Eric Comrie: ‘People Play Best When They Understand Who They Are’
The Jets goalie spent years forcing quiet, serious game days that drained him. The career lesson that changed everything, from InGoal's 2026 Coaches & Camps Guide
Early in his career, Eric Comrie played the part every goalie stereotype demanded: quiet, serious, locked in from the moment he woke up on game day. He channeled his inner Henrik Lundqvist and kept to himself. It took five teams, six seasons, and eight years of pro hockey to figure out that the act was the problem.
In InGoal’s 2026 Coaches & Camps Guide, Kevin Woodley sits down with one of our favourite goalies to talk to about the career lesson Comrie wishes he had learned years earlier, one that applies to every goalie, coach, and parent reading this.
Before games I would get really quiet and stay to myself because that's what goalies do. But realistically, I was draining myself of the energy and focus I needed and I would get on the ice and be like, 'I'm exhausted in the first period.' The more social, more outgoing, the more fun I had, the energy I'd build up, more focussed and relaxed I am.
Hear it in his own words, from InGoal Radio Episode 280.
Keep Talking to Me
The full story digs into why forcing stillness breeds tension, what Comrie learned about his own personality traits, and the standing instruction he gives Connor Hellebuyck before every game he starts. It’s a mental-game lesson with legs far beyond the NHL: for coaches who judge a young goalie’s readiness by how serious they look, and for parents watching a chatty kid get told to “lock in.”
Quiet worked for Lundqvist. It doesn’t work for everyone. Knowing which goalie you are might be the most important read of all.
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Born Jul 6, 1995 · Edmonton, Alberta, Canada — Drafted 2013 · Rd 2, #29 overall
| SEASON | GP | W | GAA | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 10 | 2 | 3.69 | .874 | 0 |
| 2024-25 | 20 | 9 | 2.39 | .914 | 2 |
| 2025-26 | 25 | 12 | 3.13 | .890 | 0 |
| CAREER | 102 | 45 | 3.11 | .896 | 4 |