any better. You know, you're constantly comparing yourself around the league to peers and other other people getting certain opportunities. And then you start victimizing, and you start getting a negative cycle again. So appreciating where I'm at is is a big thing too.

So

So staying in like, we always talk about next shot mentality. You you've learned to stay in the moment, on multiple levels by the sounds of it.

Yeah. I think success on, like, success in a game, success on the ice, I think can only happen when, you know, you have success off the ice in terms of, you know, a healthy mindset.

Yeah. I think success on, like, success in a game, success on the ice, I think can only happen when, you know, you have success off the ice in terms of, you know, a healthy mindset. Working with, for me, it was working with a great sports like here in Prague with Doctor. Bob. He has helped me a lot.

Just kind of goalies are kinda crazy. We have weird thoughts that enter our head. Things that you think have a bearing on a game, but really have no bearing on how you're gonna play. And just being able to air that out with him and, you know, just being honest with myself where I'm at and just bite sized chunks. Don't, you don't gotta eat it all in one.

And I think inevitably that makes me not think when I want the ice. And then it's just like for those sixty minutes, it seems really like a short period of time. Whereas maybe in the past, it felt like a monumental task to be dialed in for sixty minutes. But now it's just like, okay. All this stuff, you're having fun doing whatever, and they're okay.

Time to play, dial it in, and do your job and trust everybody else to do theirs.

I wanted to ask a little bit about, in Maine. We talked about rebound or breakaway challenge, bringing that fun, but also, like, one of the things we've always associated with you is compete. So was that a are those a couple of great examples of ways like, hey. If the season's not going well for a young goalie or maybe things just like you said, it's not going the way you want. This is a good way to sort of get back to something that can work in your game, bring out the compete, but also still have fun in a practice environment.

Like, hey. Ask the guys if they wanna play a game of rebounds. I I think rebound's a little bit of a lost art.

Yeah. I love I just love competing. I love battling. Most importantly, when I'm winning, I love to make sure the guys know that I am. And, you know, just getting in their ear and just, you know, having fun and creating those competitive juices.

Because I guess for me, where I found I was kind of going in the wrong direction was I was trying to be too perfect. And I was thinking that, you know, if I'm here and the puck's here, well, it's gonna hit me here. Well, in a game, you're you know, in practice, that's great. But in a game, you have sticks, pucks hit that that can hit. They have shin pads, skates, off the forward that's in front of the net.

Like, there's so many other variables that whatever you need to do, you need to find a way to make sure that pucks don't go along the goal line. And, yeah, it would be nice if it's all pretty all the time, but sometimes it's not. Sometimes it's pretty ugly. But at the end of the day, if you let in less goals and the other guy across from you, well, 19 out of 10, you're gonna win the game. And at the end of the day, that's what your job is entitled to.

We need to win hockey games. So I guess going back to the rebound and the, you know, breakaway challenge, that compete part has always been a part of me. And I think I was I kind of lost it. Kind of lost kind of tapping into that, desperation, if you want to call it. Not not saying that you should always be desperate and swimming around the crease sometimes, but it's good that you can tap into that, but also have fun with the guys because you need to have guys that wanna play for you.

You know? Guys that wanna block a puck for you. Guys that you just wanna be a good guy in the room. Because at the end of the day, I mean, my favorite goalies growing up were Carey Price, Jonathan Quick. But, I mean, I can't regurgitate how what their save percentage was or their, you know, their goals against average was on a particular season.

But, you know, they're just good goalies, you know, good goalies who they have phenomenal teammates, you know, and I think that at the end of the day, we all stop playing hockey, but people always remember what kind of person you were. And I think that's something that I've been really trying to tap into the last few years.

What, what's changed? You talk about that that balance, like, the compete and how that's always been a part of your game. What about the other side? And and without overanalyzing it, how has your game evolved technically, tactically? Because the game in front of us has changed since we talked to you last.

Like, what you're presented with as a goaltender in terms of the dynamic nature of offensive attacks, east, west, how have you adapted over the last four years to some of those things?

I think working with the goalie coach here with Donnie, it's great because he's knowledgeable. He's really knowledgeable, but he also doesn't overload you with information, and he likes to keep things in, like, layman's terms. Pretty pretty simple. And for me, I found especially something last year where we really worked on, to make sure I'm not sitting in my post all the time in an RVH. Know, pucks in the corner, there's no the pucks going away from you, like, why are you in an RVHH?

