Bruno-Pierre Guillemette: Montreal Victoire Goalie Coach & PWHL Champion

Intro

Sometimes we catch people on the road, and we have to just get by with certain elements of recording. That's what we're doing today with me, Daren Millard, along with Kevin Woodley and David Hutchison, InGoal Radio Podcast. Hutch, I'm sorry. I I can't get my computer to fire up, so we gotta do this sort of patching. You're gonna have to make me sound as good as you can. Alright?

If you sound good to everybody, you know we were able to work a little bit of magic. It's always fun having a challenge, Daren.

So what what are we, like, seven out of 10 right now?

Oh, seven and a half at least.

Oh, good. Well, that's good then. That's better than I was expecting.

Listen, Daren, we're just happy to have you back. After three weeks of people having to listen to me do the intros, your seven and a half out of 10 is better than me 10 out of 10. So little travel, little challenges after the NHL draft. We're just happy to have you driving the bus for two straight weeks here because I had it off the rails and over a cliff while you were away tending to cup finals. You did great, Woody.

Yeah. You were awesome.

That 18 wheeler was she was headed in the wrong direction, folks, to quote Brian Burke, who's now in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Hall of Fame. Yeah. Talked to Burkey the other day. We went through the whole renting a barn, going at it with him and and just Kevin Low.

The Hockey Hall of Fame, but that might get contentious and you might need a barn yourself.

Well, how about, all the goaltenders that were selected in the NHL draft? Is that, positive?

I believe so. I had and let let's go to that. By the way, kudos to mister David Hutchison, folks. If you want a recap of the draft, done almost instantly, and it was sort of as the picks were being made, they were being added to

our In real time.

Draft page at ingoalmag.com. We were actually Hutch beating the nhl.com scrolls. Incredible job. And a summary, 32 goalies. All the breakdowns on height, nationality, and everything were available instantly.

You can check it out at ingoalmag.com. But 32 is an NHL record. And I had a couple of goalie coaches in the NHL reach out during the draft to talk about how deep and how talented they thought this class was. Like how many great options that now listen, obviously, most of them came from Eastern Europe, especially at the top end, but how deep it was and how many were selected is probably an indication of that need to sort of constantly be refreshing your own pool. Like have a constant flow.

Like teams are pretty much looking at at least a goalie two of every three years, if not every season. Because you just need to with the and I put it this way to someone. With the volatility at the top end of the position in the NHL, is this draft, the fact we had so many goalies selected, and the teams recognizing that they need to constantly have options coming up behind their current guys, And the turnover we're seeing is this part of a trend in which ultimately at the expense of my goal of union card, something I've suggested for years, if I actually was a GM, the one thing I'd avoid with goaltenders is long term. And and they agreed. This is sort of one part of that cycle and that trend.

Worth noting as you talk about having to refresh that pipeline all the time, six teams drafted two goaltenders. I don't have Probably a record as well.

Right. And and I don't have the ones that did in front of me, but I do. There we go. Hutch, you got it.

Do wanna take a guess?

Six teams.

Take a guess. Who do you think would No.

Because do that. No. Because I'm gonna embarrass myself because I should actually know and I should probably know the names. But I

I don't think you you should know. I think No.

Like, who's gonna memorize that kind of stuff?

Well, I didn't watch the draft as closely as normally do. No.

Like, thanks for your kind words on on the page. If you head over there, there's actually a a long article now on top of the the drafted goalies list, and we uncovered a whole bunch of stuff that you won't find in in the standard sort of predraft write ups that most pages put out, and that was that was kinda fun to do. At the bottom, there's a a sort of a fun fact section and, like, how many goalies

were drafted before. Facts throughout the night.

It was so cool. Yeah. It was thank you. It was good fun. And one of them was, of course, which teams drafted two goaltenders?

I've got Boston, Philadelphia, Winnipeg, Toronto, Carolina, and Colorado.

Interesting.

See, there's no there's no there's no rhyme or reason there.

And Well, Boston Boston so, like like, again, these guys aren't coming into the pipeline right away. But, know, Boston, you know, lost Brandon Bussi in the past couple of years. I I find it hard to believe that Michael DiPietro is gonna clear waivers this year after being the AHL player of the year following AHL goalie of the year. And and I think the note there is Boston took a high end guy, you know, second goalie picked in Yuri Ivanov and then added depth later. So, you know, there's probably interesting reasons for each one.

But but, yeah, that's I mean, teams that you know, and and Winnipeg taking two. Like, one's a flyer later. One's an earlier pick. Like, you know, we're in the midst of the Connor Hellebuyck rumors and Eric Comrie becoming an unrestricted free agent and Dominic Desrochers maybe being ready to move up along with Thomas Milic. And so like these, I'm sure they've got a bunch of prospects that are in development camp this week that are are following in behind.

But like you with waiver like waivers and all these different ways that you can lose guys, you just you just need to have a constant flux and flow of of options.

What about The

other storyline coming out of all of this with the constant hand wringing about the Canadian goalie development and, of course, USA Hockey's fifty and fifty program. The first Canadian went off the board as the eleventh goaltender pick, a 110 overall. The first American went off the board at one twenty five overall, the sixteenth goalie taken.

So year Europeans dominated the goaltending market.

Eastern Europeans in particular. Because because because like and and that's worth noting because two of the, you know, quote unquote goal previous goalie factory countries that each had a trend where they were the hot spot, Finland and Sweden only had one goalie apiece taken in this draft. So, you know, that's that's

So how do we how do we evaluate that?

Well, yeah, my question to that is, is that happening because that's what's happened to development and goaltenders, or is that happening because everybody's gotta grab their Russian or their check? It's just a bit trend amongst the the scouts and the GMs out there now.

It it might be a bit of a trend, but

Probably a bit of both.

The one thing that I hear is the part of that trend is a trend away from quote unquote, I'll use the word that Ian Clark used, but I've heard it. You I've heard the same trend described using different words from multiple people across the league. Institutionalize goaltending.

What does that mean?

Means overcoach, overcoach isn't a phrase I should use, but heavily coached at a young age to where the technique is drilled in, but the instinct is perhaps lost. The focus is on technical rather than skills.

It's Goalies.

Yeah. There's the phrase, Daren. There's the phrase. And I had that applied to a few of the North American goalies from NHL people that didn't draft them. So it's kind of interesting, you know, like we heard on the drafts, like Russian goaltending, how the goalies, yes, they all sort of exist within their individual team and clubs and areas, but then once or twice a year, they get pulled out and there's like a national camp where all the goalies go and work with national coaches, like in season, and then they go back to their teams.

Sounds like it happens multiple times a year, and I'm still trying to nail down the details on that because I didn't realize that was happening. So that's an example of, you know, that would be an a quote, unquote, institutionalization of it a little bit. But at the younger ages, I think it's about what you're teaching at younger ages and how much we're overdoing it. And do you have seven year olds who are just goalies and learning RVH by the time they're nine? Like, that's obviously an overstatement, but, it happens.

And there seems to be less of that in Eastern Europe. So when I talk to people around the Russian thing, and it's harder because, obviously, these scouts aren't getting eyes or seeing exactly what's going on there, but I still hear a lot about guys goalies that are just taught skills and skating and and physical literacy at a really young age. And then now they're getting more advanced goalie coaching as they get into their teens, as opposed to having that technical coaching at seven, eight, nine, 10. You know, the North American word might not be institutionalization. It might be commercialization.

Right? Like, those are the two sort of trends again, where we have kids that are because it's a big industry, you've got kids at super young ages coming to schools and not in all cases, obviously. And we've got great coaches in North America, but sometimes sort of just getting, you know, maybe maybe a little too much too soon on the technical side. That's that's what I hear when I talk to you guys.

That before. I if you, you know, you don't throw a golf club in a kid's hand and just send them to the course for ten years and then suddenly start teaching them how to grip it and how to swing it and the same thing with a tennis player. Go on and on in sports, but I'm not really there close to the ground like some of these guys are.

And we immediately start looking for a solution to fix a problem and there may not be a problem there. It might be just cyclical. Right?

Hey, the other little fun fact that came out of the draft led me down a rabbit hole. Two of the goaltenders drafted have scored goals.

Was my favorite fun fact.

And I have always wanted to do this. So now there's a page over at InGoal called Goalie Goals. And we've categorized, we've tracked as many goals as we could find 133 of them on the Goalie Goals page. There's another f well, ingoalmag.com/goalie-goals. If you know of any that we have not covered anybody out there, and I don't care if your kid is five years old and managed to fire a puck the length of the ice, or he's somebody in the NHL we somehow managed to miss, let us know.

Send us something that verifies it. Video would be ideal. And up on that page, and we'll increase that number from one thirty three. But, some really cool facts like there are two guys on our list who have scored four goals. Woody, I bet you can guess one of them, but can you guess the other?

