302 Parents: Using sign language to communicate with your goalie on the ice

Okay. We'll do it. Yeah. There's a lot of chirping for me. Stop It Goaltending U the app parent segment this week.

Coming with some heat.

I the heat, I don't know, but I I have one that gonna set you boys up to get a little upset. We'll see what happens. But what's happening over at Stop It U, Woody?

Well, in addition to the usual stuff, right, like the we've we've talked a lot about all the advice and help they have for you on a weekly basis, you know, the quick primers minute, minute and a half videos from usually from Brian Daccord in this week's hour and talk about emotional control and how to use the words I am. So you get one of those Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Just quick little hits to help you get the right mindset, become a better goaltender. Their power pep tune this week is Thatcher Demko, so highlights of him and then also a drill of the week on a drive and pass out option. You can watch that, take that onto the ice with you.

But I wanted to mention because this week's they've got a video walking through the CHL and NCAA rule changes and how it can affect goalies and it was a great reminder to me that there is an option in the Stop It Goaltending U app. It's not included at the base level, but you can upgrade to their premium level of coverage or coverage is probably the wrong word of access and you will get access to their advising. They actually have an advising staff to help you get to the next level whether that is using their stats programs to find accurate comparables for you as a goaltender. So based on your results so far, where do you think you could play? Whether that's into junior or college, maybe it's lower level junior.

They help with placements in in 2023/24, so not this past season, but the season before they had two NCAA div one placements, four NCAA div three, tier two junior three, tier three junior eight prep. Also, if you're just triple A and prep, they managed to get over 20 athletes into the levels they wanted there. So advising to help you pick the right level and help you find places where you can play at that level throughout North America. All part of the Stop It Goaltending U app and as I mentioned every week, in addition to all these great services you get, what is in our opinion the best advice on goaltending and that's from InGoal Magazine because we get it from the NHLers. You get a membership to InGoal Premium with Every Stop It Goaltending U app membership that you purchase.

So best of both worlds in goaltending, make sure you check it out today. And if you're thinking about what your future looks like, hit them up because their advising staff will help you get not just a realistic idea of where you might be able to play, but help you find a place to play it.

I used it and it was it was incredibly helpful. The advisory.

I It's They told me that I should be playing low level beer league, and they were No.

I've never enjoyed pickleball more. They

will not do that to your sons and daughters, folks. Just to Daren. I mean, just to Maren and, and Woody.

What do you got?

So, you know you know, I'm a fence sitter, I'm gonna come back around on this one, but I'm gonna give you the jaw dropping part just to start, boys. Here's the question. Woody, you ready for this one too?

I'm making notes.

Yep. This was online, not straight to InGoal. Who else has created a sign language to help out your tendy so you don't have to be that parent yelling through the quarter inch gap in the glass?

What?

Oh. You can probably hear through the awkward silence that we know how. I I don't wanna condemn anyone. That's but that's that's a tough look. Like, so basically, you're communicating with your you're trying to help them. So I get where the thought process comes, but man, do we not create any independence if we're trying to tell them how to like, I don't even know what that is.

Like, stay up, go down, play more aggressive. Like, I don't even know what

Yeah.

They they gave examples of saying. Stay up motion, stay up or get out.

Look, they gave examples and and I get it. And and I won't get into the specific examples. I have to say the first time I heard this like you, Woody, like, I didn't even know what to say. And I and I agree with everything you just said, Woody. And at some point, you have to to cut the cord.

My first reaction to it honestly was go take one of the coaching courses and volunteer and then you can go help your kid, but don't do it from the stands. But as always, I get a little too upset, maybe just like you a little bit, Woody too. You're not quite nearly as composed as Marin is. But I I got a little too upset too and then I kept reading. And he said, I am a team coach and I'm acting as the team's goalie coach as well.

So, you know, you sort of got me with the quarter inch gap in the glass. And I pictured the guy standing there screaming at his kid and instead I wanna be silent so nobody knows I'm screaming at my kid. But he is actually the goalie coach on the team. And now I'm like, okay. Not quite as bad because there are head coaches on the bench screaming at the players on the ice all the time.

Finish your check. Get in on the forcheck. Work harder. Like, whatever it might be. There are coaches coaching the players all the time, and the poor goaltender is out there on his own with no support.

So I get the desire of this parent to have some ways to convey some information to the goalie on the ice, I kinda get it. So just a couple things I would say. What's the point where you're gonna cut the cord? Because I guarantee Ian Clark or whatever NHL goalie coach you wanna talk about is not flashing hand signals to their goaltender on the ice. They have to eventually develop the maturity to handle the period on their own.

Talk to them between periods. So what's that point that you're gonna do that? I kind of think it's okay once you're the coach on the ice, but but what I didn't want is for parents to read this because there were a lot of parents in the comments. Oh, I do that. Oh, here's our signals.