You're just sitting in it. And just getting access to my feet more. Just I don't go down in an RVH unless, well, I really have to. And that's something I continue to work at, especially being a smaller goalie. You know, I can't play like, you know, Jake Oettinger or, you know, those those big guys who are six four, six five, six six.

And, you know, just realizing that, you know, I can carve out kind of my own game, you know, make sure I hit top top of my crease, you know, being more patient, little backflow on two on one, just a little, not a drift, just a little bit of flow back. And, you know, all these other things that, okay, you know, this makes a little bit more sense. And, you know, maybe I wasn't doing this or I was doing too much of something. And I think just all finding balance. And then worrying about for me, worrying about where the puck is.

Not where the puck might be, might go on. Like, you know, this guy's open, might go there. Yeah. It's good to be aware of that. But your job is to make sure that we got the puck.

If he shoots it, make sure it doesn't beat you, especially on two on ones. You know? So oh, I know. I mean, it sounds super simple when you boil it down, but, I mean, like you said, stuff happens quick. You know, there's a lot of other variables taking in information that you need to beat.

But for me, I just try to hit

the top of my paint. Top of my paint, see the release, tracking pucks. I mean, it's stuff they tell you right when you start out as a goaltending. It may be awesome.

Well, you can I was just gonna say, like, we can, and we're guilty, like, goal kinda, like, we consider ourselves tools in the toolbox? Right? We show we our whole thing is we find all these different things and show goalies, but it can be a lot. Right? Like, and if you're I always praise guys that look for new things, but the reality is you have to find your foundation within that.

If you're always chasing new things, it can be difficult to sort of have a consistency of what your base is. It sounds like you've found that.

Yeah. I think you gotta figure out who you are as a a goaltender and, like, how you kinda wanna play and and what works for you and what doesn't work for you. And just trust in it. You know? There yes.

You can add tools to your toolbox. There's an easier way to do something. I am all keen to learn how to do that Because, you know, hockey is pretty hard, no matter what people think. So, for me, like, even like, don't I don't watch hockey. I the COVID season kind of ruined it for me.

I felt like I just watched way too much hockey. And so, but when when we're at the rink in the mornings and having breakfast, there's always NHL network on. And, you know, I I watch, like, goalies like Dustin Wolf from Broken in Calgary. He's having a phenomenal year. Like, I remember, like, when I was playing him against I was like, wow.

This kid can move. He's like and he's smart in the way he moves. But then you have, like, such a discrepancy in, like, okay. Now you have Vladar who's, like, taller. Right?

He's a bigger guy. You know, same team, same whatever, but like, they played like so differently, but you know, it both gets the job done. And and I mean, go down the list and all the great NHL goalies that are out there who I have tons of respect for. But like, there's so many great goalies out there that, you know, you're always learning when you're on the ice. And I feel like in just, like, looking at little intricate things, you know, maybe you add something like this or that, but you don't gotta overhaul your whole game into this picture perfect kind of carbon copy cut of what you think OHL is.

You said you don't watch much hockey anymore, but when you do, do you like, are you you gravitate a little bit towards a guy like Wolf just based on and we know Dustin well, and he has faced that question as I know you have for all the years about size.

Yeah. I mean, I I don't know. I I definitely I'm team little guy. You know? Like, I I'm not I'm not team big guy.

I mean, I always thought there's a difference between, you know, making a save and just getting in the way. I mean, they both do the same thing, but I think, you know, there's a deliberate action in one and an element of just like, you know, genetics that are just like, okay, you take up space, congrats. But it's funny, you know, Dustin's obviously younger than I am and I'm still like, I'm grinding and just hopefully, you know, continue to get better in my career. But like, yeah, I'm super happy when I see guys like that who have a tremendous work ethic and guys who I have a lot of respect for and just continue to have success. You know?

And I think, even, like, my goaltending partner here with Buss, like, Buss plays the game a little bit different differently than I do. Heck, he's a self ball.

I was just gonna say he catches with the wrong hand. That's a

Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. And we always laugh about how you know, I find goaltending goaltenders are very, like, observant, like, whether, like, guys are right here or lefty. Like, Boston and I could probably go up and down their team, tell you what hand, how they tape their stick, where the puck goes off on their stick, da da da da.