Under the talking, I went to the features. I found it in the subhead under features, goalie goals. So I I'm not gonna cheat. So four is the Nedelkovic one? Is Jarry the other one?

No. The other one's a little more I don't wanna say obscure because we'll know his name,

but Oh, no. It's came. Is it Hextal?

Nope. Or Brodeur? Nope.

Oh, come on. Well, now now I'm just, like, rattling off names.

How about Kaapo Kahkonen?

Kaapo's got

four goals? Yeah. Not not all in pro, but we've got four goals by him categorized. The other thing, of course, you can do it for a lot of these goals, including all the NHL goals, is you can watch them. So you just click on watch the goal.

The card flips over, and you can see the YouTube video, of the goal. So if you're into goalie goals as so many people are, we got a lot of cool stuff on there for you now. Oh, Hutch. Something I've dreamt of doing for long time. Yeah.

This is always wanted to do this.

Some of your best work here, Hutch.

Little surprise for you guys today.

On this page.

Wow. This is fantastic. I'm just loving this. Like, honestly, this is my new reference because, you know, when you're when you're covering a game live and a goalie goal happens, like you gotta really quickly be able by the time the because it's usually with the goalie pulled in the final minutes. And Yeah.

By the time I go to the locker room, I have to file the storage in New York. So I gotta go through all my resources. This is my new number one resource. Nice.

I think it's I think it's pretty cool. I've only got only got one woman on the list right now, and that feels like there's gotta be more. So if I haven't been able to find them with through my Internet searching and somebody out there has one and can show me a reference, please, please, please, we wanna add to this list.

And will you take rec leaguers if you've got proof?

I think so. Yeah. Why not?

Throw it up there. If you've got proof that that you scored a

goal, barn.

I I need I need video. I need video.

So if you've got video and be able to show it, we we should be able to put you out there. Right? I'm I'm I'm advocating for the for the rec leaguers.

Absolutely. I think we I think we probably have to put some sort of a bar on this. Like, if you're four years old playing cross ice hockey, not sure about that because probably some of those kids managed to take the puck and just skate around six guys and put it in the net. That'd be really cool. Please send me the video if you have it.

Not sure that's making our list, but if you got a full ice goal from a goalie, please let me know.

Hutch Yeah. I was unable to answer your questions because you've got all kinds of great factoids around goalie goals. But do can you tell me how many of these goalie goals Kevin Woodley has covered live? I think it's two, but is it three? Yeah.

I think it's two, but is it three? Yeah.

I've I've been there to I've been there to witness two. I guess you probably could've just proxy searched how many occurred in Vancouver against the Canucks. But, yeah, two. I thought I thought I'd stymie you there, but you knew it. You knew yeah.

No. You've told us before, so so I got it. Attaboy.

I like to see one. That would be one of those I was there for moments.

Oh, the Ullmark one was just Yeah. It was so cool just to be in the room and and I didn't I quite didn't have a grasp on what I was witnessing within the Nabokoff one, you know, like I was a little earlier into it at that stage of my career. But the Ullmark one was just like and the way he like, that's a different type of goal. The way he fired it and it landed at the like, that was just a thing.

Or jump out of the way.

Yeah. It was so good. Just launch. And with a forecheck coming, and then just to go into the room and and having a bit of a relationship with him and getting to ask him about being part history and sort of leading some of the questions there and just having that moment and those those smiles, like, it's it's pretty cool. I liked it.

I I would like to be at more.

They find the the goalie goal section again.

At the top, if you just click on features, you get everything. But one of the drop downs is goalie goals, or it's just ingoalmag.com/goaliegoals.

Gear

Great ad. Just like the parents segment on InGoal Radio Podcast, we have our Gear Segment, coming up right now presented by The Hockey Shop Source for Sports Langley, thehockeyshop.com.

We have a whole bunch of second price point gear coming to the Gear Segment in the coming weeks. We're not going to go there today. We've got something brand new out of the box just released. But coming as the summer goes on, a whole bunch of second, third price point. We've talked for the last little while, like feels like what?

Last four years, Hutch, we've seen this trend of just the quality of the gear at the lower price is is unbelievable. We had one of the gear testers at the Hockey Shop took out the lowest price point Bauer GSX line onto the ice and couldn't believe how well the pads performed. Like, so we're gonna dig into that this summer in-depth. Not quite this week, maybe not next week because we got something exciting new next week from CCM that's just about to hit the shelves that you've never been able to buy before. Hint, it's pants.

But we're gonna save that for when it launches.

That's funny. Hint.

Hint, it's pants. But but but my point here is

It's like a Woody ProReads tease.

Yeah. Yeah. Hint, you wear it. Like like, I can't I don't know what the proper hint would have been there. Yeah. But Hint. You you took away all questions.

Okay. I digress. I digress. Hint, it's pants. Yep.

It's pants. Pants you've never been able to get before. Damn it. You guys have taken away my read here for The Hockey Shop Source for Sports where you of course can get not only the latest in all this second price point stuff, but sales on past lines that it replaces. And maybe more than anything, especially if you can get there in person, Hockey Shop Source for Sports in Langley, but even over the phone and online with their incredible sales staff that play the position, know the position, understand the position, you will be able to get answers about whether this stuff's gonna work for you at the level you're playing.

That's the most important thing. So make sure you check it out. It's not always pro gear. There's great options in store now and tons of discounts on the past generations of those or past iterations of those options online at hockeyshop.com. But this week, we're going something new, something very high end.

Cam's gonna explain to us what the new Bauer Fuse stick is all about.

That's really pretty and uniquely shaped, Cameron.

Uniquely shaped. Welcome back to The Hockey Shop. Source for Sports in Langley, hockeyshop.com. But we're here in person live with a new Bauer Fuse stick, which just launched. Yes.

So new stuff in July, Christmas in July, and a grip that is ergonomic feeling on my hand. So natural. I think they call it the Ergo grip. No way. See what I did there?

I did. Yes.

It's the same as the pulse stick.

Right?

Yeah. It's because they fused that technology together to create the new Fuse line.

Okay. So folks, we we we had like the bump up here before, now it like extends all the way down over the paddle, it just kinda naturally fits into your hand. I really like it.

So Kevin's quite focused on the grip, which is actually

But there's other new features. There are there

is, there is. But this is this is awesome. Just even the way again, ergonomically is probably the just the best way to put it.

Well, mean Literally called the

Ergo grip. It has that little bit of that bump out just to, like, pump up your index finger. You get a lot better control over your stick. And there's been a lot of talk about different grips and how you hold your stick as of late. We've seen the trigger grips.

We've seen the steep panels, things like that. This is all preference territory, but that said, based on, you know, a number of goalies trying this out and Bauer's model went ahead with it and added it to that fuse line.

So he used the Pulse line as sort of a tester and now it's in the Fuse.

Exactly. Which is commonly done for them for sure.

It's just quite it feels like we've seen a lot of guys like I remember Martin Jones, like we had a segment with him where he built up this part with tape. Yep. A lot of guys would build up this area to sort of fit their hand better. This one does automatically.

It's got a little bit of tackiness to it. It's got that sticky grip. Let's so that's that's great. Now let's go through the rest of this thing.

So so super super lightweight, which we know the shadow already was in the first place.

We see that on the back.

And that's all to do with having that spine and having that back of that panel kind of cut out. So we

see it extends down to the blade to the cutout, which is

not new. That was previous generation too. Right? Correct. Even how they've now tapered it even more so into the stick just from like, research, you know, going through the actual breakage and stuff like that, which Bauer does pay attention to help improve the design even further.

So text stream still makes its return all the way throughout the stick. Moving up to the shaft.

It's light. It's light. It's light. I mean, that's one thing you're already I dealing

don't have the exact weight off the top of my head. Sorry. Hey, light.

It's light.

Light. Everything's light now. Yeah. Nothing's heavy anymore. There's ain't no wood stick.

That's true. Feels good.

So flexible because of that spine?

So mid flex, low flex, mid kick. What are we talking here? That mid. Mid. So Cameron's very mid today.

One of the things that has made its transfer over that p 28 g curve. So you have a p 31. Okay. We have the hook.

Oh, little Ovechkin toe hook there.

It's available stock off the wall. I get something that's

You think you can throw a curveball with that thing? The way

Ovi throws the one key curveball?

A curveball? I I'm launching

this into the roof immediately.

Yeah. Must I like that little flip up there at the end. Little flip toe curve. Cam's out

there dangling guys with this stick.

I hope so. Okay. One day one day. What else? What else buddy?

So pretty much kind of covers it. One nice thing is that there are some pretty awesome colors. I do

like I like the white.