Here's what we do. Don't be the parent doing that from the stands because I don't see how that helps. You don't want your child thinking I need to check-in with you after every shot, after whatever, even though this guy actually specifically mentioned it's only after the puck leaves the zone that they have any communication. Again, I will say, if you're that parent in the stands feeling you need to do this, volunteer. Take a course.

Get out there and help your kid. If you don't think you're qualified to do that, then you probably aren't qualified to be sending hand signals. And if the team isn't asking you for help, it's either because they have it already, in which case, butt out. I had to learn to do that at one point and just let my son work with his goalie coach even though we've got a great partnership together. And, and if the team won't accept your help and they don't have goalie development, now maybe we have a problem that could be the subject of another parent segment soon.

How do you talk to the coach if they don't have good development for your goalie? But don't be the parent in the stands yelling at your kid what to do. You're only going to distract them. Don't be the parents hand signaling from the crowd. You're only going to distract them.

How do you talk to the coach if they don't have good development for your goalie? But don't be the parent in the stands yelling at your kid what to do. You're only going to distract them. Don't be the parents hand signaling from the crowd. You're only going to distract them.

And if you're the goalie coach, it's maybe not as bad as it seemed originally. That's my piece, boys.

See that I feel like I was robbed of the context to overreact.

Well, wanted you to.

Tried to get angry, Woody, but I was calm.

But it's clickbait. It's Yeah, clickbait,

it is clickbait. You almost got me, but I'd also ask like, why can't you be on the bench if you're the goalie coach? I'd point to the Alex, maybe there's a limit, maybe there's rules. I get that.

Oh, I just assumed he was on the bench actually. I just assumed he was on the bench and during play, like the players, as you know, Alex Auld has told you before, right? That example of rotating goaltenders during the game so they can have some coaching. The players get to come back after the shift and coaches should be having a word with those players, giving them some feedback.

And and that was where I was gonna take this. If you really wanna give a goalie feedback, and again, this depends on the level and some associations just hate it. Some goalies just hate it. Some goalie definitely, they probably all hate it. But, man, the example we had with Alex All where he was on the bench as an assistant coach and the goalie switched in between periods, and so the kid that came to the bench was getting coaching from a goalie coach.

Yeah. I love that. Doesn't have to it doesn't have to be an NHL, man. If you've taken the course and like this gentleman is the goalie coach, a gentleman woman is the goalie coach and and has some good advice to give them. What better time than to give them in game and to do it, you know, to them personally and then they get to go back and apply it when they switch again in the next period as opposed to distractions looking at the bench trying to, you know, so I, I actually kind of applauded at some levels.

I'm just like, do we really need to be that nefarious about it? Couldn't we create a system where, you know, we we actually can communicate in person with the young wolf? And then again, the ages and all these things.

You'll get into another long debate with a lot of parents over that how we share the ice scenario. And and while you've got a great point there, Woody, you've got the other camp that thinks it's essential that their kids play full games. Some that think that it's okay to switch games, but or partway through a game, but what is the age? And then, of course, we've got this Alex All example, which is the extreme one. But you really get them all lined up in different camps for different reasons that aren't related to what you're talking about as much as I I really applaud that one, especially for the youngest goalies.

Yeah. Youngest and and I guess that I I I caveat to the age, but if it's a young, young goalie, if we're talking like 12 and under, you know, and you want to be a parent that takes that, that tact that your kid at 11 years old needs to have the whole game. I would just tell you what other sports bodies, how they view that. And it's, it's a strong two phrase word, but other governing bodies for sports see that as literally child abuse to have a kid come to a game and sit on a bench for sixty minutes at that age. That's the exact phrasing they use.

So just put that in the back of your mind next time because I know

Different parent segment. Let's not go too deep on this one, Woody. We can bring this one up again soon.

Yeah. Okay. Zip. Zip. Angry Woody.

Settle down.

If you have any thoughts

jump in on that.

I do?

Please do. Yeah.

Not too far though, Marin.

Think about this. As an adult, you're going to your game and you're going to have to back up at your Thursday night league game. Oh, yeah. No chance.

No chance.

No chance as as an adult, you're going to do that. So why do we make our kids do it?

Yeah. That's a great In That's an answer right there.

And what

would the adults say? Well, it's no fun. Well, guess what? At that age, it's still supposed to be fun.

Right. Less fun at that age even.

So so if if you as an adult are saying, I'm not wasting my time by going and backing up and not playing at all. Why would we make our 11 year old do it? Or 12 year old do it?

We'll come back to this one soon. We'll let you dive

in because I love that answer.

That's just the best way that I can

I think we we definitely need to dig back in on

that one, Hutch? Got another question

My apologies my apologies for stealing it.

If you if you have any comments on hand signals to your goalie, parents@ingoalmag.com. If you're the parent who posted that question, I hope you understand that I I kinda get you doing it as a goalie coach. As do I. You can hit me up if you want to. And if you have comments on whether your kids should play half games, full games, or just multiple shifts a period, parents@ingoalmag.com because we will take some of those answers as we let Woody and Daren have a further rant in a coming episode.