Well, then the guys are like, hey. Are you playing tonight or is bus? Or they go to bus. Is Mikey playing or are you playing? And they're like, literally, all you need to do is just go down to the bottom of the sheet, and then it just says who's playing.

And they and it's like, well, like, what the hell? Bus catches a completely different way. And they're like, oh my god. I scored on you. I'm like, no.

That was bus. And I'll go to, oh, I scored on Mike. And they're like, no. That was me. You're like, you know, all these other things.

And it's just like it it's so funny how it's just so different.

We're a more cerebral breed, the goaltenders, for sure.

We got too much time on our hands in the crease.

You know? Yeah.

That could be it. A lot of time to think. It sounds like you've found a good way to direct those thoughts in recent years. What what are what are some of the who are some of the influences? You mentioned you mentioned Brandon.

You mentioned Mike Dunham. Who are any other things that you've, you know, chased down over the summers or guys you've worked with in terms of just continuing to grind away at your foundation and finding new tools?

Yeah. I said, well, I mean, I'm I have the same goalie coach as I did when I was in Vancouver. I still Perry Wilson, I've been working with Andrew Kortsch. And, you know, for me, those are those are my guys. Like, I always, like, they've been with me, especially, like, Perry and Brian Speer and, you know, they've been with me since I was literally, like, a pudgy little eight year old.

And, you know, a 100%, I'm open to learning new concepts and, you know, these these new things but for me, I'm also to the point where, like, I'm I'm really loyal And I think, like, if I can learn something from somebody, like, I want who I'm working with to learn from them as well. And just see, like, if it's applicable and not or not.

Because they know your game.

Yeah. Exactly. They know my game. They know what what makes me tick, and we break down, you know, kinda like, hey. What what we're kinda like the main reads you guys scored on in the past season.

How can we develop drills or concepts to, like, help mitigate that for the following season? And just kinda, like, you know, do an honest look back of of each season and be like, hey. This is an area where you can you can be better, and let's just attack it.

I love that. Rather than just going into a summer and just doing the work because you do the work, having a specific focus on at least some elements. Is there an example from past years that you can give us where you identified one thing and then set up drills to make sure that, again, as part of everything else, attacking that was was something you improved on?

All that stuff.

Put you on the spot.

There's yeah. No. I mean, it's good. Like, you gotta get better. I think for me, I mean, if you go way back, I mean, my post play was atrocious.

I I really didn't know what an RV was till I met Clarkie. And so, like, Clarkie really taught me what an RVH is. You know, coming out of junior was kind of slop. He'd probably say I was ugly and how sloppy I was on my post and everything like that, which I was, it's honest and it got better. That was like a focus point.

I found in my like, when I was in Maine, I found that if a puck goes low to high, like, let's say, crosses the goal line, you're coming up above the tops of goal line, a shooter is coming downhill, my feet aren't set. I feel like I'm just, like, trying to get out to that angle and take like, make sure I take away the angle so much that I'm just drifting. When I'm driving butterfly, I'm just going forward, and my feet aren't set. So then even if I do make the save, I'm just, you know, out of the way. So just working on just making sure that you pop up, okay, just grabbing that edge, stopping.

Because, you know, angle always beats depth all the time. And if my feet were set. Yeah. Those are like some things that come to mind. I mean, that's

That's funny. That's a basic foundation. Right? Like set feet is is so important. And yet, you know, I don't know if it's been for you. You talked about a little bit of of glide drift.

I can't remember the word you used, but I know, like, with the big club with with Bob, there's that you know, they call it recoil. Right? A little bit of, like, set, but then a purposeful release because of all the East West and pucks off skates and and sticks and legs and butts, as you said.

Exactly. Yeah. Mean, that was, you know, when Goalie Bob talked to me about the concept. I mean, it made sense. You know?

It's one of those things where I thought I was doing it. But then you look at it, you're like, you're not doing it. And I'm like, oh, okay. So I'm not doing this. Well, let's let's do this because this makes sense.

And it's like one of those things where it's like, yeah, it might be simple to people. You're like, yeah, of course. Like, that makes complete sense. Well, I mean, the game is a lot quicker than what you guys see it when you're up top or when you're sitting in the stands, and it looks so predictable. You're like,

what Looks easy for the press box, buddy. Let me tell you.