That full white out kind of style. This is their stock colorway this year too as well. Kind of modeled a little bit more after that Pulse kind of coloring as well. Okay. So any questions?

Wanna go through some options? (604) 589-8299.

Custom options?

There are custom options as well. Custom options. You can order one off on custom.

One off on custom. Yes.

They also have a quick turn option as well, which is just adding that name and a little bit of color as well. So you've got some great things you can go through.

Alright. Okay. The only thing that hasn't changed is I think they're maybe not the last company, but they're one of the last to sort

of just have a plain old rectangular shaped shaft.

Nothing too fancy going on here. Ranked? Ranked angle shaft. Okay. Hey.

Every stick breaks. Okay.

Alright. There it is.

Bauer Fuse. You got any questions? Want to see what they got in stock? Go to the website. All the different colorways, all the different models, different curves as Cam mentioned. Check it out at the hockeyshop.com.

Sticks are I I have trouble getting my head around sticks. Is is am I

Just put your hand around it, Daren, not your head. Yeah.

That that was well done, Hutch. Yep. That that was really good.

A smattering from the gallery.

I I walked right into into that. No. I just it's it's something that you can't always test. So how does somebody navigate the the world of sticks?

Yeah. It's a good question.

And the the other piece of that, of course, is I mean, sticks break, and some are gonna break faster than others just from pure random chance. And, of course, when you invest in a stick and it breaks early, you see all these people with their quote, unquote reviews out there. Well, I broke on the second skate and so on. That's not a fair evaluation. It's pretty tough to do that.

It's it's features and feel. Right? And the features features we can tell you about, Cam just told you about all the features. The other part is feel. And I think so something like that ErgoGrip that they've got, which is, you know, used to have the pentagrip, which is just sort of over the the very bottom of the of the shaft.

Now it goes right down into the hand and the way the hand wraps around the top of the paddle. Like it like it's it's like almost like grabbing a mouse, Daren. Like, if I mean, most people don't even have have a mouse on their computers anymore, but the old days of grabbing a mouse for their computers, now we've got like the well, Hutch has a mouse, but he's a old school wacko. We've all got trackpads. But you know what I mean?

Like it's totally different. The only and so so we can tell you about the features. We can tell you about the weight, but the feel where the flex point is, the how it balances, how it feels in your hands. Those are all things that you sort of got to experience. Now, one beautiful part is in terms of shooting it and feeling that flex point where it is and how it comes off the stick.

If you're shooting pucks, the beauty of the Hockey Shop Source for Sports is they have a shooting room and it's not just for players. You can take a stick in there, they'll tape it up, and you can fire pucks. That new curve that Cam talked about, it's been around a little bit for Bauer, but it's they have it as an option on the new fuse stick. Total like Ovech can tow hook with a curve up. Like some guys are gonna love that for quick little chips off the board, but other guys might not.

And so you have the opportunity to go in there into the shooting room and be like, at least you can feel because it's such a big part of the game. It's funny. We talked about European and North American goalies. Like, one of the things that North American goalies have quite a bit better when you talk to NHL scouts is they they they shoot and handle the puck, especially American goalies, a lot better than their counterparts in Europe. It's it's an observation I've heard from from several now.

So, you know, it's an important part of the game and at least you get to feel that. So you can get the the only thing you're not gonna get is how it feels on a on a on stopping puck. So, we we do our best to give you the features. You can get in store and get the feel. And at a place like the Hockey Shop Source for Sports, you can get the feel in a shooting room and you can ask their guys because, you know, like they got guys in there that try all this stuff and they'll tell you what the difference is.

Major advantage. It's the, the benefit of being part of the InGoal mag, world of goaltending, just like our Vizual Edge ProReads, brought to you by Vizual Edge.

Well, do you want the puck to look like a beach ball? It doesn't matter what stick you have if you can't see the puck. Every goalie has that night here and there where the puck looks huge. You're ahead of every play. You feel calm, patient, in total control.

Then there are the nights you're a half step late, you see it, but you don't really see it. You're reaching, you're guessing, you're fighting it. That's not your technique. It's not your stick. It's your eyes and your brain not processing the play fast enough.

Vizual Edge fixes that. It measures how well your eyes track and process the game and gives you a custom plan to train improvement. Three fifteen minute sessions a week on your laptop or tablet. It's what NHL goalies like Jordan Binnington use to make the game slow down when it matters most. And remember, use the code InGoal, INGOAL, all caps, to save 10% on a subscription to Vizual Edge.

Or if you're a member of InGoal, go to any ProReads and there is a exclusive member only code attached to it that will get you double that discount 20% off. It actually the savings there are enough to justify a subscription to InGoal Magazine all on their own. So make sure you check that out. And speaking of ProReads, it's one of the best features we have at ingoalmag.com. And this week's guest is Eric Comrie.

Now I can't, as I do sometimes, lead Daren with questions about how he would handle certain plays on this one, because there are about six different elements to this play with Eric that we get into this week. It is there's a little bit of post play multiple times, and Eric walking us through his decision on when to go into reverse, when to hold his feet. There's a pop pass. He talks about how much ice to take on a low high play from below the goal line into the slot. What factors into his decision on whether to just prioritize angle in the middle of the net or come out charging and try and get to the top of his crease.

And then we get into a scramble, a broken play, where Eric has lost his net a little bit, at least in terms of north south depth. And he talks about when he makes that decision to sort of back up and sort of put himself a little more center net and then use his post as an anchor on a broken play scramble. So this is a three parter, and a great sort of walkthrough from one of the deep thinkers of the game, Eric Comrie. We've heard him talk about, you know, we we we've got him and Connor Hellebuyck and the way they discuss the game with their goalie coach Wade Flaherty, the way they all do video like these ProReads together, in terms of how they see the game, how they process the game, and trying to improve that. So we take you into that coach's room environment with Eric Comrie this week on the InGoal Radio ProReads brought to you by Vizual Edge.

Love spending some time with, with Eric Comrie.

Pending UFA, Eric Comrie.

What do you think happens there? They've got some talk about both goaltenders in Winnipeg.

Well, I would imagine that the status of the three time Vezina Trophy winner and Hart Trophy winning goalie affects and and ultimately whether he stays or whether he goes and who comes back if there is a trade might impact Eric's future. Because I'm telling you, if given the relationship between the three of them, if Connor Hellebuyck is back and Wade Flaherty is back, then I'm assuming Eric Comrie is back too. Now that's not any knowledge. That's not any information. Clearly, there's enough smoke around the Hellebuyck situation that we know there's a fire there.

But I just think that if Connor Hellebuyck is back, it's you know, unless unless they're looking at their American League guys and think they're ready and I haven't watched them enough to say yes or no, or they're worried about losing them on waivers so they bring them up just because they don't wanna lose them for nothing after spending all that time developing them. That would be my hunch.

Parent Playbook

David Hutchison standing by with the Stop It Goaltending U, the app parent segment. Woody?

Do you wanna have twenty five years of NHL goalie coaching experience at your fingertips? You wanna tap into the goalie parenting expertise that helped Joey Daccord reach the NHL? That's what you get with a subscription to Stop It Goaltending U, the app. All the knowledge from Brian Daccord, who's been an NHL goalie coach, NHL scout, and currently an NHL director with the Detroit Red Wings, as well as the insights and expertise from his staff at Stop It, which includes a long list of veteran NCAA coaches and others working in pro hockey, all delivered in easy to digest chunks, including five short daily primers, weekly style analysis, and breakdown videos, as well as drills you can take onto the ice with your team and coach. Plus, and this is a big plus, you get a subscription to InGoal Magazine included.

So that's right. Go to the App Store, Google Play, get the best of both worlds with a subscription to Stop It Goaltending U the app and a subscription to InGoal Magazine.

Hutch.

I'm calling this one, the best part isn't the hockey. So the other night I was chatting with Mattie and I asked him if he would come to the ballpark with me, not to go watch a game. And I didn't actually say I took him. I asked him to take me in fact. So we grabbed the gloves and we headed over.

We spent about the next hour throwing, pitching, hitting. It was honestly, guys, perfect early summer evening. Somewhere along the way, I realized that something had quietly changed. For years, I was the one organizing these trips. Of course, at this time, he was hitting the balls to me.

He'd wait while I tracked one down in the outfield, he'd hit me another, and of course, give me a hard time when I didn't quite get there, and we laughed a ton. It was one of those evenings that makes you wonder why you don't do it more often. And, it got me thinking about all those years that hockey's given us and everything it's given us. When he was three, we'd head to the rink thinking we'd skate for half an hour, maybe an hour, kill some time with a young kid. That was the plan, But things kinda changed because he'd wanna stop and watch the Zamboni for a little while, then he'd wanna go back on the ice and then grab some food.

