How to Be a Goalie Your Team Will Go to War For

Colin Hodd | October 13, 2025 | 6 min read

Calvin Pickard won 7 of the Oilers' 14 victories in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs after reviving his career largely through work ethic and teammate chemistry, not elite skill.
Devan Dubnyk, a 16-year pro with 542 NHL games, identifies being a great teammate as one of the few differentiators available to goalies who are not the best pure talent in the room.
When two goalies are roughly equal in skill, coaches consistently choose the one who works hard and contributes positively to the locker room culture.
Being a great teammate produces compounding benefits: better personal enjoyment, improved performance, and placement on stronger teams over time.
Developing great teammate habits requires deliberate effort and practice, just like any technical goaltending skill.

Calvin Pickard is proof of the power of being a goalie that teammates will go to war for.

Former NHL goalie Devan Dubnyk discussed how hard the Edmonton Oilers battle for Pickard on Episode 305 of the InGoal Radio Podcast, breaking down the benefits and sharing a short list of keys that can help you become the type of goalie teammates play hard for.

It was advice prompted by Pickard earning seven of the Oilers 14 wins during the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs and resurrecting his 14-year career in Edmonton the past two seasons after spending most of the previous four in the American Hockey League and even Europe.

“You think Calvin Pickard is one of the best 64 goalies on the planet, skill wise? Probably not,” Dubnyk said. “Is he a great teammate … who works his ass off harder than anybody and has a great mental mindset? Yes. And look what he’s done. Look where he is.”