Exactly. Exactly. And I'm sucking air on the ice and praying to god when the when there's a whistle waving the white towel. So but yeah. I think all those things, you always want to try to get better because everybody else does.

Being a good person along the way, I mean, that should be hand in hand. No matter where you are in your career, like, for me, I'm still obviously trying to make it, you know, and I'm not not giving up by any means. I'm still hungry to move forward in my career, and I dream about winning the Stanley Cup every day. But in doing so, I'm not doing that tomorrow. So let's just be a good teammate.

Being a good person along the way, I mean, that should be hand in hand. No matter where you are in your career, like, for me, I'm still obviously trying to make it, you know, and I'm not not giving up by any means. I'm still hungry to move forward in my career, and I dream about winning the Stanley Cup every day. But in doing so, I'm not doing that tomorrow. So let's just be a good teammate.

Let's get our work in, and let's just enjoy the process. And I think that's something that I've been getting better at.

Letting go of expectations that came with, you know, how you came into the league, some of the outside noise about expectations for you and around you. Is that a big part of this as well? Like, it sounds like you're just in the moment in a lot of different capacities. I know I've said that once already, but we see keep coming back to that, I feel like. I wonder how how hard expectations set the plate for you as a pro.

Yeah. I think when you first kind of, are drafted or, I mean, new to a league, first thing is, you know, people from the outside are like, hey. How how good is this guy? Or how good can he be? Or or what's his comparison?

What's his score? What's his ceiling? What is this? What is that? Social Security number, what is it?

Like, it's just like everything that you wanna know about this guy. And I mean, at the time I was, you know, 20 years old. So then I was like, oh my god. Like, I have all this pressure, but like, I can do it. You know, I can do it.

And, you know, when you start to stumble a little bit and you don't really understand how pro hockey works and how deep each team is is InGoaltending and how certain guys get breaks and certain guys, you know, got away a little bit longer, I didn't wanna hear any about it. I didn't wanna hear it. I was like, no. This is my path, and this is what I'm doing. And and then when that doesn't happen right away, you start feeling like a failure, you know?

And for me, that's kind of like how I felt. You're like, oh my god, so and so is getting this opportunity, he's getting this opportunity, he signed this contract, what the heck am I doing? But I think a lot, honestly, a lot of it has been put into perspective when I was able to step aside the rank, you know? Got to meet a great person in Grace, who's, she's my girlfriend, you know, she's great. I bounce a lot of things off of her.

I think I've become a better person. You know, I'm a pretty faithful guy, like, spiritually, and, you know, I believe in God, and I think that, you know, I'm not gonna go preach the word to you right now, but at the same time, I'm like, you know, it kinda gives me a sort of peace that kind of boils down. It's like, you don't gotta worry all the time. You don't gotta stress all the time, You know, just finding life lessons in that. I mean, I got a dog.

Roots is fantastic. He is, you know, we wanted to keep it a Canadian theme, so we named him Roots. So I think the next one's gotta be a girl named Aritzia or something. Don't know if her grades, but we'll figure that out. But, I think all of those other great distractions that, you know, you can get or that I could get for myself to kind of, okay, Life is not just hockey, and it's a little bit more than that.

A lot more than that. I think it was allowing me to find a little bit more balance when I play.

I love it. I love it. I did wanna ask you one more. You're having a great season. Everything keep seems to keep building, but you don't know how good a season.

No statistics. You don't look at it until the end of the year. So we'll so we'll save I'll save that for the intro that you won't hear. I'll introduce you before we but without can you explain why? Explain, like, for for goalies, because we talk about staying in the moment.

We talk about not looking up at the at the shot clock or counting down the minutes, all the different ways that we you used to write things in your blocker to help you stay in the moment. Yep. How how how does this fit in not knowing your stats during the season?

I I mean, I still do all those things you say, but I think the not looking at stats part is probably one of my favorite things to do. Because, I mean, it goes back to being you're constantly being compared. Everything you're doing, you're being compared to not only what you're doing within your team, what you're doing organizationally, you're being compared to when so and so was your age, what did his numbers look like? Then you're going league, then you're going world, and everything that's, like, you know, in between. There's a stat, like, for everything.

There's that for goals saved expected above average. You know? So and so and slot chances against what's your save percentage and slot chances again?