I swear to you, we had days we were at the rink for seven hours messing around. At the time, I thought we were developing a hockey player. Of course, we were doing that, but we were doing something else too. We were building memories. And hockey's given us a ton.

Road trips, to camps where somewhere outside Merit, BC, we accidentally discovered we both like country music. Sorry, Woody. One time we threw a ball back and forth in a ferry lineup to kill a five hour wait. Another time we did the same thing in the middle of the Jasper To Banff Highway because the road had closed and traffic wasn't moving an inch. Countless times where we'd be talking about the game and end up talking about everything except hockey, I am sure there are lots of goalie parents out there who've experienced the very same thing.

As hockey parents, we spend so much time thinking about development, more ice, better coaching, extra training, the next camp, the next opportunity. None of those things are bad. They do matter. But I've started wondering if sometimes we overlook the development that's happening when we aren't trying to develop anything at all. It's watching that zamboni with a three year old who's absolutely fascinated, stopping for a snack because nobody's in a hurry, it's rolling down the windows on a road trip, throwing a baseball on a summer night because the weather's too nice to stay inside.

Those moments don't show up on your elite prospect's profile. Nobody gets drafted because they watch the Zamboni. Nobody gets a scholarship because they stop for ice cream, but those might be the moments you and your kids remember. They're certainly the ones that I do. Hockey's given our family some incredible experiences, taken us to places we'd never dreamt, made lifelong friends, and touched those valuable lessons that reach far beyond the rink.

I still love every bit of that. But somewhere along the way, I realized that the best part isn't the hockey. It's everything the hockey gives us. So summer is here. The sun is shining.

Go outside. Have some fun. Shoot some pucks. Throw a baseball. Go for ice cream.

Take the long way home. Because years from now, I have a feeling you won't remember every drill or, frankly, the score of any game. You'll remember the smile on their face when they asked if they could just stay a little bit longer. Turns out that's been the best part all along.

Similar to when players talk about when they retire, the thing they'll miss the most is just being in the room or road trips and the team room, that hockey ends up becoming second or third beyond just the experiences of of being around the guys.

Yeah. Amen. I mean The journey. You say.

Everything about that was good, except for the country music, which I had

knew you'd say that, Woody.

I had to put up with on the drive to Calgary with you two once.

Hey. Isn't your favorite artist? Didn't she start out as a country singer?

Yeah. Yeah. Irregardless. It's not the same.

Irregardless. Irregardless isn't a word.

Whatever. If you're gonna jump all over Cam every session, we gotta get you on irregardless.

Oh, damn it.

Why don't you like country music?

I don't mind country music. It's almost a thing where I just have to be the grumpy, bitter old man.

Yeah. I I used to be like that growing up. Everybody loved the the

the old I am. My kid came back from school in Hawaii, and she's playing all kinds of country music on the drives now. So I'm starting to get used to it. Let's be honest. Most country music now or there's a there's this balance, but I'm not a musician, but that's it's kinda like soft rock anyways, half of it.

Yeah. The the gap between pop and country music has is blurred in that line.

And there are a lot of country artists, or I shouldn't say not the artists themselves, but they have songs on their albums, especially recently, that frankly sound more like folk music to me, like folk rock, than they do cut and I that's there's my jam right there. Like, I love that type of stuff. So, yeah, I'm the the tide is turning here. I just had to give Hutch a hard time.

Feature Interview - Bruno-Pierre Guillemette

Very folksy. Sense Arena feature interview brought to us by Sense Arena. Hutch.

Sense Arena. This segment, coming up is brought to us by Sense Arena as they all are. And goalies, this one's for you. Sense Arena, of course, we know rolled out this year their goalie advancement program, and it's available on every subscription in goalie mode. It's a guided course built around the skills that actually move the needle in your crease.

You're going to work through angles and box control with those virtual box guardrails, three d replays so you can see your own positioning from every angle. You're going to train shot release reads in ghost mode facing different shot angles and different speeds until the read becomes instinct. And you'll learn to find pucks through traffic flash screens, multiple looks, anchoring off the puck instead of guessing the kind of stuff that's hard to practice on the ice because nobody wants to sacrifice their body while you're training. But it's also a skill that for sure can take you to the next level. It's not random reps.

It's a path positioning, anticipation, oh and now the mental side of course as well. Visualization and mindset work is baked right into it. So head over to sensearena.com and get into the Goalie Advancement Program to guide your training this summer. Sense Arena train your hockey sense, and, of course, use the code I g m 50 when you order Sense Arena to save even more. Think it's favorite part?

The traffic is mine.

Oh, really? Yeah. Mine's the shot release.

Yeah. That's a that's a good one too. But, like, the one thing you can't train, especially us, like, not that not that people are going to the net super hard for us old men beer leaguers, but, like, just I've had the few guys comment on this. Like, you just can't get good traffic training, and Sense Arena gives it to you without having to worry about teammates getting felled by friendly fire standing in front of the net or not standing in front of the net and giving you realistic reps.

And, hey, those are the goals that that we look at, and we say, oh, that guy had no chance. Well, there are some things that you can practice to give yourself a chance. Yep. Screens are really hard, but they're a separator.

You know what? And it's not just a separator by size. Sorry, Daren. I didn't mean to interrupt. But one last thing.

Do you know who one of the best goalies in the entire National Hockey League? This came up because we were looking at profiles recently. The best screen goalies in the entire NHL last year was not a six foot five guy who looked over everything. It was a smaller, not small, but small ergoalie who thinks the game better or as well as anyone. It was Jake Allen and the New Jersey devils.

Like, so that goes to show you that there is strategy as opposed to just it's not just a, oh, I can't look over. Like, it's all about smarts and being able to sort of manage some of that chaos in front of you and pick your lanes. And we've got so many of these strategies that ProReads over the years with these guys. When I saw that stat, I'm like, I gotta call Jake Allen and get him to do some screen ProReads for us.

There you

go. Was incredible with it. So yeah, had to sorry, Daren had to jump in there. I think it's such a massive part of the NHL Sense Arena environment.

The ability to find different ways to find the puck through traffic is awesome. One of the things that I throw out there every now and then during my skates is I'll just tell the guy, yell, No screening. Every now and then you'll get a guy that'll just stop and go, Really? And then you're able to look around him. So it's catch him by surprise.

Throw that in your junior A league, No, no screening. Let's see how it goes over. Sense Arena feature interview. What do we got this week?

We have Bruno Pierre Guillemet, from the Montreal Victoire. And if you guys liked last week's, so origin stories and Josh Kotai, and like just great backgrounds by somebody who's really passionate about the goaltending position, you are gonna love, love this interview with Bruno or is they Bruno Pierre as they call him BP at the rink. Of course, Walter Cup winning Montreal, Victor. Bruno was not coaching that that long ago. He was working in a sporting goods store.

So, and that's when he decided to be a goalie or he I'll let him tell it. It's a great story. And another unique example of the different ways that people get drawn in or back into the position and go on to have great success. It's it's a good one. I can't wait for everyone to hear it.

Really excited to welcome to the InGoal Radio Podcast. The gentleman I've, had the pleasure of getting to know a little bit on their visits through Vancouver over the past couple of seasons. Goaltending coach of the Montreal Victoire, the PWHL Walter Cup champion Montreal Victoire, Bruno Pierre Guillmette. Bruno, this is a crazy time of year for you. First off, like, let's start with the celebration because I know you're working on them.

You got your own hockey school, intense hockey. We've got a draft process going on in the PWHL right now. You also have the draft for the PWHL. Like, just crazy time of year. Thank you for making time for us amidst it all.

Let's start with the celebration. You got the championship hat on. What it's been what's it been like?

Yeah. Yeah. It's been crazy and fun at the same time. Since we won that, the Walter Cup, like, we've been invited everywhere. Like, we've been we've been invited and presented at the Montreal Canadiens, the third game against the Carolina Hurricanes.

We were there and then the the parade to downtown. I would say that everybody would have wasn't expecting anything. Like, we knew we we would have fan there, but like seeing all the fans that were there on Saint Catherine Street following the bus and then arriving at the stage seeing that so many people were there like 20,000 and plus. That was that was crazy and feeling the love from the fans and and yeah, like everybody is saying that in Montreal is we get the bit the better bass fans. But seeing it and and living it with that parade was was unbelievable.

It was crazy and yeah, we had we had so much fun there. Yeah.

Yeah. It looked I mean, just a massive crowd and it looked like what a great celebration. Yeah. It is a busy time of year for you as well. How'd you like, were you able to enjoy it?

Or you pretty much went right into expansion draft. Yeah. Were you able were you able to sort of soak it in a little bit at first before you got back to work?