And I'm like I make my living with these numbers, buddy. I know

they exist. I'm not I'm not bashing it, but at the same time too, it's like, okay. If you let in a goal within the first five minutes of the game, and you're looking at the shot clock, and you're like, I need to make 25 more saves to make sure I have a nine seventy when this game's done. Like, it is bananas. Absolutely bananas.

And if you don't, oh my god. The walls are closing in, and it's caving. Oh, by the way, that puck that you let in had nothing to do with you, but it's in the net, and it's on your stat line. So I guess for me, not looking at these stats and not looking at what it is, it helps me because I view the season as like a book. You know?

There's so many different chapters. There's so many games. There's so much turnover. There's so many guys, especially in the American League. You have, like, a new teammate a week, at least one.

And then, you know, when when the season ends, you're like, so and so is my teammate here, then not here, and this and that. So when you for me, what I like to do is I don't like to pay attention to that stuff. Like, yeah, you have you have a pretty good idea of what you're doing. But, like, to to do a comparison against, you know, other boys in the league, to do everything like that, like, I'm gonna leave that up to my agent and and and you guys and whoever wants to do that. I'm gonna stick with just playing because whenever I can play with a with a clean mind, you're not worried about, I got only letting one goal here.

I I need to shut out in this game to balance this out and, you know, all these things. Goaltenders like we know where we're at. A good idea of kind of where we're at, but we're never really satisfied. We want to stop everything. And so for me not looking at stats eliminates one part of what could be a very cloudy part in your brain and where you can just kind of not focus on what you have to do on a day to day basis because you feel like those numbers define you as a goaltender.

Whereas, like, you you look like a guy like Juuse Saros, like, he's a fantastic goaltender. He's unbelievable. But, yeah, he's having a whatever. They're having a tough year or whatever. But at the end of the day, though, like, you start a fantastic goaltender.

You know, do these numbers define him? No. I don't think so. I just think there's always a little bit more than to the numbers, but I don't like any numbers. You know, I like I like number, you know, one.

One puck, and that's the only thing I gotta worry about and just enjoying my teammates and playing the game that we all love. Because, I mean, it goes by quick. Like you said, it was four years since I've been on the podcast, six years since I've been draft like, played my first pro game. It's it's bananas how quickly it goes by. So

I I love that approach. There are a lot of guys I had this conversation 20 games into the season with a bunch of NHL guys, and they were having a tough time not looking at their numbers and trying to figure out when they should start. When is it okay? When's the sample size big enough? Literally, guys that are playing in the league.

And so, to take that approach, you know when you're playing well.

I think I think, though, too, like, it's hard to not see it.

You know? I was gonna ask, how tough is it?

Like, the guys, like, the guys that I play with, like, they know. Like, I, you know, I tell them, like, right away, I'm like, they know when I don't like to look at my stats. They don't like, they know I don't talk when it's past 04:30. Like on a game day on a 07:00 game. Like they know these things.

And because yeah, it is difficult. I mean, I don't have social media, which helps, you know, but I mean, I have people on, you know, contacts on my phone that I'll just like, oh, you're having a great year. And I'll have like, Grace, what do they say? And it's okay, is it good? Okay, good.

And I'll reply. But, and just kinda like find solutions kinda like that. Whereas and then in the room before every game, there's stat sheets. And I'm like, oh my gosh. Like, of these just walking by and, you know, just don't look.

So, it's difficult, but I do I make a conscious effort not to worry about it because, you know, I don't wanna clad a brain. I just wanna be able to play, hopefully, make the NHL one day and then just stay there, win Stanley Cups like we all wanna do. But, I mean, just being a good person in the process is kind of the my maInGoal.

So you wait if the if the season is a book and with multiple chapters, you wait till it ends till you close it and look?

Yeah. Yeah. End of season, game 72. I'll take a look.

You know, and playoffs still coming?

Yeah. Yeah. I'll look at it. Just because I for me, it's like a book. Close it.

Close it.

Playoffs, new book. I mean, the American League playoffs are a little bit different than the NHL playoffs in terms of, like, the playing rounds, everything. So I just try to, you know, enjoy it, enjoy the we have, what, four games left. You know, keep being a good teammate. That's my focus.

And, you know, when game seventy two comes, I'll just, you know, call my folks, and I'll just reminisce about funny times or crazy road trips that we had to take because the schedule was crazy. You know, all these little things that you kind of want to buzz through when you get to the season, when you look back on it, it's almost like those campfire stories. You're like, hey, Remember remember when we did this? That was bananas. That didn't make any sense.

Or that was fun or, you know, all these other things. So it's kind of a nice way to kinda put an end to it, but then also turn the page and, well, look forward to playoffs. And then when playoffs are done, you look at the season as a whole.

That would be a pretty good bookend for an interview, but I because it's me, I do have a couple more.

Keep going. I have nothing but time.

Is there still a message in the blocker and what is it now? Yeah.

It's one puck at a time still.

Still? Okay.

I still have a smiley face on the blockers or on my glove and blocker, I should say. But yeah, still one puck at a time. Sometimes it works better than others, but I just keep but then I try to, like, say a quote or something or, like, a a not a quote. Just maybe, like, could be two words. You ever watched Ted Lasso?

Oh, yeah. Yep. Believe.

Yeah. But but my favorite one about Ted Lasso is season one, Sam Obafemi is really struggling. And Ted goes up to me. Goes, you know what the happiest animal in the world is? He goes, goldfish.

And and he goes, you don't know why? Because I have a twelve second memory. So I remember I let in a goal from behind the goal line. I was like, I'm a freaking dump end this year so bad. And, like, literally, I was, like, shouting to myself.

I'm like, be a Goldfish. Like, be a goldfish. I had just watched that episode. And it was just like, you gotta be a goldfish. You know?

That's all you can do. You can't you can't do anything about it. You're like, you did you did this to yourself. You know? Well, you gotta pull yourself out of it.

So there are a couple of times this season was saying certain things to me, but it just yeah. One puck at a time is one that gets written, I guess.

Nice. Pregame routine, you mentioned you lost it in Vancouver after not playing for a year. There's a good lesson there, I think. Whether yours is the same as anyone else's isn't what matters, but the importance of having one.

I think so. I think it's extremely important. I think more so for goaltenders, you know, I've tweaked it over the last couple of years, but it kept to the same kind of meat and potatoes if, you know, just change the spices sometimes, you know, but

Without without giving it away, is there any specific, like, things that key elements for you that maybe a young kid might be like, hey. That seems like a really good way to get in the right mind frame. Again, it's different for everyone knowing that.

Yeah. Yeah. I think well, I mean, part of it for me is know what you're gonna eat for pregame. In the American League, like, you don't get pregame provided for you. So home games, you're cooking.

And I like to have a meal prep plan. I prep all my like, cut up my vegetables or whatever I need to do. So when I come back from practice, I can just cook them, morning skate, or whatever I gotta do. So that way, it just minimizes my cleanup. I know it might sound crazy, but that helps me.

Visualization before the game is massive. For me, nothing too crazy, like, literally one or two minutes, kind of picturing safe selections. And then I think

So let me rewind. Just I'll pause on the visualization real quick because

I wanna

ask you about that because a lot of people hear visualization, and it's different. So are you is it is it meditative? Like, are you just sitting and picturing yourself through your mind's eye? Are you watching yourself from like, what are you seeing when you visualize, and how do you set yourself up for it physically even?

So I always do it after my hand eye. So I usually like take my stick, stretch, hand eye, visualize, then we have meetings.

Hand eyes juggling balls off walls?

Yeah, I used to just do one. You know, there's one puck. I mean, I know goalies who can juggle and all this stuff, but, I mean, I like to keep it relatively simple. Just one puck? One ball.

And when I do visualization, it's not like I mean, going through Hockey Canada stuff, you have all these meetings that could tell you about the perks of doing, like, in person visualization, making sure you can picture yourself actually doing the motion and not looking at yourself doing the motion when you get your butt.

So from your mind's eye.

I'm trying I'm trying to do it, you know, exactly. So I try to just picture I can kinda, like, see the color of the jersey that we're playing against, like, who we're playing. And then just kind of pick one or two guys on the team, like, a righty and a lefty that I would

know. And, you know, just kind of mimicking a safe selection, whether that be a stick side of the glove side, stick side blocker to a glove, to a block, to a chest, you know, to five-hole, to high tip, to breakaway, like, playing it, like, on rims, puck handles. So stuff like that, I'll try to hit on those visualizations before meetings and stuff. And then it's like, okay, now we started getting the body ready. But a lot of it has to do with when we talk about routine is, well, what's your routine when you actually are out on the ice?