Yeah. Yeah. We were able to, like the first week after the win, like, for sure, we started to talk a little bit about the draft and but, yeah, we take we took the time to to celebrate and and and soak it in. And then right after the parade, like, the parade was on a Saturday, and on a Monday, we had our draft meeting with all the coaches and going through the process of expansion draft and and all those stuff. It's a quick turnaround, but, like, it's it's it's fun.

And, like, we want that every year now, even if even if there's a lot of job to do and a lot of video to watch for scouting and stuff, but, yeah, it's so much fun to win. We wanna we wanna do that every year now.

Championships are are always fun. Talk to me a little bit about the process of the playoffs and managing your goalies, your starting goalie and Ann-Renee Desbiens, but also having three with Sandra Abstreiter and Megan Warrener and sort of that balance between making sure Ann-Renee gets her time, but but is also rested and and sort of how you work that through that playoffs and, and even all year, because I think, you know, even at the NHL level, we're about to see practice goalies and a lot of people always used to have the stereotype of, you know, three goalies is too many, three doesn't go into two. And yet I've watched you work and watched you manage it. What, what, what advice were you, would you have for others that are managing three goaltenders?

Yeah. Working with them is and like, she's not a she's easy to work with, like, having three goalies. She doesn't wanna have the spotlight on her during practice, and she doesn't wanna have her own crease and and doesn't wanna give wrap to the other goalies. So so even from the starting of the first season, like, she was pretty clear with us that she didn't own that. So like, during practice, during season, three goalies are rotating during the flow drills or when we do like more system.

And I think it worked well for her, for Deb, and also for the other goalies, like even this year with Meg, Megan Warrener, like as a third goalie, she had a lot of rep during the practice, so she was able to progress during the season on that part. And with Sandra too as a backup, like every goalie had the same time of rep. The only time sometimes that it would have changed is the day before game practice. Let's say we had a forty five minutes practice with thirty minutes of goalie session before, like we were we were managing them on those days. Like sometimes we were doing goalie session and then maybe the first two or three drills and then out.

So like Sandra and Meg would have more time during those practice, but it was really based on what our schedule looked like and the traveling and stuff. But when came playoff, we didn't add a lot of practice. I think we had maybe three or four max during the two rounds. So that was not on the ice a lot of time. Like she doesn't come to pre skate, She doesn't like that, so like and it worked well for her, so whatever works for her, we'll go with that.

With the season that she had, it was tough to go against that, so I had a lot of time with Sandy and Meg during those pregame skate or the the two, three practice that we had during during the playoff run. So but, yeah, no. That was easy. It was easy to run. I'm used to work with three goalies like I was goalie coaching with Concordia and U Sport before that.

Like, U Sport is like, for for goalies, it's a bit like the PWHL, man. We don't have a farm team or so we need to have three goalies instead of, like, in case of injury. So, like, I was used to do that before too. So, yeah, it's not a big change for me. And as long as my philosophy on that is as long as you're honest with the goalies and and you go with what you told them, I think they're buying the system, and and it pretty easy after that.

Yeah.

Working with different strengths of goalies. Obviously, you got Ann-Renee. Yeah. Desbiens, as you mentioned, is like

Yeah.

The the elite of the elite. I mean, that season both her and Aerin Frankel, the seasons they had were just did did as a goalie coach, did did was there a back and forth at all between it just seemed like one and the other back and forth all year. Two of the most incredible seasons I think we've ever seen in professional hockey.

Why? It's crazy what they did this year, and it's two different goalies too. Like different style, different different approach of the game, I'm sure. And, yeah, like with with Woman's Hockey, like, the stats are a little always a little bit higher than in any in the NHL or like junior or or university. But what they accomplished this year, it's been amazing, like nine fifty-five save percentage and like 1.1 average goal against.

Like, I don't know, maybe we can compare that for the older guys, like what did with Brodeur at the end of the 1990s, the amazing season he had there. But yeah, like, like, they were able to do this year on a consistent basis too, that's been amazing.

Working with them, you talk about different styles. Yeah. And Aerin and Ann-Renee having different styles within your own team.

Yeah.

You know, how do you, as a goalie coach, advice for other goalie coaches who, you know, have different strengths and different things to work on and different styles of goaltender? In your case three, how do you approach that?

Well, at that pro level, they're working with older goalies. Like, I think as goalie coach, we need to adjust more on what they like because they're playing the game, they know what they feel, they know what they like, and they're comfortable working a lot with. So, yeah, just having an open mind there, like an easy an easy thing for not an easy thing, but when I came with the report and started working with them, there were some post play that we were not agreeing on. But, like, at the end of the day, she's playing. She's she needs to stop the puck.

So even me as a goalie coach, I had to adjust there because I was used to work with younger goalie that you wanna form a little bit more. So sometimes you're you you always wanna have an open mind, but sometimes you go with what you want them to improve and work. But, like, working with all our goalies, I think we need we need as goalie coach to be keep an open mind there and working with what their strength are. For sure, you wanna wanna improve their where where they need to improve. But, yeah, having an open mind there, I think it's the key for for us as a goalie coach, working with different stuff.

Can you give us an example? I mean, all goalies on the audience here, so they'll know some of the technical stuff, maybe something that you do well, you you mentioned, like, something you might teach differently. She wanted to do it differently or even from one goalie to the other, different things they especially post play is probably a common one.

Yeah. Post play with the RVH and and now that the I would say that one knee down is coming back a little bit more. Little VH old school. Yeah. VH old school.

So I would say like what for the past ten years, that that VH position there was not anymore was not in the game anymore. Now it's starting to get back and with them, that's one technique that she likes, depends on the angle and the option in the front. So just switching my mind there, like sometimes she was going VH and I was like, well, a little bit more RVH there maybe? And she was like, no, like I'm not comfortable doing that. And as long as she's doing it or other goalies are doing it the right way and they're not getting scored, work with that.

Like, so so yeah. So that that one example coming to my mind quickly. And like, if we talk post play with Sandra, she rather stay on her feet. She's she's more she's more used to overlap too. So like working with like that VH instead of RVH and then Sandra staying on her feet.

And then this year Meg came and when I talked to her at the beginning of the season, she worked a lot on her post play this summer. So she was RVH a little bit more. Three three different things to work on at the post play. I was like, okay, Deb, you're in the net, we'll work on VH. Sandra, we'll work on your feet, and Meg will work with the RVH.

Yeah, adjusting there is and it's fun. It's fun having different style and, like, all those three goalies really like to talk about the game too.

That's what I was gonna ask if they, you know, if there if you saw them like, I know Sandra has worked on RVH. Yeah. She worked on it. She's talked about improving her comfort level with it so that she has that tool in the toolbox. See seeing them, a lot of sharing, lot of talking, a lot of, know, different ideas bouncing around, that's gotta be fun.

Yeah. Exactly. And all those all the three goalies are all talking about it too sometimes during goalie sessions, so it's create good conversation and interesting conversation too because they all have their different thinking behind it. Yeah, it's really nice, really fun.

As a coach too, are you learning a little bit? Like as much as you have, you maybe come in with a certain mindset, like you mentioned, I think we are seeing not a lot, but at all levels, a little more return of that VH. Does it a matter of being comfortable with different techniques, but then maybe more than anything, knowing when to use what, is that the biggest part?

Yeah, exactly. And yeah, like for your first question, yeah, I'm still learning as a Goalie coach. Still wanna learn, like I think when you stop learning, that's where the problem is. So yeah, for sure I'm still learning and I think that like the different technique as a goalie is like you said like different tool in your toolbox and then when you you went to use it. And if you're comfortable using it.

Yeah, exactly. And yeah, like for your first question, yeah, I'm still learning as a Goalie coach. Still wanna learn, like I think when you stop learning, that's where the problem is. So yeah, for sure I'm still learning and I think that like the different technique as a goalie is like you said like different tool in your toolbox and then when you you went to use it. And if you're comfortable using it.

So if you're comfortable using it, you'll have the confidence. And then you'll be able to make the save like like, yes, it's it's it's a technical position, but it's also a mental position. So we can work with let's let's stay with that example. We can work in RVH as long as we want, but if the goalie is not comfortable doing it, she or he doesn't have the the confidence to do it. It will reflect in in his game.

So so yeah. So working on that, having different tools, and then you'll you'll be able to make a save. The

evolution and the way it's changed, like you said, like, it's sort of constantly changing. We see styles come and ebb and flow. Within the women's game, talked about so that that IQ, that knowing when to use what we call it, goalie IQ, whatever you wanna call How much much of that is those conversations around the net? How much do you lean on video, for the read element of the game and improving that element thing? I guess, especially with someone like Megan, who's not getting the reps the game reps.

Yeah. And it's tough to to like, we will we can film all the practice that we want or but, like, as as for Megan, as a third goalie, it's tough sometimes to do video because like we can practice some some stuff during the season and but I was gonna reflect on our game. That's the hardest part for a third goalie in our league because they don't I don't maybe there's two two goalies in the league. They were and they were third goalie who played a game this season. So, yeah, you wanna rely on that.

So with Meg, especially during the Olympic breaks, we did video there a little bit more. During the season, sometimes it was a little bit tougher to do video. But with them this year, that's something that we changed a bit. Did a little less video than last year. Just going with the flow, having a lot of reps.

And with the season that she had, like, when we started this season and she she was doing really well, in my mind, I I just kept the same routine. Like, I think we did maybe video four or five times this season. Wow. Really on on special things that sometimes we, like, I I thought we needed to work on. But we talked about every game.

Post play, not post play, pug play. I sent her the video after every game. So and we had discussion here and there before practice or on the ice or just what she wanted to work on and and feels great for the game. Yeah.

I feel like with the nine fifty five save percentage, Like, you got yeah, like, I I once played I once played golf in a in a media event Yeah. With a guy who who threatened a course record up at Whistler during our round of a PGA Tour player. Like, was he was flirting with a 61, which was the course And you're trying to stay out of the way. Yeah. Right?

Like, and so, like, where do you well, maybe walk me through what a conversation looks like. And it doesn't have to be with with Renee specifically. But, you know, as a goalie coach, after a game, how long do you give them? Do you talk to them right away after the game, feel it out? Is it next morning?

Like, how do for for young coaches that are like, hey, how should I approach that? Yeah. What would be your advice?

With with older goalie, like, I I think it's like we were talking earlier, it's what they need. And after like it's my third season with the Victoire, so my third season with them, my second season with Sandra, so you start to knowing them. With with Ann-Renee is I wouldn't talk to her after a game. We would talk the next day or like the next practice. Sometimes after a game, like the emotion are there, we lost the game, we won.

Sometimes I feel like that you can go wrong but just like let's say you lose a game two-one or three-two or and then your emotion are there. You're a little bit mad. I rather talk to the goalie the next day. So now your emotion are calmer. You rewatch the game.

You have a better feel sometimes. Like for me, during a game, I'm doing video too. So I'm clicking the game live. So the feeling that they the the feeling of the game and what my goalie really did, like, I don't have that as much as if I was just focusing on her. So that's my approach.

Like, I'm always worth waiting for the next day. Talk to the goalies. With Sandra, it was a little bit different. Like, since she played a little bit less, depend on our game. She played five games this year.

I would say that I talked to her maybe two of three of those game right after the game. Like, I remember her first game in Vancouver. She played in the league for a year and a half or something like that. So I went to talk to her right away because, like, she had won. Everybody was so happy for her.

So so I would say it's it's different on every situation.

So you have to yeah. You have to feel it out a little have

to feel it out. Maybe maybe it's different if you're coaching a younger team or younger goalies like here in Quebec, midget triple a, like like 15, 16 years old kid. Maybe you have you can have a different approach, but I would say it's depending on on every goalie and what what is good for them too.

I was gonna say at Concordia, your goalies would have all played major junior probably. So they're they're pretty experienced too, even in the woods university.

Yeah. And even me, like, if I go back on my on when I was in Concordia when I arrived there as a goalie coach, was still a young goalie coach with, like because before that, I was with the junior team, like, goalie from 17 to 20 years old, and then you arrived there. And my first season was COVID, so we we didn't play. Second season, right away, had had older goalies, like 23, 24 years old. So it's different.

So I learned a lot being there too. So I if I go back on my memories, can say that as a goalie coach, I changed a lot from since then. But yeah, like the approach is really, really personal and that's what I like about about that is we're almost a small not almost words, a small team in the in the big team too because we're all not sometimes we're on our own. We do we do different stuff like we're getting on the ice earlier. So yeah.

So it's really nice.

The Goal Union. You mentioned the video, and I asked I asked about how using video as a teaching tool for learning to read the game, but I I didn't realize that you were also the video coach. And that is, you know, that is especially at different levels. That's that's part of the gig quite often, goalie coach and video coach. Any advice for young goalie coaches?

Like, it's important to have that skill set as a goalie coach, but also to open up opportunities as well. And what advice would you give to young goalie coaches trying to break into, you know, like certain programs they need to learn how to use, how to identify certain clips? What kind of tips would you give there?

For me, was important to learn that part, and I learned it at a pro level. I didn't do video before that. But I

Ok.

yeah, as goalie coach, when we were when you want to coach in junior or even in like, midget triple a, like, I mean, UAT in triple a, junior, sometimes university too, you can kind of merge those two jobs together. Sometimes the teams are lower budget, so they hire a goalie coach and you're doing the video video coach too. So yeah, having that in in your toolbox can only help you, and then you can understand the game more because you need to be focused on everything like breakout control, breakout forecheck, neutrals on regroup. So as you play the game, you learn the game too. As a goalie coach, you wanna know wanna know every aspect of the game for sure because everything is coming to your goalie, but like living it life, having to click it, having to stay focused on everything because sometimes you have to like click the hit, the zone entry, the turnover at the same time.

So, well, yeah, you I think it's it's a really good tool to have in your toolbox.

How how how, in what ways does it help to have that deep level understanding of system? Because like you said, I've always had the theory to a certain extent that mean, I obviously goalies have to be able to manage whatever comes at them. But at the end of the day, every goalie has different strengths and weaknesses. And sometimes systems will fit a goalie better than a different system, or what everybody gives up chances, but what are we going to give up? And does it fit?

Being able to sort of be a part of those conversations at the coaching level with the rest of the staff and understanding that, how important is it?

Well, important in a way that every team you're to play, like, I would maybe, I don't know, like, what's the exact number, but 90% of the system are all this all the same, I would say. Like, there's maybe a 10 that's gonna change, like, the forecheck one two two or two one two. But, like, knowing knowing all the system or more system can help you, like, when you play against a team, especially at a pro level like that, like, where there's pre scout and, like, there's tendency that you're gonna you're gonna see every time you're gonna we're gonna play Boston Fleet, let's say. So understanding that and seeing it, like living it live, can help you prepare your goalie or even like help on the coverage or just Just

puck touches? I would imagine puck touches for the goalie too, knowing where the floor check's coming Exactly.

So knowing all that can help you prepare your goalie, like, the right way for that game, especially in playoff. Like, when you play that team, like, for us, it's it's best of five. So when you know you might be playing them five games in a row, for sure it helps. For sure it helps.

And the other part of the job is pre scout. Yeah. You're not just responsible for your goalies, you're responsible for sort of identifying tendencies at the other end. What's that process without giving too much away? What's that process like for you?

For me, like, what we do is there's always a little loop, like, a video loop maybe of two minutes running before games on, yeah, what what we can what we can exploit on the other goalie. If there's weaknesses, sometimes you see, I don't know, she got scored 15 times out of 20, I blocker. Just little details like that that can helps player. So what I for me is I will always put like three bullets on what we can do. I put the stats too, but I'll leave that in the room.

Sometimes player come to me, ask question. I don't want to get too much involved in that because especially during a season, maybe one goalie, like let's say, eye blocker, she's she gave a more goal there, but like on that special game, she's gonna stop everything. So like during season, like I always gonna do it because some player loves it, but yeah, like I'm not gonna go in the room and do a presentation about it or before the game or like, so if players have question, they come to see me, What do you mean about that? Or okay. Can if I do that, is it gonna work?

So it's more like yeah. And how they feel.

Have you ever had a player come to you after a game and say, hey. You said that was gonna be open and it wasn't?

Probably. Yeah. Probably, or like the opposite. Hey, I should have done that because, like, you you you wrote it That's saw the video, and then I didn't do it, and it didn't work. So yeah.

But, like, funny story about that. In September, I was in Boston at the Boston Bruins training camp, and I was chatting with the the goalie coach there, Bob Bob Essensa. And I was asking him about his pre scout, what he was doing, and, like, for sure, in the NHL, they have, like, 82 games. So he was saying, like, he put the goal against and stuff. And one year with when Phil Kessel was there, he said, I don't know, they were playing I think they were playing the abs or something like that.

And he said, like, Carey Price, low blocker on a shootout, and Kessel went and he shot low glove. And like Bob went to see him after, he said, hey, why did you shoot low glove? Like I said, low blocker is is weakness. And he so Kessel answered him like, oh, I wanted to prove you wrong. That's right.

So so yeah. So sometimes yeah. Like

Were were did you do, like, a guest coaching appearance?

No. No. I was there, like, I know Jim Corsi.

Okay.