You know? Like, what do you do when the play is not happening? What do you do when there's a TV time out? Like, all these other things that I'm like, completely forget what I do. And I was trying to reteach myself.

So what I've been doing is I go in my notes, and I literally type in pregame routine, in game routine. And then whenever I don't play for a little bit or a week or whatever or, I mean, once the summer hits, you don't play for a few months. That way you have something to look back on. You read it. You kinda be like, oh, yeah.

I do do this. And then until it starts happen to be second nature again. That way you're not having to reteach you or reteach yourself from the get go after you don't play from whatever June or May from till all the way to September, October.

Or in your case with your time with the Canucks in the pandemic, 400.

Yeah. Exactly. I hope nobody does that, but yes. Yes. So so

notes, notebook, do you ever like, do you look do you look back and be like, When I was playing really well, I was doing this in between periods or I was doing that in a TV time out. Like, do you connect those dots on those trends, or is it just

I think old me would've, for sure. Old me would kinda be grasping at, okay. I did you know, I drank a blue Gatorade in this game and this, and I had success because of this blue Gatorade, I had success. And I thought would definitely be the old me mindset. But I think after working with Doctor.

Bob, you know, and all these, you know, things that I'm able to get off my chest and not have them stew, it kind of I find when I say things out loud, it takes away, like, the power they can have on me. Because you you hear how ridiculous that sounds.

The blue

Because you're like, okay. I did you know, I had my coffee cup was half full when I had to take my stick. Well well, maybe I need a full cup of coffee before this game because he had a three and three. You know? There's all these other variables that go into it, whereas maybe I'm like, yeah.

Big difference between that and your pregame routine. It's the difference between the superstitious things that you might do and the routine elements that you might do too. Like you said, concentrating for sixty minutes is hard. Yeah. We've talked with guys where it's not about concentrating for sixty minutes.

It's about recognizing when it drifts. Sometimes it's okay to let it drift, but knowing how and when to bring it back.

Yeah. Like going along that same thought process is like, when you're on your island, the blue paint for sixty minutes, know, you're gonna have some negative thoughts come on your brain. Because I'm a guy, because your brain, after talking with Doctor. Bob, I'm gonna say it in a really way worse way than he explains that to me. But basically, it's like your brain tries to attach similar things that have occurred for you to make sense of the situation that you're in currently. So like, for instance, if I let in a, you know, we played this team, I let in two goals in the game, but they scored within the first five minutes of the game.

And now the second game that we play the same team, four months later, they score in the exact same way within the first five minutes of the game. Well, now it's like, okay. Well, I'm only letting two balls in that game because, you know, they haven't scored the first five minutes of the game. Like, to me, that's where my brain goes. Or you better not let this person score because they have the momentum.

You know, they're negative thoughts that enter kind of your head. But it's for me, it's not like people always say, like, don't let negative thoughts enter your head. Like, shut them out, push them away. And I feel like when people tell you to do that, it's like, don't push the red button, don't push it. All you want to do is push the red button.

Whereas Doctor. Bob and I are working on being like, okay, acknowledge that, okay, it's a thought that you have, Acknowledge that, like, okay, I'm thinking this right now. This has no bearing on the game, and it allows you to kind of, like, process it. It's almost like looking at it in the face, whereas pretending that it's not there. That is what's been really helpful, I think, for me in those in those, like, unique instances.

Walking up to the tee box and there's the lake on the left, don't hit it in the water. Right? If that's what you're thinking about, that's where it's going.

Well, unfortunately, that has not yet translated to my golf game. You know? So this this mental awareness has not and mindfulness has not entered my golf game. I'm I'm a very bad slash passionate golfer, but I keep going back. Sick.

I don't know why.

Listen. Just sort it out on the on the on the ice as a goaltender first. There'll be lots of time for golf later, my friend.

Exactly. That's that's my goal.

Mikey, I've really enjoyed this, man. It's been great to catch up. All the best continued success. We'll just leave it at that. And I like I said, it's been too long.

I'll make sure it's not this long next time, but it's been a real pleasure to watch you and your next opportunity continue to grow and continue to have success, man. It's been great.