And I wanted to do it, like, a guest appearance sort of stuff. So I talked to Bob, but he's he told me, like, come to the practice and stuff. But it was a it's the first year of the the new head coach there, so I think they want me to get on the ice. There were a lot of people there and stuff. So no.

I was at practice. I was in the stands. And then we had a good chat for, yeah, twenty twenty, thirty minutes. So but it was cool. He's one of the best.

He's super nice, super nice person. Yeah.

Well, I wanted to ask you, so I'll dig into you a little bit here. Like, play played a little had a had a had a bit of time in the in the queue. Where did the passion yeah. Where did the passion for goaltending

My story is really like, it's not like all the other, well, not all, but like most of the goalie coach like they played in the Q or pro level. I stopped playing hockey. I was like 13 years old. I wasn't really good. I was really small.

Like, I think I found an hockey card that I have here on the tournament. Like, I think I was like four foot six at 13 years old. So I was really, really small and not really good. I was better at golf. I stopped playing hockey, play golf, whatever.

Then I don't know, ten years later, I was working at a sports store here in Montreal, and then we did a hockey game with the employees. So I said, hey, well, I'll I'll retry to skate and be a goalie. While up on the ice and yeah. So a year later, like, friend of mine, he knows a friend who's coaching like m 15 a and was looking for assistant coach and somebody who could take care of goalies. So I went there, like, not knowing if I would love that or stuff.

And I really fell in love with the position and I I always watch hockey, like, even if I was not playing, like, I always watch the Habs or but yeah, like the passion of coaching started from there. Not yeah. Wow. Like, if I go back and maybe it was in 2008. If I go back k.

To my memories, like, I didn't know what I was doing at all. Like, I was just shooting pucks

on Just getting started.

Hitting pots on goalie and just say, well, tracking here and there. And I started to watch video and but it started from there. And I would say my my goalie career my goalie coach career is almost as a player. Like, I started at, like, lower level and then I started to climb, like, coaching double a and then triple a and then started to work at the goalie school that I'm now the owner with with four other two other guys. Started

Intense hockey. Wanna make sure we give it a shout out shout out there.

Intense hockey. I started to coach there in 2013 and then became a co owner in 2017. And up until then, I was only coaching, like, minor hockey and coaching at the school. Like, I was not really involved with team on a on a full season basis. We were doing what we call a, so or, like, prep school hockey.

We were in charge of goalies, so I was going at practice, but like we were not going at any games or stuff. And then, yeah, 2018, I was hired in junior triple a, junior a team here up north. That was my first experience as a, like, goalie coach with a with a team and having to be there at the games and following the team. So it was started yeah. With with the team started from there.

I stayed there for three years three, four years. And then Concordia was involved too with the SCJHL team here. And then, yeah, PWHL. I coached at the c jump level with with girls too from 2018 to 2021 after COVID. So yeah.

So Okay. So I the story is yeah, it's it's I love it. Usual story as like

It is not. It reminds me a little it reminds me a little bit of my story. Never played goalie growing up. Learned it in my mid thirties because I was writing about it. And obviously I'm not a champion like you are.

I haven't risen to that level. But boy boy, do I love the position. So as you've as you started that now, first of all, there is a Bruno, not Bruno Pierre, that not a BP, but a Bruno who played in the queue. So that's where I got it wrong.

Oh yeah?

That, yeah, did a search and I should have known if it didn't say Pierre, that should That's have known it wasn't why I asked. Some of the mentors along the way that helped you get here, like, you know, like, in those early beginnings, like, what you said watching video, are you like, YouTubing it? Like, how are you you know, to get to hear from there is that's quite an accomplishment, BP.

Yeah. Yeah. At first it was yeah. Like, I was watching video on YouTube or reading a little bit about it. But Okay.

When I started, like, it was it was on a voluntary basis. So I at that time, I I didn't wanna do that as a full time job. I first of all, I I didn't think it was it was possible to do that. And then when I met the guy at InGoal Key like Eric Terrier and Olivier Michel who founded that school here, Sometimes I was going there, Monday night, was sitting down watching like three practice in a row just To

Learning.

Learn, watching what they were doing. And and that's that's how I started to coach there too. Like, I I I knew that guy and if I remember correctly, like at one point, Eric was taking a vacation and he asked me like, oh, can you come and replace me for a week? I said, yeah, why not? So went there, started coaching there and never quit.

I never quit. So yes, I meant like Eric Terrier, like he's known here in the region. He was involved with some Q team player team too. So and obviously, yeah,

know Olivier.

Yeah, I know Olivier. And

you And you started first couple of years in the PWHL was sort of alongside him, the two of you together for the first two and then this year by yourself.

Yeah, exactly. Olivier called me like first season of the PWHL. He called me, like the training camp was starting November. So he called me at the end of October and he said, like, I have this opportunity to go there, but I cannot be there full time. So I told the GM, Daniel, that maybe another guy that can work with me that they can and since we're working together for so long, like, we have the same approach kind of almost.

We're teaching the same way. So like, so would you be interested? And I was at Concordia at that time, so I said, well, yeah, like, why not? It's like, it's nice. It's a nice project.

And so I went there first two seasons with Olivier. Like, so, yeah, so I I learned a lot during those two seasons too. Olivier was working with goalies, on a day day to day basis. And, yeah, this year, he didn't come back, so, like, I stayed there alone being there full time. So yeah.

And in Concordia too, I had the chance to work with Jim Corsi. So you

What was that what was that like? What of the lessons you would have learned from a gym like, just an absolute legend of the game and a

gentleman of the game? Yes. So like, he's such a gentleman, like you said. At first with Jim, like like, and he's he's older, And we still we still go at each other on different technique. Like, he like the the half butterfly and I don't like that.

So sometimes time I wake up in the morning and then I I receive some video from Jim, like

Oh, you might you might you might be you might be getting some video soon because I think Brandon Bussie made about three half butterfly saves

I last will receive some text for sure today. So yeah. So the biggest thing I learned from Jim I think is is I was and I'm still is a technical goalie coach, I would say, but it was bringing more flow in in the in the tee practice, like, because I was still going on, like correcting everything at every rep. So like I think that I learned that's what I learned the most from him. Like letting some mistake happen and then having a flow in the goalie session practice a little bit more and then taking the the two minutes extra at the end to correct that or, like, let the goalie make those mistake for, like, a couple reps and then correct it and then redo it again.

So that's why I learned that a lot from Jim. And yeah, but yeah, we had we had again, every time goalie coach are together, discussion is is so nice talking about technique, talking about the experience that they have, especially with Jim, like he coached Dominik, he coached Binnington at the end when he was in St. Louis. And then when he when he retired, he was with Columbus, like traveling around the world working with their prospects. So yeah.

So it was it was amazing.

Anybody else? So you mentioned going to Boston and getting to meet Bob Essensa and picking his brain. Have you have you just been one of like tried to pick brains all over the place, try and learn? Is there anybody else that stands out that you've gotten to learn from?

Well, I watched a lot of Ian Clark video on YouTube. I never had the chance to talk with him. But, yeah, I think I think to be a good goalie coach, you have to you have to watch a little bit of everybody what they're doing, especially at the NHL level, what what and it's sometimes it's hard just watching the video because you don't know the approach, but you still get the essence of it. The technique that they are working on or but now I would say, like, Ali, Jim, those are the two guys that I that I refer to a lot. Yeah.

And and meeting Bob in September was nice too, but, like, yeah, we talked for twenty, thirty minutes. So, like, a couple of questions here and there, but, like, yeah. Like, Jim, I can call him every day if I want to, if I have question or same thing with Olivier. So no. Those those two are are really my big mentors.

I love it. I love it. The yeah. Well, I mean, the one carryover from Concordia, if I understand correctly, and then you can correct me if I'm wrong here because I'm I might I may be screwing this up. But in Ann-Renee, you have a CCM Tacks goalie.

If I'm not mistaken, Concordia used to do a lot of their goalies used to do a lot of the equipment testing for CCM and a lot of prototypes over the years. So you've you've got a firsthand look at the development process with CCM.

Yep. Yeah. The head coach of Concordia works with CCM. He's in charge of all development and stuff. So, yeah, we we always are testing a lot of stuff.

Then when I switched with the there in Montreal, Ann-Renee was with True first, the first two seasons. No, the first season she was with True and then she switched back to CCM. She was with CCM before. So yeah, so I saw a lot of testing going on with Concordia, New technology or new skin they were trying for the past, if it's more slippery or not or different angle in the glove. Like I remember the first of the Axis 2 that came out with the weird palm inside.

Just did that before. And even with my school, like in Intense Hockey, we're kind of sponsored by CCM. Talk So with them a lot. Like when they have stuff to test, they come to the school. So they have have access to a lot of the goalies, obviously.

So like even this week, I think they're gonna come and watch test a new mask they're working on. So but, yeah, no. I I sometimes we we're we have the chance to see the product, like, two years before it it's on the shelf.

Well, I always ask goalies because it's not like I've always said, you don't not everybody needs to be to use a baseball reference, Ichiro Suzuki keeping his baseball bats in a humidor so that the temperature and humidity is controlled. We don't need to be that intense. But it's good to know your tools. Like as a goalie coach, have you ever like and Ian Clark would be a guy the same way. Like if the if the if the equipment isn't moving in a way that fits your game, goalies need to be aware of that.

There are other times as a goalie coach, especially with young guys where you have to be like, hey. Like, this this isn't moving the way it should, or that isn't moving in a way that helps your game. Is it important to have that knowledge?

Yeah. I think so. And I think the the biggest the biggest case would be the glove. Like, the angle of the glove, like, 600, like in your stance, the 600 won't be placed the same way that the 590 or now the 580 that is really popular. So yeah, knowing knowing all that can help for sure with pads like the Max Rebound or like a softer pad or like if your butterfly is not as wide as it can be, having a different model of pad there, especially with like stiffer pad or softer pad, that can help for sure.

Like and it I think it would come at a at a certain level too. Like, the goalie needs to understand what the difference is. I don't think, like, telling an 11 years old goalie, like, oh, you should switch pad because of this and that. Like, I don't think it's

Very right.

Idea, but like, yeah, for sure, like, goalies that are arriving at, like, U15 AAA or like, a little bit higher level. Yeah. For sure, you you can have a good discussion with them to make sure that they have the proper gear. Yeah. Last

one for me, because I've taken up too much of your time out of time when you were

incredibly busy. So fun to talk about goalie.

I I I haven't learned the rituals, but do you get a day with Walter?

I don't know yet, but probably probably well, I hope we have we have a day with Walter. I saw some video of of Marie-Philip having the Walter with with Stacy. They were they were in Boucherville where Marie-Philip grew up with the cup. So I guess the the the Walter ritual and, like, all the players gonna get it first, and then we'll Probably. See the coaches after.

But, yeah, I would I would love to have a day a full day with Walter because.

What are the plan have you made any plans? Like, who who who is an important like, in moments like this where you have a championship, like, is it important? Who do think of? Who do you wanna share

it with? Yeah. I'm I'm probably gonna bring the cup at my school, like, making all the the young goalies seeing it and having a party somewhere after that, like, for, like, my mom will probably be there. Yeah. I'll I'll invite all the all my friends and goalie coach that I know that or coach even, like, head coach that it was part of my part of my, like sorry.

I'm looking for my Journey. Journey. Exact. Part of my journey there. So, yeah, having having a big gather around with with hockey people and having fun.

That sounds like a sounds like a good day to me. Well, hey. Congratulations, Bruno. Good on you.

Thanks a lot.

It was really fun to watch, and I really appreciate the time. Like I said, I know how crazy it is right now. But and you've got goalie schools. Any goal are you you're working with and Anne-Renee Debiens has a goalie school. You're obviously working on Intense Hockey.

Anything you wanna plug before we let you go?

Yeah. Well, we have we have summer camp that was starting today on the ice at at 1PM with all the goalies now. Like, our our big program, early program starting today. We have we have week two that is coming in July 20. We have a full week of school there.

We still have some place. But, yeah, we have a busy summer. Like, I would say that 95% of our school are are full. We have a special weekend with in July, only for girls. We have 36 goalies there that when it comes to our second year, we're doing that.

So, yeah. So, it's gonna be a busy summer, but it's nice. It's nice way, like, in summer I'm more working with older goalies or, like, goalies that we don't see much during the winter. We're gonna be on the ice pretty much. I'll be on the ice from Monday to Thursday.

So yeah, but hey, we love we love what we do, so never working. Like, when I when I have a tougher day, I'm just remembering myself, like, I'm going to shoot on a goalie. It's worse job than that in the world.

I can I can relate very much? We have similar similar paths to this, my friend. So I I I I love that story. Bruno, thank congrats again, and thank you so much for spending the time with us today.

Yeah. Thanks for the invite, Kev. And we'll see each other for sure during the next season in Vancouver.

Outro

What a great path. Isn't that like, just love that. Like, you you don't have to have, you know, like, you don't have to have played the thing your whole life, the position to fall in love with it. I never tried goalie till I was in my mid thirties. And now I couldn't imagine not playing it.

Obviously, not coaching it like Bruno is at the the top level of the women's game. But even getting to do this with you guys and what we built, what David's built, Hutch has built here at InGoal Magazine and with the InGoal Radio Podcast, like, that all started with sorta just a little bit of a writing work with a goalie coach and Ian Clark and editing his magazine. And then just once you try this position, it's just kinda hard not to fall in love with it. So that passion comes through from BP, in that interview, and it's a great origin story. And I was so happy we were able to share that.

Took a little while because that life as a PWHL goalie coach is busy. He goes from winning the Walter Cup to an incredible celebration in Montreal. Like, the parade was awesome. And right into having to figure out protected lists, expansion drafts, and then the draft itself as they manage three goalies at that level and four new teams. So it was an incredibly busy time for him, and I'm really grateful that he made the time to connect with us.

Does that mean you're gonna start coaching at some point?

Nope. Those He did do a little bit and he should do more.

He should definitely not do more. He those that can't do teach, those that can't teach talk about it in the media. That's my rule. I am not a teacher, Daren.

Pete Fry, I wouldn't be very happy with you right now.

I know. Totally undersells himself as a coach. I've seen him. I I I still remember we were at a training session one time. Maddie was training with a coach, and Kevin stopped by to hang out with us.

And Matthew was struggling with something in particular that the coach couldn't really convey to him. And we went for lunch afterwards, and there was Kevin on the carpet in the middle of this restaurant with everybody watching him demonstrate the proper use of the head to help Matthew reach a puck as it was going cross crease, and it was fabulous.

Yeah. But then there's the time that I was up at Net 360 and the juniors were out with the NHL coaches, and I spotted something. I'm not gonna say which goalie, but I remember sort of mentioning it to Nabi because this kid was having trouble and he was getting beaten the same spot every time. And everything else looked great until this one spot. I'm like, I see this.

And he's like, you're right. Yeah. Which was kind of a cool moment for me. He's like, yeah, you're absolutely right. That's that's what the issue is.

Why don't you go tell him? Well, I went and told him. And he became so focused on that one thing that all the other stuff he was doing right to that point, and he was a mess for the rest of the hour. And it was That's okay. Nabi giving me a little lesson in coaching there, but we had a good conversation about it.

I'm like, yeah. You you like it's it's about how you deliver the information. And I think that requires some education and experience, neither of which I have. So Anybody,

you you can't judge yourself because I once did one thing and it didn't work. Therefore, I'm not good at it. I'm a total failure.

Yeah. Well, I've said.

Hey, listen. Speaking speaking, I need to get back to I now that we now that I've cut myself down enough, we're gonna pat myself on the back here. We never do we do we have a consensus? Have we had anyone reach out? Was Josh Kotai's origin story the best origin story?

We anyway, any feedback on that one? I I think, I've heard a few that that that sent notes to me saying that that was the best right catching origin story last week. So folks, if you haven't listened to it, because I know sometimes people skip episodes here and there, make sure you go listen. As good as BP was in this one of the Montreal Victoire with that origin story into coaching, the origin story of how Josh Kotai became a right catch goalie is incredible. He's at the Islanders development camp this week, after signing his entry level deal at the end of his NCAA season.

And it is it is, I still think, the best right catching origin story maybe in the history of the game.

It's up

there with Grant Fuhr's dad having to take a left catching glove and convert it to a right catching glove.

And reminder, next week's episode is going to have a a great Gear Segment about something that you wear on your legs. Pants. Hint. Hint.

Okay. It's pants, but does everybody know what it is? No, they don't, Daren. But they've never been able to wear it before at the retail level and now they will.

Hint, they're goalie pants.

Oh, you guys having fun at my expense again? Never.

Would not think of it.

But I am in person every time we record the gear segments, and it's really just an exercise in Kevin chopping down Cam. So we just gotta get back for Cam here.

Yeah. It's fair. I give him a pretty hard time.

You do. And I'm all for it.

It's out of love. Yeah.

Thanks, guys. Appreciate all the great work that you do over at InGoal Magazine, ingoalmag.com. The goalie goal tab is fabulous. And all the little fast facts fun facts from the 32 goalies that were selected in the draft. Great work, Hutch.

That was in real time, and that was fun on the weekend.

Thank you, Daren. Enjoyed it.

We'll be back next time on InGoal Radio. The podcast presented by the Hockey Shop Source for Sports Langley, thehockeyshop.com.