Thanks, Kevin. I really appreciate it.

You you can't give up on goalies. You you can't. 25, 26, 27.

It gets old 25 for goaltenders.

Don't forget, guys come over from Europe at that age and are given their first opportunity, and we write off too many North American goalies too young.

He's done a nice like it didn't he he got into all of it, obviously, didn't pan out here in Vancouver to go through that journey. And it was a very difficult one at the beginning. I don't think people understand sometimes how you can just be sort of left to hang in pro hockey as you wait for your next opportunity. He ends up in the ECHL. You heard the story about going to the Spengler and not even getting his gear and basically being a cheerleader because his gear didn't show up.

He loses his grandma. He's a very big family guy. Goes through all of that. Rediscovers a bit of love for the game in the ECHL. Has a heck of a season in the ECHL and has just steadily progressed and continued to get better and have better results in the next couple of years in the American Hockey League.

He was an all star this year. His numbers are off the charts good. I'll let everybody else look them up in case Mikey ever decides to listen to this podcast. Hope hopefully, he won't until afterward. I'm we we we didn't use the number, but it's it's way up there.

So I just love that he's he's open and willing to share some of the lessons he's learned along the way, very specifically because having been through it himself, he wants to be one of those guys that gives back in the hopes that some other young kid listening to this, you know, will be better for or will be able to tap into his experiences with it to help them if they run into something similar down the road themselves.

Outro

Difficult week in the goaltending world. Greg Millen passing away, Mark Laforest leaving us, a couple of guys with very different careers. Millsy played a long time and was, like, a star for for a couple of franchises. Thinking about Saint Louis and and Hartford. Southpaw, small guy.

Played for Chicago too. That scene of him on the bench during the Keenan years, he was taken out of the game, and he's running up and down the bench, grabbing guys, and trying to motivate them. Team guy. Wore the Aeroflex pads. You think about that was the old side.

They they the Wayne Gretzky Jofa with the with the cage on it. Like, how would you ever wear that thing? But then broadcaster forever, Hockey Night in Canada, and I worked with him at Sports Net and saw him just recently. And you never think about that's gonna be the last time, but we had a conversation and talking about how the producer actually told me how great Millen was because he's a young producer. How great he's been, the supportive he's been with the new Playbook play guy, John Abbott, in Calgary.

So Peterborough guy, family guy, awesome dude. He used to record games and watch them in the van. He had a driver that would drive him from Peterborough to Ottawa through the game and then drive him home, and he would max out his prep time on the on the drive by having somebody drive the vehicle, and he would watch the the games on VHS and then, through DVD, burning those. So just he was he was a small guy, though. He wasn't very big at all.

And every time you saw him, you thought, how did he ever play in the national hockey league? And Mark Laforest, not as well known as Greg, not a broadcaster, but had a minor league career with with little dabs of professional time. Toronto Maple Leafs didn't play a lot of games with Toronto, but ended up being part of their alumni association, played a ton of games with the alumni association. Philadelphia Flyers played there, but mostly in the minors and and trees. He actually lived in his van for a while.

Like, he was just a unique guy.

He was part of a couple of trips to Afghanistan with the NHL alumni that I was on. Oh. And he would play ball hockey with his with his gear over there, and he he have a dart going through his mask smoking during the ball hockey game. Just a world class character. But he he always told me when he was partners with Hockey in Philly, Hextall would, in between periods, put his gloves down and have everything situated and and trees, Mark Laforest, one of the great nicknames, trees would come by and either pretend to stumble and kick the gloves on purpose and and watch Hextall go crazy, or he'd move them around and then get out of the room.

Just a just a true character and two two great people, but two fun goaltenders. The guys just love the position too.

What more can we say? Our sympathies to their friends and family. It's sad to lose them from the goalie union.

And it's just thinking about Milan in those Saint Louis blue sweaters, and they were, like, skin tight and still managed to his pads, the Aeroflex pads, like, that's what those the pads are now. Like, basically, that kinda thing way ahead of his time. Him and Tom Barrasso and, I don't know, Southpaws all wore them, but and then then trees was just there's nobody more unique and more true to himself than than Mark Laforest. So, guys, stick that to you up there, and have a good game in in that next chapter of our journey InGoaltending. On behalf of everybody here at InGoal Radio Podcast, thanks for listening.

We'll talk to you next week.